"Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed

Every thoughtful soul, in moments of solitude and quiet, has pondered the mystery of the universe and questioned whether his own existence in it is meaningfully related to all its parts, and whether the whole is linked to any over-arching purpose. What a prodigious answer to these queries is supplied in today's verse! It speaks not just to Jeremiah's uncertainty, but to ours also. We are here in fulfillment of a magnificent idea, a glorious intention. Our very being has consequence far (to the nations) beyond ourselves.