The Potter, His Hand & the Vessel
Jeremiah 18:1-6
No, I am not perfect… there are times that I would much rather not deal with others, you know, that other part of God’s creation that I am commanded to love the way God loves me. I have days that are lower than other days… days that I feel I have failed more than others because I have REALLY not done my best , no matter what others may think, feel, or see… days that I want to be mad and stay mad… day where I want to be sad and stay sad… days where I want to make others feel bad because I feel bad … days where I want to stop talking to others in order to make some sense of my own personal chaotic internal issues… moments where I am quiet because I am waiting to hear God for myself through the frustrations, struggles, and hard to understand times of life. I don’t know if anyone understands what this is like but these are the moments when I believe God tells me to go down to the potter’s house …
“The Word which came to Jeremiah from the Lord, saying, Arise, and go down to the Potter’s house, and there I will cause thee to hear my words. Then I went down to the Potter’s house, and behold, he wrought a work on the wheels. And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter: so he made it again another vessel, as seemed good to the potter to make it. Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying, O house of Israel, cannot I do with you as this potter? saith the Lord. Behold, as the clay is in the potter’s hand, so are ye in mine hand, O house of Israel.” Jeremiah 18:1-6 (KJV)
This scripture is one that I have heard mentioned in some way from time to time in my life but never has it been more real to me than now. The potter is the creator of the vessel and it is at the potter’s house that the creation of the vessel begins and ends. The potter knows what the ingredients are that make up its creation and he knows what it’s supposed to look like in the end, Why? Because it is HIS creation. Jeremiah witnessed first hand the potter at work.
Verse 4 tells us that the vessel that was made “was marred in the hand of the potter: so he made it again.” This verse points out the fact that when the potter looked at his creation he was not happy with it because to HIM, the creator, there was an obvious imperfection … the creation was a little too impatient… a lot too stubborn… not faithful enough… stayed depressed too long…etc. Because of the imperfections he decided to make it again as another vessel that was pleasing to him. He used the same clay … he just remade it into something else.
After the Lord let Jeremiah see this he explains to Jeremiah that just like the clay was in the hand of the Potter he would do the same thing for the house of Israel. The message is a simple one yet very powerful. The potter… the creator, is the only one who knows what the end result of the creation is supposed to look like. HIS hands create it because it is HIS hands that are designed to create it into what he sees it to be. Even though the clay never screams, kicks, or hollers, this does not mean that process is not a difficult one, after all the potter did take the vessel and make it into something else which requires reshaping… discomfort and PAIN, but throughout the entire process the clay never left the HAND of the one who had the ability to make it into something of use.
This writing at this moment is more for me than for those that read it, but if by chance someone reads this, God wants us to be encouraged in knowing that as our Potter… our Creator, he is the ONLY one who has the ability or desire to shape us and mold us into what he desires for us to become. As we go through our difficult and painful moments we should find comfort in knowing that in these moments we are as the vessel that was marred in Jeremiah 18 that the potter put back on the wheel (Thank GOD he didn’t just throw it away) to make it into another vessel … “as seemed good to the potter to make it.”
© Copyright LaTrisha E. Milton October 16, 2008
Jeremiah 18:1-6
No, I am not perfect… there are times that I would much rather not deal with others, you know, that other part of God’s creation that I am commanded to love the way God loves me. I have days that are lower than other days… days that I feel I have failed more than others because I have REALLY not done my best , no matter what others may think, feel, or see… days that I want to be mad and stay mad… day where I want to be sad and stay sad… days where I want to make others feel bad because I feel bad … days where I want to stop talking to others in order to make some sense of my own personal chaotic internal issues… moments where I am quiet because I am waiting to hear God for myself through the frustrations, struggles, and hard to understand times of life. I don’t know if anyone understands what this is like but these are the moments when I believe God tells me to go down to the potter’s house …
“The Word which came to Jeremiah from the Lord, saying, Arise, and go down to the Potter’s house, and there I will cause thee to hear my words. Then I went down to the Potter’s house, and behold, he wrought a work on the wheels. And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter: so he made it again another vessel, as seemed good to the potter to make it. Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying, O house of Israel, cannot I do with you as this potter? saith the Lord. Behold, as the clay is in the potter’s hand, so are ye in mine hand, O house of Israel.” Jeremiah 18:1-6 (KJV)
This scripture is one that I have heard mentioned in some way from time to time in my life but never has it been more real to me than now. The potter is the creator of the vessel and it is at the potter’s house that the creation of the vessel begins and ends. The potter knows what the ingredients are that make up its creation and he knows what it’s supposed to look like in the end, Why? Because it is HIS creation. Jeremiah witnessed first hand the potter at work.
Verse 4 tells us that the vessel that was made “was marred in the hand of the potter: so he made it again.” This verse points out the fact that when the potter looked at his creation he was not happy with it because to HIM, the creator, there was an obvious imperfection … the creation was a little too impatient… a lot too stubborn… not faithful enough… stayed depressed too long…etc. Because of the imperfections he decided to make it again as another vessel that was pleasing to him. He used the same clay … he just remade it into something else.
After the Lord let Jeremiah see this he explains to Jeremiah that just like the clay was in the hand of the Potter he would do the same thing for the house of Israel. The message is a simple one yet very powerful. The potter… the creator, is the only one who knows what the end result of the creation is supposed to look like. HIS hands create it because it is HIS hands that are designed to create it into what he sees it to be. Even though the clay never screams, kicks, or hollers, this does not mean that process is not a difficult one, after all the potter did take the vessel and make it into something else which requires reshaping… discomfort and PAIN, but throughout the entire process the clay never left the HAND of the one who had the ability to make it into something of use.
This writing at this moment is more for me than for those that read it, but if by chance someone reads this, God wants us to be encouraged in knowing that as our Potter… our Creator, he is the ONLY one who has the ability or desire to shape us and mold us into what he desires for us to become. As we go through our difficult and painful moments we should find comfort in knowing that in these moments we are as the vessel that was marred in Jeremiah 18 that the potter put back on the wheel (Thank GOD he didn’t just throw it away) to make it into another vessel … “as seemed good to the potter to make it.”
© Copyright LaTrisha E. Milton October 16, 2008
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