The Lord gave another message to Jeremiah. He said, 2 “Go down to the potter’s shop, and I will speak to you there.” 3 So I did as he told me and found the potter working at his wheel.4 But the jar he was making did not turn out as he had hoped, so he crushed it into a lump of clay again and started over. Jeremiah 18:1-4 (NLT)
I did not turn out as God hoped, so He crushed and started again.
There was a time when I thought this was a statement of how difficult a season of my life had been. But now, after a time of being molded and shaped by the powerful and yet, loving hands of Father God I know that it was all about love.
A good parent isn’t one who gives their child everything and totally protects them from skinned knees, disappointments and the consequences of their choices. God shows us that a good parent makes decisions from love, not anger or manipulation. He teaches us from the living example of His Son as well as words and shows us how to live a just life, guided by His principles.
Because God made me, He knows all there is about me, in my spirit as well as my flesh. Clay in the hands of a potter is pounded and squeezed as it warms and becomes more malleable. The clay must be continually bathed in just the right amount of water and the potter’s hands must exert just the right amount of pressure, steady and yet gentle, to mold the clay into the shape that is in the potter’s mind.
God isn’t through with me yet. I believe He has the shape He has wanted in me but now He is trimming away the excess to create the design that makes me unique. I want to reflect the Creator who has made me what He has willed. When my work here as the potter’s vessel is done, may those who remember me, only remember the Potter who never gave up on me and loved me even when I was only a lump of clay on His wheel.
I hope you take the time to listen to the two videos today. The first is a wonderful 5 ½ minute message as you watch the potter create. The second is a prayer, a song of praise for our Potter.
In the Potter’s Hands, speaker: Rev Steve Hill
Potter’s Hands written & sung by Darlene Zschech & Hillsong Praise Team
