HANDMADE & GOD-MADE

 

 

 

(Gen. 2:7a) "And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground."

(Jeremiah 18:4,6)"And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter: so he made it again another vessel, as seemed good to the potter to make it. O house of Israel, cannot I do with you as this potter? saith the Lord. Behold, as the clay is in the potter's hand, so are ye in mine hand, O house of Israel.

(Rom. 9:21) "Hath not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump to make one vessel unto honour, and another unto dishonour?"

                I had the opportunity to view a potter create a vessel. He took a lump of clap and placed it on a round flat surface. He began to press a pedal underneath which made the surface the clay was on spin. As it began to spin and the wheels started to turn, his hands stayed on the clay, shaping it into a vase of some kind. I saw him add clay to the lump and oftentimes shave some off as it was spinning on the pedestal. There were also times he had to splash water on the vessel to keep it from drying out before time. When done, he lifted it off the surface with some tongs and placed it in a type of oven to dry and solidify. He showed us ones that were finished on his shelf. What beautiful vessels! Some had designs on them and some were painted with various colors. It was amazing to see how such beautiful vessels made of clay turned out the way they did.

           We are vessels made of God, formed and shaped for His purpose. As Jeremiah went down to the see the work of the potter being done, God wanted to show him how Israel was in His hands despite of all they had done contrary to His Will. We must remember we are made in His image, formed by His hands, and chosen for His purpose. If we refuse to stay on the wheel as God is making and shaping us, we can get marred, blemished and out of shape, not fit for His use. When we feel like we are "finished" in our eyes and not God's, we could become a vessel of dishonour.

           When trials, troubles, struggles, disappointments come our way, we may feel the urge to jump off the wheel and out of the potter's hand. This is not the time to get off the wheel. God is making us through all these things. We must remain in His hands as He is doing a work in us and through us. In the final process of Him making us, we will come out of the fire (the oven) as a vessel of honor, fit for the Master's use. Let us allow God to shape us, mold us, break us (if He has to) or remake us into what He wants us to become. Then, in His timing, we will be placed on His shelf of masterpieces for His purpose, His honour and glory to His name. Let us prayerfully and truthfully ask God to have His way in our lives, to mold us and make us, while we are waiting on the wheel, let us be willing and still for we are Handmade and God-Made!