In the Potter's Hands

Have you ever watched a potter form a piece of clay into an object? It’s mesmerizing to observe the artisan as he sits at his wheel and gently molds a simple lump of material into a work of art. The clay with docility forms into something recognizable as the potter skillfully works it over and over again. It’s not difficult to understand why God in the scriptures uses the image of clay in the potter’s hands as one a way to describe His relationship to His people.

When this passage from Jeremiah came up in the daily reading recently, something new struck me. Before the Lord gives that well-known message about the people being clay in the hands of God the potter, he commands Jeremiah to go to the potter’s house. Jeremiah goes and observes. He describes:

I went down to the potter's house and there he was, working at the wheel.
Whenever the object of clay which he was making
turned out badly in his hand, he tried again,
making of the clay another object of whatever sort he pleased. (Jer. 18:3,4)

Whenever the object of clay which he was making turned out badly in his hand, he tried again. Wow. Letting God form us as a potter forms his clay isn’t a fail-proof guarantee. Without getting overly theological here, we know that God doesn’t make mistakes. But life, in His mysterious providence, can get messy. We can start off doing one thing—that we are certain the Lord has called us to—and realize that this is not the path for us to continue. So back to the potter’s wheel. We let ourselves be formed into something different. Maybe there are some tweaks the potter will make. He’ll shape us a bit differently, change our dimensions, add some texture, give us a new purpose, and send us out again to fulfil that purpose.

As I ponder this passage, I’m filled with hope. Things don’t always turn out as planned. We end up somewhere that we’d rather not be. We make mistakes. We misuse the gifts God has given us. Or, even in spite of doing our best, our projects fails, we hit a dead end, we recognize that we need to turn around and head in a different direction. But you know what? It’s okay. The Lord takes us back to the wheel, re-forms the parts that have become deformed, and sends us back out. And maybe we’ll have to return to the wheel. Again. And again. But He doesn’t give up, and neither shall we. 

As I embark on my next chapter of missionary life, these words take on personal meaning. In my own life I feel like the potter has formed me, sent me out, called me back, re-formed me, and sent me out again. I know that he has put me back on the wheel and is shaping me into a foreign missionary for this season. My prayer is that I can simply be a docile and faithful instrument, remembering that this lump of clay in the Divine potter’s hands will be molded into a beautiful new creation.