The Potter and the Clay

 

A few weeks ago, I went with my daughter, her two boys and a friend from school to spend the day at Chester Frost Park.  The kids love building sandcastles in unique shapes, and they have found that in a certain part of the lake, they can find clay.  On this particular day, they decided they wanted to catch a fish and put it into a clay pot.  So, my oldest grandson, who happens to be very artistic, began to mold a small clay pot for the fish.  As I watched him very carefully mold just the right size pot with the clay they found, I was reminded of the Scripture passage in Isaiah 64:8.  It says, “But now, O Lord, you are our Father; we are the clay, and you are our potter; we are all the work of your hands.” 

 As many of you know, I thoroughly enjoy crafts and love going to craft fairs.  I’ve never worked with pottery but have several little vases that my children made in art class in school.  I think of pottery much the same way I think about making bread.  It is an art to know when the clay is just right for molding and when the dough is perfect for kneading.  It takes practice to learn when everything is just right.  I love watching potters work with the clay, molding it and shaping it on the wheel.  It is truly an art.  As my grandson was molding his pot, he would continually splash a little water on it so that it would not crack.  At one point another child came along and took some of the clay and threw it in the water for no reason.  My grandson was upset, but he became more protective of his work.

In Jeremiah chapter 18, God gave the prophet Jeremiah a beautiful example of what He could to for Judah, if only they would repent.  God sent Jeremiah to the house of a potter.  While the potter was working, his project became spoiled.  He didn’t stop and throw the clay out;  he continued to work with it until he was able to use it again.  God shows Jeremiah through the potter that He can do for Judah what the potter was able to do with the remolded clay.  All they needed to do was repent.

 This example applies to us today.  We fail God daily in little things and sometimes in the big things.  Yet we need the reminder that God is in control of our every thought and deed.  He molds us and makes us for His glory.  If we fail and acknowledge our failure, He can mold us into something so beautiful and bring glory to Himself.  God continually promised to restore Israel to their land if they’d repent and turn back to Him.  He has promised us restoration and hope if we stay faithful to Him.

Allow God to mold you and shape you for His glory.  Romans 9:21 says, “Has the potter no right over the clay, to make out of the same lump one vessel for honorable use and another for dishonorable use?”  Which vessel will you be?

 

--Bonnie King