And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter. Jeremiah 18:4 NKJV
I confess that I don’t like reading those words. How can it be that the potter, while holding and even shaping form, can have his creation become unstable and fold in on itself? How can I hold these two truths in tension? Yes, God was holding me, but something happened.
For us, recently it was wife’s fall and broken ankle in the Old City. We didn’t see it coming. We were returning from volunteering and ministry work. We were talking about what we would prepare for dinner when, out of the blue, it happened. I am sure that you can relate. A personal loss or a financial setback. God, where were you?
I confess that I have read this story of the potter many times and simply relegated its context to Israel’s sin. That is a correct reading, but it is not the full context. Sometimes things happen—even in the Potter’s hands. Now what? Here are several truths from the Potter’s House that encouraged me; I hope they will speak to you as well.
I. The Potter’s Pivot
“So he made it again into another vessel, as it seemed good to the potter to make.” —Jeremiah 18:4b
This was a master potter who had chosen his clay carefully. And though the clay collapsed, the Potter was still in control. He simply set about making it again, as it seemed good. In other words, God was not done with Israel, and I am convinced He is not done with us. He assessed the collapse and the course correction according to his infinite knowledge.
The same week that Dawn fell, I had been reading some of my friends’ posts on Facebook. One had been in a terrible accident and was hoping to get the needed insurance for rehab. At one moment, pastoring a vibrant church; the next, focusing on one goal. Another friend was facing a serious illness. Another lost their job and was wondering what was next.
Like the potter, our God, as it seems good to Him, accommodates, provides, and yes, pivots, but He will not stop working for your good. And here is another truth for those of us on the potter’s wheel. God sees the situation from a higher vantage point.
II. The Potter’s Perspective
Surely you have things turned around! Shall the potter be esteemed as the clay; For shall the thing made say of him who made it, “He did not make me”? Or shall the thing formed say of him who formed it, “He has no understanding”? —Isaiah 29:16
God invited Isaiah, like Jeremiah, to the potter’s studio to gain some prophetic perspective. The vessel cannot understand the intricacies, the whys, and the solutions as the potter does.
Yes, I have spent a few days telling the Lord that He doesn’t understand what we are going through. Before you judge me, however, think back, and you may remember a time you have done the same.
Surely, I have gotten things turned around from time to time. Now, I will tell you that I have not heard such complaining from Dawn. She is a special person of trusting faith.
What should we do then? There are some who will say, “Oh, I think it is time to get off the wheel”. Can I tell you something? There is no safer, more perfect place to be than the “Potter’s wheel” and in His firm hands. But there is another truth that may encourage you.
III. The Potter’s Proclamation
Arise and go down to the potter’s house, and there I will cause you to hear My words. —Jeremiah 18:1
There is a conversation going on in the Potter’s house, as Isaiah said, “But now, O Lord, You are our Father; We are the clay, and You our potter; And all we are the work of Your hand” (Isaiah 64:8 NKJV).
Perhaps you have sung a similar refrain in an old worship song yourself.
I have heard that potters sometimes speak to the vessel as it is being formed. Of course, there is a conversation going on between the potter and the clay. In some sense, the vessel speaks through its flexibility, firmness, or dryness and brittleness. The challenge is to stay on the wheel. Perhaps, he will pour refreshing water over you, or press harder than you would like. In such pressing moments, remember, it isn’t for the vessel to tell the potter, “Why are you making me so?” Just know that He is making you as it seems good to Him.
Jeremiah heard God speaking in the potter’s house, but even when you can’t hear Him, you can know that the pressure and pressing of his fingers and thumb are part of his communication and his communion.
IV. The Potter’s Precious Vessels
I have in my home a small, oblong vase with a delicate handle that is some 3,000 years old. It was likely used for pouring olive oil or water. I cannot imagine the care that the potter went through in forming its thin walls and refined features. From being formed to being fired, a master craftsman was clearly involved. I am sure that he chose his material (clay) well. Every time I hold it, I tell myself it survived millennia; don’t let it break today!
God does not compare us to golden vessels, but to fragile clay and pottery. I wish that this were not the case. Perhaps you find that life was going in a particular direction, but suddenly everything folded inward while still in the potter’s hands. You may feel like your life is spinning wildly on the wheel, but He is still in control—still cupping you in His hands, His eyes still focused intently on you, gently guiding you in the way He wants you to go.
If that describes what you are going through, remember that God desires to form you again. I told you that the original context concerned collapse due to sin and disobedience. Much of this message concerns things beyond our control. But what does God do when we are at fault?
Perhaps there is no greater example than Israel. Jeremiah’s message was originally spoken to the Jewish people at a time when many had forgotten God. And as painful as it was to be reformed, it was a sign that God still had this precious people in His hands on the wheel.
He is holding on to you also.
Stay on the wheel, my friends.