The River

Day 9 - Jeremiah 1:5

Carli Odom

Oct 08, 2025

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The Scripture

Jeremiah 1:5 NLT

I knew you before I formed you in your Mother’s womb. Before you were born I set you apart and appointed you as my prophet to the nations.

The Reflection

Set apart doesn’t always feel good. I have always felt different. I was homeschooled my entire childhood, and this isn’t usually a recipe for being the cool kid. I so desperately wanted to be like everyone else. I craved friendship and normal childhood experiences. This often led me to overshare, trust too quickly, and be devastated when a friend stopped speaking to me. I would show them the depths of my soul and not understand when they suddenly didn’t care about me anymore. To be honest, I still struggle with this to this day, and it still hurts me.

The homeschooled part might not be relevant to you, but we all believe the lies of the enemy. Satan is the master at planting seeds of doubt from a young age. He discourages us from connecting to others because he fears fellowship in Christ. He discourages us from chasing our dreams because he fears our God-given purpose.

Think about Esther. She had a traumatic childhood. Her parents died when she was a child, she was forced into the palace (which sounds glamorous but would be considered sex-trafficking in our time), and her people were about to be slaughtered. But she was set apart. She found favor with everyone she met. Because of this supernatural favor … she was able to save her people from genocide. Maybe she was born for that very purpose.

Maybe you were created for such a time as this. So lean into the things that set you apart, because God has appointed you for a purpose that is unique to you.

The Prayer

Thank You, Father, for Your supernatural favor in my life. Please help me to see myself the way that You do. Help me to believe that I am wonderfully made. Help me to feel loved by You. Give me the courage to keep pursuing fellowship in Christ and lift me up when I feel unwanted, rejected, and unworthy of love. There are days when I fully believe the lies of the enemy, but I find peace when I run to the truth. Give me wisdom and discernment to fulfill the purpose that You created me for. Forgive me when I allow the enemy to plant seeds of doubt in my heart. I ask that You bind up the spirit of self-doubt, unworthiness, unforgiveness, and any other spirit that keeps me from stepping into alignment with Your plan and purpose for my life. I ask all this in Jesus’ name, Amen.

P.S.

I hope you found this post to be helpful in your walk with Christ!

Please feel free to comment below and share your own personal notes! I truly believe that the Lord uses scripture to speak to each of us in different ways, so I would love to engage with my readers and learn more about your perspective. My goal is to create an engaging community where we feel comfortable sharing our thoughts and growing together in fellowship.

Thank You!

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New Living Translation (NLT)

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