The Potter's Hand

THE POTTER’S HAND

 by Maria Hartman

Many have heard and read the scripture from Jeremiah 18: 1-6 many times. It is a great picture of what God wants us to see. It is God the Potter, and you and me the clay.

God most certainly molds us and shapes us and forms ‘new’ characteristics in us, and He wants us to know that He does. Let me explain. In verse 1, God told Jeremiah: “Arise and go down to the potter’s house, and there I will cause you to hear my words.”  It was God’s desire for Jeremiah to see what the LORD was making; the picture here was too important to miss.

We too need to arise and go down to the Potter’s house. There is something for us to see; something too fantastic to miss.

v4: 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.  Jeremiah saw a
marred vessel. Still the Potter held it carefully, lovingly. The Potter, in control of all things, could have easily discarded the vessel at any time, and for many reasons. Instead He chose to do something with what was there; to make something out of it that would be ‘good’. He took the time to smooth out the rough edges, to heal and restore the cracks, and to fashion a one of a kind design.

I love how this analogy shows how the Hand of God is involved in our life. He touches us, carefully molds us, and specifically shapes us. He does this because we really matter to Him. His desire is for us to be conformed to the image of His Son. That takes a while. It takes many twists and turns; often ones we don’t expect or anticipate. But the picture given here is truly beautiful. Look at the hands. Look at whosehands they are! These hands don’t come off. They are at work day and night. They are part of the process until the very end because they are the hands which began the process.

Anyone who deals with pottery knows how important it is to accurately handle the clay. In other words, a potter’s hands must give different pressure at different times depending on what he/she desires to make. A vase, a pot, and a pitcher will all require different pressure for shaping, at different times. Even imperfect human hands know what is necessary to make these things. Our Potter molds our lives with perfect hands,
with perfect accuracy, and with perfect timing.

For Today: Friends, we are marred vessel with many flaws……..no doubt about it. But we are vessels which are His; vessels He loves, and vessels He won’t leave alone until we look more and more like the finest creation a potter can make; in this case, like the Lord Jesus. Sometimes those hands at work hurt, but we know His love and purposes for us are the reasons why He does what He does. I am thankful that He does not leave me as I am. Praise God, He takes us, molds us, fills us, and uses us.