Known Before You Arrived

Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee.

Before the forming. Before the birth. Before Jeremiah had done one impressive thing or one shameful one — I knew thee.

This is where identity has to be built, because everything else moves. If your sense of worth comes from your performance, it falls the week you fail. If it comes from people's opinions, it moves whenever the room changes. If it comes from your family's story about you, you are carrying a verdict passed by people who were guessing.

God's knowledge of you came first and does not depend on any of that. He did not learn who you were by watching how you turned out.

Jeremiah, by the way, argued with God immediately after this. He said he was too young and could not speak. Being known by God does not mean you feel qualified. It means the question of your worth was settled before you had a chance to have an opinion about it.