In the Hands of the Potter
“Behold, like the clay in the potter’s hand, so are you in my hand, O house of Israel” (Jer. 18:6). If you have ever watched an artisan potter at work, I think you will agree that it is mesmerizing. Those hands are so powerful, and yet they work so gently with the clay. As the wheel steadily spins, what begins as a lump of clay is soon shaped with purpose and intent into a useful thing of beauty. Whether it becomes a flower vase, a vessel for water, or an intricately designed ornament, the transformation is truly astonishing.
This is the picture God gave to Jeremiah, and it remains equally meaningful to us today. When God told him to go to the potter’s house, it wasn’t only for him to be amazed at the craftsman’s work or to make a new friend, but rather for Jeremiah to see how the Creator works in the lives of His people. The potter had every right to shape, reshape, or even start over with the lump of clay. But notice something extremely important from the text: when the vessel he was making was spoiled, he did not discard it with impunity, but rather reworked it into something even more beautiful: “And the vessel he was making of clay was spoiled in the potter's hand, and he reworked it into another vessel, as it seemed good to the potter to do” (Jer. 18:4).
It's easy to forget that we are not the designer or potter of our own lives; instead, we are the clay. We have free will to influence our destiny through our choices and actions, but we are not the ultimate authority over our lives. God formed us into the priceless vessel we are today. It was His skillful hands that designed every intricate part of our anatomy, and He gifted us with spirit and soul. It was He who breathed life into us. We are the clay in the Master Potter’s hands, and we must remain malleable. When the clay becomes hard, the potter adds water, but we stay malleable by ingesting the word of God daily.
Thankfully, God does not summarily discard us when we make mistakes. Instead, He reshapes our broken and shattered pieces into something even stronger and more beautiful—if we allow Him. You see, sometimes we, the clay, jump off the Master Potter’s spinning wheel. We try to go it alone, but inevitably, we hit the ground and become misshapen, ugly, and worthless. The vessel God formed to hold His Word in obedience begins to leak, and the enemy takes control of our lives.
The good news is that our Master Potter patiently waits for us. When we recognize our broken lives need “fixing” and step back onto the spinning wheel, He begins the delicate work of reshaping us. That process might not always be pleasant. Sometimes, it requires pressure, even from the loving, gentle hands of the potter, to mold us into something more valuable, more precious, and more resilient. Life’s pressures, challenges, and even our failures are not wasted; they are part of His refining process. Just remember, God does not reshape us unless we acquiesce to the process through repentance.
When we submit to His shaping, we become vessels useful for His work: “Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from what is dishonorable, he will be a vessel for honorable use, set apart as holy, useful to the master of the house, ready for every good work. (2Ti. 2:21). That’s the heart of the gospel. When we’re broken by sin or disappointment, God doesn’t toss us aside, but instead, He begins again. David understood this when he prayed, “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me” (Psa. 51:10). That’s the prayer of a man willing to be remade – and that should be our prayer as well.
Remember this: no matter what you think, you are not too broken to be healed, not too broken for God to give up on you, and definitely not too broken for God to discard you. Right now, He is waiting for you to step back on the wheel so He can begin the restorative process and reshape you into a vessel that aligns with His will. But, it will take your willingness for that process to start, so if you need “fixing,” consider climbing back on that wheel today. Amen.