“Say, Dad, who’s your favorite prophet?” David asked.

“Whoa there! Where did that come from?” Dad responded. “My favorite prophet?”

“Yeah. I know which one is my favorite: Jeremiah! He’s so cool!”

“Cool, huh?” Dad smiled. “Why don’t you tell me what makes him so cool.”

“Well, first off, God chose him before he was even born — chose him to be a prophet before his actual birth. I can’t imagine already knowing what role God wants me to fulfill in my life, but Jeremiah did. It scared him, though.”

“How do you know it scared him?” Dad asked.

“Because Jeremiah himself said he didn’t know what to say and that he was just a kid. But God told him not to say he was just a kid and that He, God, would put the right words in his mouth. Imagine having such a conversation with God!”

“That would be amazing,” Dad said. “What else do you know about Jeremiah?”

“Well,” David thought. “He got death threats because people didn’t like what he was telling them. I mean, he was only saying what God told him to say, but the people got really mad. So mad that they actually beat him and put him into stocks, and they arrested him.”

“Wow! He certainly didn’t have it easy,” Dad observed. “I’m not sure I knew all those things about Jeremiah. What else have you learned about what he endured?”

“Let me see. Oh yeah, he was imprisoned, thrown into a cistern — that’s like a well — to starve, and put into chains. I mean, it’s almost like a movie reading about how Jeremiah just kept trusting God, preaching the words that God gave him no matter what the people threw at him.”

“That’s all really fascinating, David,” Dad said. “But now tell me how this affects you. How has your life been changed by learning more about Jeremiah?”

“Hmmm. I guess I hadn’t really thought about how it could relate to me,” David pondered. “Well, sometimes I get discouraged when people laugh at me or make fun of me about something. But if I think about how people not only made fun of Jeremiah but really tried to hurt him, then I should be able to handle a bit of teasing — especially if they’re teasing me about following God. You know, saying that reminds me of someone else who was made fun of, beaten, and even killed for following what God had told Him to do.”

“Really? Who was that?”

“Jesus. He went through things as bad as Jeremiah did — even worse, since He was eventually killed. And Paul too. He was beaten, thrown into prison, and accused of things he didn’t do. Examples like these help me realize how important it is for me to trust in God and follow Him no matter what. I know that if I trust Him, He’ll help me through whatever I face.”