Let us read from Isaiah 29:16, “You turn things around! Shall the potter be considered as equal with the clay, That what is made would say to its maker, “He did not make me”; Or what is formed say to him who formed it, “He has no understanding”?” To understand this verse, let us read from Jeremiah 18 where God speaks to Jeremiah at the potter’s house. God wanted Jeremiah to see how the potter made pots. Suppose we go to a factory where clay pots are made by hand – we can see the potter making vessels. If one of the pots gets damaged while molding, the potter does not throw away the clay. He will crush the clay, maybe add some water, take out any lumps and start all over. That is the work of God even today. God could have just told Jeremiah about the potter and the clay, but God wanted Jeremiah to go to the potter’s house and see for himself the whole process. Jeremiah saw how the potter remade the vessel in the way that he wanted. In verse 6 we read, “Behold, like the clay in the potter’s hand, so are you in My hand, O house of Israel.” Let us now come back to Isaiah 29:16. The Message version says, “You have everything backward! You treat the potter as a lump of clay. Does a book say to its author, “He didn’t write a word of me”? Does a meal say to the woman who cooked it, “She had nothing to do with this”?” We need to understand clearly that we are only like clay in the hands of God. He can mold us in any way that he sees fit. God is the potter, He loves us and has foreseen us as His children and that is the reason we are here today.
Then, how come the work of God is not happening in our lives? Why is it that the potter has to add water again, mix it again, and remove lumps over and over to mold the pot? It is all a time consuming process. It is because of our attitude that we are making the pot. It is like a meal says to the woman who cooked it that she has nothing to do with it. What a foolish attitude! We are only clay and our Lord and Savior is the potter. We have to understand the importance of God as the potter. Many times we have to go through crushing. If a pot doesn’t come out in the way that the potter desires, He will crush it and start all over. The potter will filter every minute unwanted element from the clay before he mixes it with water. If there are any stone that he finds, he will remove it. If he finds a lump of clay that isn’t fully mixed, he will crush it and mix it completely with water. Only then can the potter make a pot as per his desire. We need to understand that we are like this clay; not our will in any area. Submit ourselves as a bond slave and let the potter mold us whatever shape he wants. Allow God to complete His will in our lives. We know that the one who called us is faithful and will make the best vessel. When we see the final finished work of God, we will see a fascinating vessel. We shouldn’t be involved in the making of this pot; rather let God have His way. God allows the crushing process in our lives so that we are in a state of brokenness. But we should remember that even if our lives are spoilt, like the clay; God can reshape it in the way He wants. These words give us hope that God can bring us back to the way He wants if we allow Him to mold us.
In 2 Corinthians 12:9 we read, “And He has said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.” Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me.” God allows some difficulties in our lives. God can use that also for His glory. If we humble ourselves, our weakness can be a way for God’s name to be glorified. Paul knew that his weakness was for God’s glory. Some difficulties are to happen in our life, so that we may be a fine vessel. If there is a stone in the clay, it can cause damage or crack in the pot. Just like that, God wants to make sure that no impurity is left in our lives. If we allow God to do His will in our lives, even if it is difficult, He will carry us through. In 1 Timothy 4:1,2 we read, “But the Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons, by means of the hypocrisy of liars seared in their own conscience as with a branding iron” Here we read of the hardness that can come in our lives, while the potter is working. If we are proud, think high of ourselves, have an attitude of hypocrisy and paying attention to deceitful spirits; God won’t be able to do His work in us. Having a hard heart when God wants to break us is a great danger. It can come to anyone if we are not alert. Hardness of heart can come because we are confident in ourselves. Paul says that these attitudes will happen in the end times. If there is hardness in our heart, God will stop His work until we repent. This will cause severe damage to the pot. In Isaiah 64:8 we read, “But now, O Lord, You are our Father, We are the clay, and You our potter; And all of us are the work of Your hand.” This should be our attitude. When we sense that our heart is becoming pride, we should come back to this verse. We should realize that there is no other alternative to making this pot other than leaving it in God’s hands. Just like clay needs water during the potter’s work, we need the word of God in our lives. When we look at the verse we first read, we read, “That what is made would say to its maker, “He did not make me””. This is denying the work God did in our lives just like Peter denied of knowing Jesus. We should be careful of Satan’s schemes. He will try to bring deceitful spirits. We need the word of God and the Holy Spirit. Ask God to show any deceitful spirits.
Let us look at Acts 5 about the fate of Ananias and Sapphira. The apostles instructed the church to bring whatever they had. Ananias and Sapphira sold a part of their land and kept back a part of their own. They felt the apostles were foolish to ask everyone of all property and felt they knew better. They also wanted to have a backup plan to do something better for their family. They wanted to keep something for themselves and use it as they wanted. This is a way Satan can tempt us – to keep back something thinking that if God’s hand falls short in any situation; I still have my backup plan to be safe. We have to be fully dependent on God and centered in Him; then only can the potter work in our lives. We know what happened in the end to Ananias and Sapphira because they didn’t deny themselves. We read in Philippians 3:20, 21, “For our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ; who will transform the body of our humble state into conformity with the body of His glory, by the exertion of the power that He has even to subject all things to Himself.” Jesus has to really be our Lord and Savior! Just like the clay totally dependent on the potter – likewise should be our attitude. He who began the good work in us, will complete it. Any pride, hypocrisy, hardness or insensitivity will hinder God’s work. Allow God to fashion you. In Job we read, He has fashioned us. God is fashioning each of us in a unique way – we shouldn’t try to do the work of God or think that we can fashion in the way we want or add our design on the pot.
Let us fight pride, insensitivity, our own will and allow God to crush us, break us and mold us to a vessel
of His plan.
