Wednesday, April 13, 2016

The Potter's hands

"Yet you, LORD, are our Father. We are the clay, you are the potter; we are all the work of your hand." Isaiah 64:8


Have you ever wondered how pottery is formed? You know on one of those long runs when your mind thinks about a million different things? Well I have and, upon looking for the answer, discovered that it can be a very intense and sometimes lengthy process. It begins when the potter prepares the clay by kneading and wedging it, throwing it down time and again only to pick it back up and reform it. The potter then, using tools specific for the job, presses, squeezes and pulls gently upward and outward, molding and fashioning the clay into a useful object. That clay is then heated to a high temperature which strengthens and hardens it, permanently setting its shape. It is only then that it is ready for use. Without the potter though, the clay is nothing but fine-grained rock or soil.

Like the clay, you and I are nothing without the Potter. And until we are kneaded, wedged, molded and put through the fire serve no purpose and are of no use. And while trials, sorrows and disappointments are never any fun, they serve to 'turn up the heat' and turn our attention to our Creator. Isaiah 64:8 says, "Yet you, LORD, are our Father. We are the clay, you are the potter; we are all the work of your hand." Since He has a specific purpose for each of us, the tools and the techniques He uses to individually form us will be as unique as we are. But you can be certain, because the Potter knows the clay, the right tools will always be used. It's then, when the Potter has touched us with His hands, that you and I will be transformed and made into something useful, beautiful and valuable.

So if you feel yourself in the fire today or being pulled in many directions, have faith my friend. It could be that the Potter is molding and forming you into something better than you could ever have imagined, something perfect for the purpose that God has planned for you.

Heavenly Father, thank you for loving us so much that you would form us into a vessel that can be used to do your will. Although we may not understand the process, help us to trust the Potter. Help us to trust that, although it may take some time, that one day we will be a piece of pottery perfect for the use God intended it for. It's in your precious name we pray, Jesus. Amen.

Happy Running!!!

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In the Potter's Hands

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