October 11

Jeremiah 18:6  --  Like clay in the hand of the potter, so are you in my hand

Anyone reading this who has been at Grace within the past few years was given an opportunity to see a unique interpretation of this passage come to life.  Until I actually watched clay being molded and shaped I never realized the strength and pressure it took for a lump of clay to take on a beautiful shape.  The potter never took his eyes or hands off of the clay --  we all watched a piece of art come to life.  Such is the relationship between a potter and his masterpieces.  Such is the relationship between us and God. We are that lump of clay, and God's hands are always upon us, molding, shaping and refining us. Of course we feel the pressure when His hands are refining us, forming us to the shape we need to take to serve in His kingdom, but our souls are reshaped to be a little bit more like the God we serve, taking on a new form of beauty in His eyes. When the clay resisted the hand of the potter, it was out of shape, off center, and almost fell off the wheel.  The potter then applied more pressure to recenter it, continuing to mold the clay until it took the form he wanted and until he was satisfied.  The passage made me stop and think of the areas in my life and my soul that I have not yet submitted to the hand of the Potter.  1 Peter 5:6 tells us to humble ourselves under the mighty hand of God that He may exalt you at the proper time. If, like me, you feel a little "off kilter",   I pray that by faith we stop resisting and allow ourselves to shaped and molded by the hand of God. For we are God's handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. (Eph. 2:10)

Randi