Molded by the Master

“The word which came to Jeremiah from the LORD saying, ‘Arise and go down to the potter's house, and there I will announce My words to you.’ Then I went down to the potter's house, and there he was, making something on the wheel. But the vessel that he was making of clay was spoiled in the hand of the potter; so he remade it into another vessel, as it pleased the potter to make. Then the word of the LORD came to me saying, ‘Can I not, O house of Israel, deal with you as this potter does?’ declares the LORD. ‘Behold, like the clay in the potter's hand, so are you in My hand, O house of Israel.’” Jeremiah 18:1-6

Jeremiah is often called the weeping prophet, for there’s very little within his writings that evokes ease and comfort. Israel was in a dark period. The people had turned from God and were beginning to reap the consequences of their sin.

In chapter eighteen, the prophet uses the example of a master potter working a lump of clay in a beautiful vessel to portray God’s desire for His people. Israel’s rebellion, however, had spoiled God’s handiwork. Jeremiah knew the course of destruction Israel had chosen. “Behold, like the clay in the potter's hand, so are you in My hand, O house of Israel,” declared the Lord (Jer. 18:6). The people answered God by saying, “It's hopeless! For we are going to follow our own plans, and each of us will act according to the stubbornness of his evil heart” (Jer. 18:12).

Jeremiah’s age-old cry of alarm could be directed to us today. God, the Master Potter, still seeks to mold us into vessels of purity and holiness. However, many have been drawn aside by the temptations of the world. Don’t repeat Israel’s mistake. Dedicate yourself to God, for His glory and His purpose alone. You will then reap the blessings God freely bestows on those who love and honor Him.