Yielding to the hands of the Potter
God of every blessing,
As I meditate on your Word, would you prune my priorities, refine my character, and realign my desires. Shape my life so that I more clearly resemble my King and more sincerely live for His Kingdom. (Lectio 365)
Jeremiah 18:1-11 NRSV
The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord: “Come, go down to the potter’s house, and there I will let you hear my words.” So, I went down to the potter’s house, and there he was working at his wheel. The vessel he was making of clay was spoiled in the potter’s hand, and he reworked it into another vessel, as seemed good to him.
Then the word of the Lord came to me: Can I not do with you, O house of Israel, just as this potter has done? says the Lord. Just like the clay in the potter’s hand, so are you in my hand, O house of Israel. At one moment I may declare concerning a nation or a kingdom that I will pluck up and break down and destroy it, but if that nation, concerning which I have spoken, turns from its evil, I will change my mind about the disaster that I intended to bring on it. And at another moment I may declare concerning a nation or a kingdom that I will build and plant it, but if it does evil in my sight, not listening to my voice, then I will change my mind about the good that I had intended to do to it. Now, therefore, say to the people of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem: Thus says the Lord: Look, I am a potter shaping evil against you and devising a plan against you. Turn now, all of you from your evil way, and amend your ways and your doings.
Warren Wiersbe
Christians are God’s vessels, molded by Him to contain the treasure of the Gospel. Human beings are made of clay; clay is dust mixed with water. We are of the dust but the water of the Spirit of God has given us life through faith in Christ. Clay is of no great value in itself, but it can become something great if molded by the right hands for the right purpose. Nobody can calculate the tremendous potential in an individual’s life.
The most important quality of clay is that it yields. If it fails to yield to the hands of the potter, it will be spoiled. The clay cannot mold itself; it must have the potter. There are no “self-made” Christians in the will of God. When we say, “the clay cannot mold itself,” we are not suggesting that people play no part in the fulfilling of God’s will. We are not inactive or resigned, mere lumps of clay in God’s hands. He wants us to cooperate with Him as we pray, meditate, obey His will, and yield to His tender touch.[1]
J. I. Packer
God is immutable. This means that he is totally consistent: because he is necessarily perfect, he cannot change either for the better or for the worse; and because he is not in time, he is not subject to change as creatures are. Far from being detached and immobile, he is always active in his world, constantly making new things spring forth; but in all this he expresses his perfect character with perfect consistency. It is precisely the immutability of his character that guarantees his adherence to the words he has spoken and the plans he has made; and it is this immutability that explains why, when people change their attitude to him, he changes his attitude to them. The idea that the changelessness of God involves unresponsive indifference to what goes on in his world is the precise opposite of the truth.[2]
Look upon me, O Lord, and let all the darkness of my soul vanish before the beams of your brightness. Fill me with holy love and open to me the treasures of your wisdom. All my desire is known to you; therefore, perfect what you have begun and what your Spirit has awakened me to ask in prayer. I seek your face; turn your face to me and show me your glory. Then my longing shall be satisfied, and my peace shall be perfect. (Augustine)
Have Thine Own Way, Lord
If you have found this meditation helpful, take a moment and give thanks to God. Then share what you learned with a friend. This is how the grace of God spreads (2 Corinthians 4.15).
[1] Warren W. Wiersbe, Wiersbe’s Expository Outlines on the Old Testament (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1993), Je 18–19.
[2] J. I. Packer, Concise Theology: A Guide to Historic Christian Beliefs (Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House, 1993), 28–29.
