Scripture: Jeremiah 18 v 4: "And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter: so he made it again another vessel, as it seemed good to the potter to make it."
As the clay is in the potter's hand, so are you in My hand says the Lord to Israel through the mouth of the prophet Jeremiah. The Lord desires to mould His people into the shape He desires for us, but often the clay is unyielding and difficult to work with.
The stresses of life build up barriers that don't just crumble automatically when we are born again. We are forgiven but still need attitude adjustments which comes as we read the Word and start to know the Lord's voice. Sometimes we are a very hard lump of clay in His hands!
It has to be thrown again and again onto the potter's wheel until it is workable, supple clay. Jesus is looking for commitment, obedience, love, availabilty and honesty in us so that we will not crack nor shatter when the enemy tests our faith. It should actually grow our patience when we endure trials.
James 1 v 2 - 4: "My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations;
3 Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.
4 But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing."
How many times has the Lord sent us back onto the wheel to remould us closer to His heart's desire for us? Do we realise that everything in this life is measured to bring us into line with the Potter's plan?
He wants to use us but as soon as we feel His hand on us we think we are being attacked by an enemy so we start rebuking and cutting off what we think is an oppression. Before He can even use us He needs to change us into vessels that are whole. We need to be more sensitive to the Lord, and correctly discern the work of the Cross.
When the Holy Spirit is dealing with us He is first of all exposing hidden things within us that we do not want to confront. Childhood hurts, bruises on our hearts, rejection, broken relationships, anger issues, bitterness, racial problems, religious problems, loss of a loved one, ancestral curses. These are all waiting inside our souls to be straightened out. By the Lord.
We may go to psychiatrists, psychologists or other therapists to be free of some of these, but generally the victory is only gained when the power in the Blood of Jesus is applied through prayer and ministry.
When He begins our reconstruction we go through what He gave in Jeremiah 1 v 10: "See, I have this day set thee over the nations and over the kingdoms, to root out, and to pull down, and to destroy, and to throw down, to build, and to plant."
He starts by rooting out, digging deep, in order to pull down strongholds of fear, pain, trouble, trauma, sorrow, to destroy them. Then He can build us up into people who can be anointed to work for Him in whatever way He needs us. That's when He plants us in the place He has selected for us to flourish and be fruitful.
Our God knows how many hairs are on our heads and He knows where we fit in with His divine plan. We may not see what God sees or know too much about the bigger picture, but we can be more discerning about our place in the scheme of things. When He begins to cultivate and teach us its not an enemy attack.
When we visit a doctor or dentist their treatment like pulling a tooth, will be sore and uncomfortable for a few days. It's a known and expected result to get rid of a bigger problem. It's not an "enemy attack!" When Jesus is remodelling us there may be some emotional or mental pain. It's also not an attack. It may feel like something nasty coming upon us but its actually leaving our souls causing some discomfort as it goes.
Like pulling out a splinter. Once it's out we may need a plaster and a dab of ointment to prevent some other infection getting in through the broken skin. When its a spiritual issue the Lord covers it with His Blood so whatever is leaving the building cannot return. If the unyielding clay person has "a splinter removed" but still rejects the Lordship of Jesus then the enemy returns with seven more worse spirits and the condition of that person is definitely severe.
Think of a drug addict who receives prayer and is clean but again yields to temptation because he or she is not committed to the Lord. Satan can take him from marijuana to heroin, fentanyl or pink and that's a deadly combo. The recent attacks by the USA Navy on drug boats coming out of Venezuela is one way the Lord uses to fight against evil.
Our Father loves us and arranges things around us so that we are prepared and equipped to handle the hurdles of life. Do not think that the Lord cannot change His mind about us. At a moment when He is about to throw us back on the wheel He suddenly feels our humility, our readiness and willingness to change. He then makes something beautiful out of our lives.
Like the clay, we have no say in what the potter wants to make out of us. Our cleverness and worldly talents may not be of any use in His plans for us. We must be willing to sacrifice everything to gain his approval. Paul counted everything he had gained in his life as a Pharisee before His conversion, as dung. He threw out those gains so as to be open to the wonderful life lived in the power of the Holy Spirit.
Before his dramatic conversion on the road to Damascus when the Resurrected Jesus met him and shattered his clay in one smash hit, blinding him for a while, Paul was a staunch proud Pharisee, a teacher of the Law. He hated Christians and was on his way to arrest some of them that day. His plans were changed forever. He wrote....
Galatians 2 v 20: "I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me."
Paul knew that worldly knowledge and experience, traditions, religious laws, feasts and rituals, hindered the pure life of the Holy Spirit. He did not hesitate to be free of the bondage of the world, to embrace the true liberty only found in Jesus Christ.
So when we feel the Lord's hand upon us let us be thankful that from glory to glory He is changing us into His likeness.
Prayer: Heavenly Father we want to be a vessel meet for the Master's use. We pray that You see our submission to Your will and that we come forth from the proving fire with honour. We will no longer be afraid of Your hand upon us because we trust You with our lives. In Jesus' name. Amen.