But the pot he was shaping from the clay was marred in his hands; so the potter formed it into another pot, shaping it as seemed best to him. (Jer. 18:4)
THE WORD CAME TO JEREMIAH: “Go down to the potter’s house.” The prophet observed that when a lump of clay proved too flawed or had a stone in it or in some way came to be “marred in his hands,” the potter presently turned it into another shape. What a beautiful picture of our lives in God’s hands. He is constantly working with us—shaping us, forming us, taking our mess and making good as He sees fit. The potter knows that if his creation will not serve for a vessel of honor, it will serve for a vessel of dishonor, so he consistently shapes it as seems best to him. When we are committed to following God, we are in His hands. Those hands begin to shape and mold us, creating us into something beautiful. He patiently removes the imperfections and flaws, sculpting us into something that will serve a divine purpose and bring honor to the Creator.
Jeremiah saw firsthand how the potter worked his wheel, and how easily he threw the clay into a pleasing form. Through the prophet’s words, we see how God works in our lives. We see how we are part of His creation. He is the potter; we are the clay. We trust Him as artist and sculptor, allowing Him to shape us the way He deems best. And when we are marred, we are still in His hands—not to be discarded but to be reshaped into a vessel of honor.
Trust the Creator, for in His hands our life will best be formed.
Scott Simmons is the author of the youth discipleship series iFollow (Wesleyan Publishing House) and the youth ministry movement director for The Wesleyan Church
