Liz’s Morning Devotional: Scripture selected from Upper Room
February 4, 2023
Read Jeremiah 18:1-10
1 Jeremiah received the LORD’s word: 2 Go down to the potter’s house, and I’ll give you instructions about what to do there. 3 So I went down to the potter’s house; he was working on the potter’s wheel. 4 But the piece he was making was flawed while still in his hands, so the potter started on another, as seemed best to him. 5 Then the LORD’s word came to me: 6 House of Israel, can’t I deal with you like this potter, declares the LORD? Like clay in the potter’s hand, so are you in mine, house of Israel! 7 At any time I may announce that I will dig up, pull down, and destroy a nation or kingdom; 8 but if that nation I warned turns from its evil, then I’ll relent and not carry out the harm I intended for it. 9 At the same time, I may announce that I will build and plant a nation or kingdom; 10 but if that nation displeases and disobeys me, then I’ll relent and not carry out the good I intended for it.
Good Morning, He is the potter! We are the clay!
Isaiah 64:8 also uses the imagery of a potter and clay. Yet you, LORD, are our Father. We are the clay, you are the potter; we are all the work of your hand. I am a visual learner and I appreciate being able to visualize God at work within me through the Holy Spirit. I also like how I can imagine the wet clay that begins as formless goo being molded into an object.
I have had a few experiences in my life when I tried to form something from clay. In art class we made pots and I quickly realized that this was much harder than it looks. When you watch a master at work, it looks so easy as a work of beauty slowly emerges from the potter’s hand. But even in the hands of a master, sometimes the clay needs to be reshaped so that the final product resembles the initial plan. Then there are times when the potter must start over and work to create a new object. The other challenge that faces young potters is the wait time to let the pot dry before adding any adornments to finish their work.
Using this imagery, we are the clay and God is the master potter. Before we were even born, God was there. Jeremiah 1:5 tells us: “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.” God forms us and has set a plan for our lives. When we accept Christ, the Holy Spirit enters us and begins the work of transformation. The Holy Spirit shapes and molds our rough edges and broken pieces.
This is not an overnight transformation. Sometimes cracks appear and repairs must be done. Just like the young potter forming a pot must be patient and wait, God patiently waits for the time to add our final touches when we join together in glory.
Loving God, Thank You for being with us. Transformations are scary. We place ourselves in Your hands. In the hands of a master, all are works of beauty. Thank you! In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen
Thought for the day: God is reshaping my life day by day.
We are in the hands of the master! Pastor Liz