“But now, O Lord, you are our Father; we are the clay, and you are our potter; we are all work of your hand." - Isaiah 64:8
There in a garden, marred, dirty, unusable, disposed and undiscovered we, the clay, lay somber in our filth. Until one day a light approached, and saw potential, use, beauty, loveliness, treasure and greatness in our utter worthlessness and despicable attributes. This image sounds concerning because of the set scene, and of the process clay must endure to become its desired piece, BUT I find true comfort in knowing who my potter is. Jeremiah was asked by God to go and sit and be quite, we must be aware that prayer is not complete until we are quite and have heard from God. He goes and watches The Potter on his normal routine of picking through roots, mud and debris to find clay. Despite the rubbish, the potter still wanted it, and took it inside to be cleaned and washed. If the potter thought the clay wouldn’t be able to handle the forming process it would endure, he would have not chosen it, and left it where it laid. It’s encouraging to know the one who hung the stars and formed galaxies unbeknownst to man, chose to make beautiful things out of complete dust. Continuing to watch this process unable to understand, he watches as the potter purges the clay into a vessel. God allows circumstances and events to occur so we may be contoured from our filth and into a vessel ready to be filled and used. There are times when we feel as though God has left or forsaken us when we have broken in His hands, reality is his foot never left the pedal, and his hands never released. We may break in our pressure, become over whelmed during trails, overcome with temptation, saturated with fear of what the future holds, and in these moments we may break in the potter’s hands. But the key words there are “in the potter’s hands”. He did not throw the clay away when it became flawed, instead he remolded that same clay and began again.
Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.” Deuteronomy 31:6. When I think of my life I think of a hand full of clay continuously being turned, molded, and transposed on a wheel. He is the ultimate craftsman, and He specifically ordains each part of the process, and carefully turns the clay but to our benefit. Enduring the forming process requires a brand of faith and trust in He who holds us, and this can often be the hardest thing to cope with. You studied all night for an exam, and failed, you prayed for a loved one to be healed and you are attending a funeral, you asked for clear direction in a career choice and you sit idle making minimum wage, you put your best into a relationship to see it collapse before your eyes, you awaited a huge milestone to endure a setback. The thing with faith and trust is God uses time as a trainer, teaching us to wait upon Him. We are not alone, He goes before us and pleads our cause and conquers all we should have had to face. It is not finished, “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares The Lord “plans to prosper you and not harm you plans to give you hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11.
We must become fully aware that love came down and recused us when we were the farthest thing from being a useable attribute in His kingdom, but the potter saw instead of the filth, a vessel waiting to be created into a beautiful master piece. For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago. Ephesians 2:10
