The Master Potter

Jeremiah 18:6

6O 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.

In the days of the prophet Jeremiah, Judah was a mess. The people were broken, lost, filled with sin and idolatry...and they didn't even seem to know it. But God hadn't given up on them, and speaking through the prophet, He begged them to turn back to Him so He could heal them, forgive them and restore them.

God led Jeremiah to a potter's house and showed him a man working at a pottery wheel, taking a marred, imperfect vessel and re-forming it so it could be made into something beautiful and useful. God then showed Jeremiah what this scene meant, namely that He wanted to do the same with the people of Israel. He even instructed Jeremiah to go to the people and ask them, "Can I not do with you, Israel, as this potter does?"

Our heavenly father asks us the same question today. He wants to take all of us - including our messes, our mistakes and our ugliness - and remold us into beautiful vessels He can use for His glory and for the good of those around us. Our part in that equation is to answer "Yes!" when He asks us whether He can mold us into what He knows each of us can be. That is, in the words of the apostle Paul, "a vessel for honor, sanctified and useful for the Master, prepared for every good work" (2 Timothy 2:21).

Reference: 365 Essential Questions from the Bible
www.barbourbooks.com

The Grim Reaper Preacher says, "Try reading the Bible from cover to cover - you'll like it."