Faith Daily Lectio Monday, November 2, 2026 Old Testament
Monday, November 2, 2026 · Monday in the week of the Twenty-third Sunday after Pentecost (Proper 26)
Old Testament
Oratio (prayer)
Lord God, You called Jeremiah and put Your words in his mouth. Send Your Holy Spirit as I read Jeremiah 1, that I may hear Your Word and trust Your promise to be with me. In Jesus' name, Amen.
Meditatio (meditation)
Jeremiah 1:1-19
1The words of Jeremiah the son of Hilkiah, of the priests that were in Anathoth in the land of Benjamin:
2To whom the word of the LORD came in the days of Josiah the son of Amon king of Judah, in the thirteenth year of his reign.
3It came also in the days of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah, unto the end of the eleventh year of Zedekiah the son of Josiah king of Judah, unto the carrying away of Jerusalem captive in the fifth month.
4Then the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,
5Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.
6Then said I, Ah, Lord GOD! behold, I cannot speak: for I am a child.
7 But the LORD said unto me, Say not, I am a child: for thou shalt go to all that I shall send thee, and whatsoever I command thee thou shalt speak.
8Be not afraid of their faces: for I am with thee to deliver thee, saith the LORD.
9Then the LORD put forth his hand, and touched my mouth. And the LORD said unto me, Behold, I have put my words in thy mouth.
10See, I have this day set thee over the nations and over the kingdoms, to root out, and to pull down, and to destroy, and to throw down, to build, and to plant.
11 Moreover the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, Jeremiah, what seest thou? And I said, I see a rod of an almond tree.
12Then said the LORD unto me, Thou hast well seen: for I will hasten my word to perform it.
13And the word of the LORD came unto me the second time, saying, What seest thou? And I said, I see a seething pot; and the face thereof is toward the north.
14Then the LORD said unto me, Out of the north an evil shall break forth upon all the inhabitants of the land.
15For, lo, I will call all the families of the kingdoms of the north, saith the LORD; and they shall come, and they shall set every one his throne at the entering of the gates of Jerusalem, and against all the walls thereof round about, and against all the cities of Judah.
16And I will utter my judgments against them touching all their wickedness, who have forsaken me, and have burned incense unto other gods, and worshipped the works of their own hands.
17 Thou therefore gird up thy loins, and arise, and speak unto them all that I command thee: be not dismayed at their faces, lest I confound thee before them.
18For, behold, I have made thee this day a defenced city, and an iron pillar, and brasen walls against the whole land, against the kings of Judah, against the princes thereof, against the priests thereof, and against the people of the land.
19And they shall fight against thee; but they shall not prevail against thee; for I am with thee, saith the LORD, to deliver thee.
Consider even rereading in another translation.
You could also consider listening to this chapter, narrated:
KJV (Max McLean) · ESV (Max McLean) · NIV (dramatized)
You might read the whole reading slowly, aloud, more than once.
Consider this verse, for example:
“Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee” (Jeremiah 1:5)
What other lines speak to you?
The word of the LORD comes to Jeremiah, a priest's son from Anathoth, in the days of King Josiah. God tells him that He knew him before he was formed and ordained him a prophet to the nations. Jeremiah protests that he is only a child, but the LORD touches his mouth and gives him His words. He shows Jeremiah an almond rod and a seething pot facing from the north. Judgment is coming on Judah for forsaking the LORD. Jeremiah is to stand and speak, and God promises to make him a defenced city and to be with him.
The Law Judah's sin is named plainly. They "have forsaken me, and have burned incense unto other gods" (v. 16). We, too, worship "the works of their own hands" (v. 16) when we trust what we make more than the God who made us. And like Jeremiah we make excuses: "behold, I cannot speak: for I am a child" (v. 6).
The Gospel God's call rests on His grace, not on our strength. "Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee" (v. 5). He touched Jeremiah's mouth and said, "Behold, I have put my words in thy mouth" (v. 9). In Baptism He has known you, named you, and made you His own. His promise is the same: "I am with thee to deliver thee" (v. 8). In Jesus, the true Prophet, He has come to deliver you.
Prayer Lord God, I confess that I have trusted the works of my own hands and made excuses when You called me. Forgive me for Jesus' sake. Thank You for knowing me before I was formed, and for putting Your Word near me. In Jesus' name, Amen.
Tentatio (trial)
Speaking God's Word can bring opposition. The LORD tells Jeremiah plainly, "they shall fight against thee; but they shall not prevail against thee" (v. 19). Under trial it may help to hear this as His promise to you, too. You are not asked to be strong in yourself. He says, "Be not afraid of their faces" (v. 8).
Prayer Lord, when I am afraid to speak or weary of the fight, be my defence. Keep Your Word in my mouth and in my heart, and deliver me as You promised. In Jesus' name, Amen.
Scripture quotations are from the King James Version.
My church home: Peace Lutheran Church, McMurray, PA. Looking for a church? See About Daily Lectio.
