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God is God

Who is in control of the outcome, the potter or the pottery? The potter of course. I admit that I am not very creative when it comes to painting, sculpting, etc. I do enjoy hand blown glass and have seen pottery made.

Everything done is in the hands of the artist. He is in control. The clay has no say in what the outcome is.

  • And so, God is shaping me as seems best to Him.
  • I may not always understand it but that is the way Jesus works.
  • He is the creator.
  • He is God.

This is the word that came to Jeremiah from Yahweh [the Lord]: 2 “Go down at once to the potter’s house; there I will reveal my words to you.” 3 So I went down to the potter’s house, and there he was, working away at the wheel. 4 But the jar that he was making from the clay became flawed in the potter’s hand, so he made it into another jar, as it seemed right for him to do.

5 The word of Yahweh [the Lord]came to me: 6 “House of Israel, can I not treat you as this potter treats his clay?”—this is Yahweh [the Lord] declaration. “Just like clay in the potter’s hand, so are you in my hand, house of Israel.[1]

Jeremiah 18:1-6

May I open myself to what He sees is best for me.

Jeremiah lived in a time when the people of Israel had turned away from God and were facing his judgment. God gave Jeremiah a message to warn them and call them to repentance.

The message was illustrated by a simple but profound object lesson. God told Jeremiah to go to the potter’s house and watch him work on the clay. Jeremiah obeyed and observed how the potter shaped and molded the clay on his wheel. Sometimes, the jar that he was making would have a defect or a flaw, and he would have to start over and make it into something else. The potter had complete control over the clay and could make it into whatever he wanted.

Then God spoke to Jeremiah and said, “House of Israel, can I not treat you as this potter treats his clay?” God was telling Jeremiah that he had the same sovereignty and authority over his people as the potter had over the clay. He could shape them, correct them, discipline them, or even destroy them if they did not obey him. He was not bound by their choices or their preferences. He was the Creator and they were his creatures.

This passage teaches us some important lessons about God and ourselves.

  1. It reminds us that God is sovereign over everything. He has the right and the power to do whatever he pleases with his creation. He is not limited by our expectations or our opinions. He is the King of kings and the Lord of lords.
  2. It shows us that we are dependent on God for everything. We are like clay in his hands, and he is the one who gives us life, breath, and everything else. We are not self-sufficient or autonomous. We owe everything to him and we need him every moment.
  3. It challenges us to trust God and submit to his will. Sometimes, we may not understand what God is doing in our lives or why he allows certain things to happen. We may feel like he is breaking us or reshaping us into something we don’t want to be. But we need to remember that he knows what is best for us and he has a good purpose for everything he does. He is the potter and we are the clay.

I hope this passage encourages you to reflect on your relationship with God and how you respond to his work in your life.

  • Are you willing to let him mold you and make you into what he wants you to be?
  • Are you ready to surrender your plans and your dreams to his perfect will?
  • Are you grateful for his grace and his mercy that he shows you every day?

Remember, he is the potter, and we are the clay.

[1] Christian Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2020), Je 18:1–6.