Trying to wrap your head around the dynamic of a God who holds the universe in place but still knows my name is a challenge, to say the least. It blows my mind that we serve a God that loves me despite my shortcomings and my often short attention span! Such is the mystery of His Grace – although I am prone to want things my way, although I struggle, He gently and lovingly, and with all patience, works to recapture my heart and reshape my thinking.
As I have seen the Hand of God at work time and time again in this way, it’s hard for me to find any better explanation in scripture than Jeremiah 18 where the Lord instructs Jeremiah to visit the house of the Potter. When Jeremiah arrives, he sees a potter hard at work, using his trusted wheel – that trusted instrument keeping the pot moving, cycle after cycle refining and informing the work of his hands. Jeremiah immediately remarks that the pot being worked on is marred, spoiled, disfigured, imperfect… kind of like me. This ball of potential and energy and life can sometimes get off track or knocked down by life. But catch what the Lord speaks to Jeremiah’s heart in this moment…
“Can I not do with you as this potter has done? declares the Lord. Behold, like clay in the potter’s hand, so are you in my hand.” Jeremiah 18:5-6 ESV
As a person who loves to know more about the workings of the world and marvels at the complexity of creation, I kind of hate the fact that there are questions I have I may never know the answer to, particularly when it comes to my own life. It’s so important to remember that I am the clay, not the potter, and that is absolutely the best thing for me. I know I will have my share of marred spots and imperfections, but the potter has capable, steady hands to continually refine and reshape my life. I want to always remain pliable in those gracious hands. Meditate on this with me today. In what ways has God been shaping your life lately? Do you trust him to smooth over the rough patches? As the wheel continues to spin and each season of life brings change, are you allowing his gracious hands to shape you, or are you like a clay pot telling the potter how things should be?
– Pastor Ryan