Shaped by God

Like clay in the hand of the potter, so are you in my hand. Jeremiah 18, verse 6. Welcome to today's encouragement from Our Daily Bread. Our reading, titled Shaped by God, was written by Jennifer Benson Shoult and read by Tony Collier. Jeremiah chapter 18, verses 1 through 10.

This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord. Go down to the potter's house, and there I will give you my message. So I went down to the potter's house, and I saw him working at the wheel.

But the pot he was shaping from the clay was marred in his hands, so the potter formed it into another pot, shaping it as seemed best to him. Then the word of the Lord came to me. He said, Can I not do with you, Israel, as this potter does? declares the Lord. Like clay in the hand of the potter, so are you in my hand, Israel. If at any time I announce that a nation or kingdom is to be uprooted, torn down and destroyed, and if that nation I warned repents of its evil, then I will relent and not inflict on it the disaster I had planned.

And if at another time I announce that a nation or kingdom is to be built up and planted, and if it does evil in my sight and does not obey me, then I will reconsider the good I had intended to do for it. Shaped by God, written by Jennifer Benson Shoult. Dan Less, a lifelong potter, creates decorative vessels and sculptures.

His award-winning designs are inspired by the town in Romania where he lives. Having learned the craft from his father, he made this comment about his work. Clay needs to ferment for a year, to have rain fall on it, to freeze and thaw out so that you can shape it and feel through your hands that it is listening to you. What happens when clay listens? It's willing to yield to the artisan's touch. The prophet Jeremiah observed this when he visited a potter's house.

He watched as the craftsman struggled with a vessel and finally reshaped it into something new. God said to Jeremiah, like clay in the hand of the potter, so are you in my hand. God has the ability to build us up or bring us down, yet his ultimate purpose isn't to overpower or destroy us. Rather, he's like a skilled craftsman who can identify what isn't working and reshape the same lump of clay into something beautiful and useful.

Listening clay doesn't have much to say about this. When prodded, it moves in the desired direction. When molded, it stays in place. The question for us is this, are we willing to humble ourselves under God's mighty hand so he can shape our lives into what he wants them to be? Let's pray. Lord, like clay in the hands of the potter, may we yield to your shaping touch, trusting in your wisdom to mold us into vessels of beauty and purpose. May we be open to your will for us and live with open hands and hearts, ready to serve you with the gifts you've given us. It's in Jesus' name we pray. Amen. As you go about your day, reflect on these questions. How are you listening to God today? What do you think His purpose is for refining you through your life's experiences?