The Potter
Formation and Trust
When God Speaks
Sometimes God uses very ordinary things to make something profound clear. It happened years ago after a conference. I had listened to a powerful sermon about devotion, in which I had strongly experienced God’s Spirit and gained many new insights about serving God, yet paradoxically I felt a little downhearted. The Holy Spirit had convinced me of my own weaknesses and shortcomings. You know how it is, one of those moments when you suddenly take a very sharp look at yourself. It was in that mood that I read the well-known text from Jeremiah 18.
“The word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD: Arise, go down to the potter’s house, and there I will give you my words.”
When God speaks, it is important to listen. But where in your life does God’s word actually have a place? Is the Bible just lying on your nightstand? Do you only hear it on Sunday mornings? A genuine hunger for God goes hand in hand with a hunger for His word.
The workshop of change
God sent Jeremiah to the potter’s house, and not without reason. That workshop, often located by the river where water and clay come together, is for me a beautiful image of the church of Jesus Christ. It is the place where the process of change is set in motion.
That is where God’s word is heard. That is where He wants to give us a vision. But then we have to be there, with open ears, without the distractions of daily life. As so often, the LORD takes an example from everyday life. Pottery was as common then as driving a car is now.
Jeremiah was obedient. He went down without complaining or asking, “What am I supposed to do there?” He just went. And what did he see? At that very moment, the potter was shaping something on the potter’s wheel. Perfect timing, wouldn’t you say?
The process of formation
On its own, earth is worthless until it is used. In the same way, clay must first be dug up before it can be used. In the same way, God digs us up to use us. Through the Holy Spirit, we are convinced, called, and brought to the workshop of the LORD.
Then the real work begins. Clay must be kept under water for months to achieve the right quality. It must be prepared: mixed with water, stones must be removed, and all air bubbles must be kneaded out. These air bubbles make the clay vulnerable and cause the vase to break when pressure is applied.
That sounds familiar, doesn’t it? All those things in our lives that make us hollow, that take up useless space. Through His Word, God wants to remove all the air from the clay so that only authenticity remains. This renewal process can sometimes be painful, but it is necessary to prevent weak spots.
When things go wrong
“If the pot he was making failed, as clay does in the potter’s hand, he would make another pot from it, as the potter saw fit.”
Sometimes things go wrong. Things turn out differently than you had imagined. The reason is not always clear, but the potter is never to blame. Our heavenly Father knows exactly what we need.
The beautiful thing is: when things go wrong, it’s not a disaster. “As happens with clay in the potter’s hand” — it’s part of the process. He simply starts over. Sometimes we are simply not ready yet. Jesus said it himself: “I have much more to say to you, but you cannot bear it now.”
Earthen vessels with a treasure
Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 4:7: “But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not from ourselves.”
We are earthen vessels: vulnerable and fragile. Yet we are useful to God because He has placed a treasure within us. That treasure is His: eternal life, a power that surpasses all things. We are allowed to keep it, work with it, and share it with others. But we must never forget: we are the vessels, the power is His.
In the midst of the storm
“We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair.” The process of formation is accompanied by difficulty; we should not be surprised by that.
It is not the circumstances that shape us, but the work of the LORD in them. Even in the midst of pain, we experience His presence. Just think of the heroes of faith: name one who matured in faith without oppression, rejection, or loneliness. Not one. It was precisely in those situations that God showed His faithfulness.
Paul is the perfect example: from a proud, arrogant murderer to a humble, dependent leader at God’s hand. He went through everything: beatings, imprisonment, riots, sleepless nights, hunger, and thirst. And what was his attitude? He sang psalms in prison!
In His hand
“Shall I not be able to do with you as this potter, O house of Israel? Behold, as the clay is in the potter’s hand, so are you in my hand.”
The question is: does life harden us, or does it shape us? Is the LORD there, or must He cast us aside as useless because stubbornness and hardness have made us completely unsuitable?
Moses had every reason to harden his heart after forty years in the desert. David was excluded and sat with the sheep in solitude. But it was precisely those places where God could reach and shape them.
Different destinations
“In a large house there are not only objects of gold and silver, but also of wood and earthenware, some for honorable use, some for less honorable use.”
We all have different destinations in God’s service. Different characters, temperaments, and ways of expressing ourselves. Some are given the “honorable purpose” – think of a beautiful ministry of singing and praise. Others are given the “less honorable purpose” – the household objects that have to endure a lot.
But whatever place you are given in the house of the LORD, what matters is that we take on the shape that the potter wants to give us.
Trust
Even when things go wrong, we are in His hands. He wants to shape us, renew us. Even if it doesn’t seem to be working out, He will achieve His goal. He seeks the best for our lives and does not cast us aside. He loves us, has already invested a lot in us, is patient, and has paid the price for it.
He does not give up on us.
Let us become malleable again in God’s hands—that is what it is all about in the end. Not passive, but completely dependent on His shaping power. For who knows what beautiful vase He wants to make of us?
@ Wim van Putten