Jeremiah 18:1-5 -- “This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord: ‘Go down to the potter's house, and there I will give you my message.’ So I went down to the potter's house, and I saw him working at the wheel. But the pot he was shaping from the clay was marred in his hands; so the potter formed it into another pot, shaping it as seemed best to him. Then the word of the Lord came to me. He said, ‘Can I not do with you, Israel, as this potter does?’ declares the Lord. ‘Like clay in the hand of the potter, so are you in my hand, Israel.’ “ (a favorite)
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As I spend time reading the Bible, which is the case with any book or movie you love and enjoy over and over again throughout your life, it is wonderful when you experience new things you did not see or hear the first time you read or saw them. Every once in awhile, you receive a special gift when someone brings to light a piece of that particular thing which you had not previously experienced.
God is so awesome, because you never know from what direction these gifts may come.
Friends and family who joined me for the closing ceremony of my first Kairos weekend last fall will remember these verses from Jeremiah. I know I had read them at least once before that day, but had not previously received their message of hope. My friend and brother, “Scooby”, one of the men at Pendleton Correctional Industrial Facility, gave the “sermon” at this event and spoke about the Potter. It was literally one of the most powerful and beautiful messages I have ever experienced. If there is anyone who needs to understand how they can be remade, it is those in prison. And Scooby, filled with the Holy Spirit that day, drove that message deeply and strongly into the hearts of all who were present.
The world and the Evil One want us to be broken, to remain marred. If we see ourselves as beyond redemption, we begin to believe that we are not good enough or do not deserve God’s grace and forgiveness. We feel unworthy to share our gifts and our testimony. When feeling unworthy, it is hard to love ourselves. When we can’t feel love for ourselves, it becomes hard to show love to others. It is a sickening spiral, sinking downward into ever-deepening levels of despair and hopelessness. This is right where the Prince of Lies wants us to be; looking depressingly inward, hating ourselves, in the place where we see no hope or light; broken and in Hell.
The simple beauty of Jeremiah’s story is that it does not matter how often, through our thoughts, words and deeds, we allow or cause ourselves to become marred and broken. We can be made new! Since we know that God is all powerful and made us in His image, is it that hard to believe He can remake us....again and again? Shouldn’t we also have faith that, when faced with a new type of challenge or mission we could not imagine being prepared or equipped for, God will shape us into the vessel which can step up to His calling?
So, my dear friends and loved ones, do not underestimate the Potter. God is continually forming and remaking you. He can see the beauty and the potential in you, the soft clay in His hands. By recognizing His ability to shape you, you can open your eyes and see that you are a perfect and beautiful creation He has made for His purpose. And in seeing this beauty, you can be filled with love and let love shine forth from you.
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