Hi Friend,

The Book of Jeremiah records an inspiring statement from God that is sometimes quoted on highway billboards by groups that stand for life. Though God was speaking to Jeremiah, it applies to all of us, and the implications are enormous.

Jeremiah says, "the word of the Lord came to me, saying: Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you. Before you were born, I sanctified you." (Jeremiah 1:4-5)

How does God know such things? Since He created man, He knows things about us that we don’t know.

A friend shared a personal story of an elderly aunt, who declared that she could be the twin of her grandmother. This revelation was particularly inspiring, as my friend had never met her grandmother. Most people are unfamiliar with their ancestors beyond a few generations, and few take the time to consider the possibility that we may have ancestors—perhaps many—who were just like us.

This idea may also apply to Jeremiah. God knew his DNA and every ancestor since Adam that made up his structure. If it was true for Jeremiah, it is equally true for you.

The Apostle Paul recognized this truth about himself. Paul said, "He who had set me apart before I was born, and who called me by His grace…." (Galatians 1:15 ESV).

My wife loves the study of history. She has an MA in the subject, which she taught at both the high school and college level. While researching her family history through 23 and Me as well as Ancestry.com, she located a second cousin she had never heard of. She contacted the cousin, and we stopped in Lynchburg, Virginia, to meet her on our return trip from the Feast of Tabernacles in Florida. I was surprised to see the remarkable similarities in personality and thought patterns between the two. They even had the same phobias about driving a car. Even though they had never met, they could have been twin sisters.

It brings up some interesting speculation—the time will come when all men will be resurrected to life. A frequent question is, "Will we know each other when we see each other in the resurrection?" It’s likely that we will feel like we are looking in a mirror when we meet some of our ancestors.

Let’s do a little mathematics. A person has two parents, four grandparents, eight great-grandparents, and sixteen in the fourth generation before them. By the 10th generation, you have 1,024 ancestors from which you are directly descended.

Consider for a moment that if any of your ancestors had not existed, you would not be here either.

The mathematical progression extends for a few thousand years. Just fifteen generations before you—only 600 years—there are 32,768 people in your direct lineage who contributed to your DNA. If even one of those ancestors had not existed, neither would you. You see, this illustrates that your chances of being born were quite slim.

We often speak about the miracle of life—but the fact is that you, as an individual, are the miracle.

The Psalmist writes:

For you created my inmost being;

you knit me together in my mother’s womb.

your works are wonderful,

I know that full well.

when I was made in the secret place,

when I was woven together in the depths of the earth.

all the days ordained for me were written in your book

before one of them came to be.

How vast is the sum of them!

they would outnumber the grains of sand—

when I awake, I am still with you.

Psalm 139:13-18

King David sang a song asking,

"What is man that you are mindful of him,

And the son of man that you take care of him?

For You have made him a little lower than the angels

And You have crowned him with glory and honor.

Psalm 8:4-5

Let us give thanks to the God of Life. We exist because of His goodness.

Until next time,

Jim O’Brien

Pastor, Church of God Cincinnati

3-21-25