The Potter's Hand
Jeremiah 18:1-6 The word which came to Jeremiah from the Lord, saying, 2) Arise, and go down to the potter’s house, and there I will cause thee to hear my words. 3) Then I went down to the potter’s house, and, behold, he wrought a work on the wheels. 4) 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. 5) Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 6) 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.
The other day I awoke around 5:30 a.m., at that time the Lord reminded me that He was the Potter, and I was the clay. As I laid in my bed, the Holy Spirit spoke Jeremiah 18 softly to my heart. I then found my Bible and began to read the above scriptures.
God commands Jeremiah to go down to the Potter’s house and there he would receive a word. As Jeremiah approaches the house, he notices that the potter had already begun his work for the day. So, he stood there and admired the man’s gift; however, he noticed that something was terribly wrong with his work. The vessel that was made of clay was marred in the HAND OF THE POTTER.
Marred - Hebrew 7843 - to decay, i.e., ruin (lit. or fig.):-batter, cast off, corrupt, destroy, lose, mar, perish, waste.
Mar - Webster dictionary - to detract from the wholeness or perfection of: spoil
Jeremiah 18:4 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.
The Bible says that the vessel was “marred” (ruined, battered, castoff, waste, not whole or perfect.) However, notice that the potter did not throw the clay away, he simply started over with the same piece of clay. The potter did not get mad or frustrated; he took his time and began to make another vessel.
Jeremiah 18:5-6 Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 6) 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.
As Jeremiah stood there amazed by what was transpiring before his eyes, the Lord told Jeremiah that he was the clay vessel and I the Lord am the Potter. But before the Lord ended the conversation, He asked Jeremiah a question. God asked Jeremiah, “Cannot I do with you as this potter?”
Anytime you see God ask someone in the Bible a question, it is not because He does not know the answer. God is all -knowing. The reason God asks someone a question, is to get that person to take a close look at the situation so he/she can get a clear understanding of what is going on. Jeremiah witnessed the “before” work, and the “after” work of the vessel.
“Jeremiah, cannot I do with you as the potter?”
Eventually, we are going to have to take a break in life and ask ourselves this question. (Put Your Name Here), cannot I do with YOU as this potter? I had to ask myself this same question just the other day. I felt like the Lord was telling me that I had some areas in my life that were “marred” and He was getting ready to start over. If you will be honest with yourself, I am almost positive that there are a couple of “marred” areas in your life too. Do you agree? If so, then it is important that you answer “YES” to the question, “Cannot I do with you as this potter?”
When we answer yes, then we acknowledge God as the Head of our life, and we willfully allow Him to change us. Notice as Jeremiah watched the potter; the vessel “never” did anything to assists the potter. The clay was totally in submission. We must become like the clay and allow God to do what He needs to do in our lives.
John 3:30 He must increase, but I must decrease.
Do you feel like there are some areas in your life that are marred? If so, are you willing to go through the process to become a new vessel, even if it hurts? Sometimes the process hurts. Whenever a vessel is marred; it is never thrown away; the clay is CRUSHED together and returned to the wheel, and the work begins again.
Jeremiah 18:4 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.
I sense that God is getting ready to start over in someone’s life. He is getting ready to take the “old you” and turn “you” into something “new“. God is focusing on you right now, not your situation. Many times, we pray and ask God to change our environment or situation, but He is trying to change “you” instead. We want God to change our family, our job, or our finances, but God is more interested in changing us. If God changed your environment or situation every time it was uncomfortable to you, He would be changing it every six months. God’s number one concern right now is “you“.
God has you on the potter’s wheel right now as you read this message. You have some areas in your life that are marred, and God is trying to recreate you. Notice that I said RECREATE and not RELOCATE. God is not trying to change your situation right now; He is in the process of changing you. When God gets finished with what He is doing with you, then He will change your situation “if” it needs to be changed. Often times the problem is not the environment or situation, but rather the one living in it. And as soon as God changes you, He may not need to change your environment. AMEN!
Jeremiah 1:5 Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.
God is “willing” and “ABLE” to change you. God knows exactly what He is doing; He is the Lord Almighty. One of the most comforting things that God said to Jeremiah was; “Behold, as the clay is in the potter’s hand, so are you in MY HAND.”
I want you to know right now that YOU ARE IN GOD’S HANDS. Regardless of how painful the process is right now, you are in good hands. I can almost see Jeremiah smile as the Lord spoke this word to him. When Jeremiah first walked up to the house, he saw that the clay was marred, but as he stood there for a while he saw the same piece of clay that seemed ruined at first, become something beautiful. Jeremiah saw the “before’ and “after” product, and that was not even the best part. The best part was - the clay NEVER LEFT the Potter’s Hands.
Philippians 1:6 And I am convinced and sure of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will continue until the day of Jesus Christ [right up to the time of His return], developing [that good work] and perfecting and bringing it to full completion in you. Amplified Version
You are in God’s hands. No matter what you are going through today, He is not going to let you go. He may have to stretch you, and even bend or crush you, but He will NEVER drop you or set you aside. If He does not like what He sees, He will simply place you back on the wheel and start over. My best advice to you is for you to simply relax and let God do what He wants to do. The more you fight it, the longer it is going to take.
Romans 9:20-21 Nay but, O man, who art thou that repliest against God? Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it, Why hast thou made me thus? 21) Hath not the potter power over the clay; of the same lump to make one vessel unto honor, and another unto dishonor?
When I finished reading Jeremiah the other morning, God reminded me of a song that we use to sing in church when I was a little boy. It goes like this
“He’s got the whole world in His hands, God’s got the whole world in His hands, He’s got the whole world in His hands, He’s got the whole world in His hands -
He’s got you and me, in His hands, He’s got you and me, in His hands, He’s got you and me, in His hands, He’s got the whole world in His hands”
If you remember that song, sing it in your heart throughout everyday. I have been singing it the past couple of days, and it has FILLED my heart with joy. I even sang it to Sharon the other day when she was feeling down.
God has the whole world in His hands, so just relax - because you are in good hands! Let us begin TODAY expecting positive changes in ourselves as God shapes us into His beautiful vessels! GOD IS ABLE!!
God Bless
Joshua Drucker
