It pushes and I push back.
It takes my head in both hands and turns me in one direction and I look longingly to another.
And all the while, I do not see that the hands that redirect are God's.
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.--Jeremiah 18:3-4
God gave me the right to go my own way, but He did not consent to make me comfortable there. He promises to correct, to amend, to shape me relentlessly.
He, and only He, knows my intended shape, and this is it:
I am supposed to look like Him.
He builds and rebuilds, always to the same model: His own. He knows I mess myself up and constantly applies the pressure necessary to re-form me.
My God, my Creator, wants me to recover my original design.
Everything that He brings me in the course of living is designed to achieve this.
As long as I wake up every day, I am not finished.
My most important job is not to preach, or teach, or witness, or work.
It is worship Him and thus, to return fully to Him. Period.
I work not to get a job done, but because God works.
I sacrifice not to achieve an end, but because God sacrificed.
I love not to further a relationship, but because God is love.
Like clay in the hand of the potter, so are you in my hand...--Jeremiah 18:6
For every living soul belongs to me...--Ezekiel 18:1
Every time I yield to Your touch, I come closer to Your side, O Lord. The pot you are making bears the marks of Your hands, but when you release it, looks like You.
It's the waiting, knowing you are being molded and wondering - what next. Yes His promise and the knowledge you are in His hands - ahhh there I find my comfort.
ReplyDeleteWondering what's next. That's it, for sure. It's being content in that place, it's trusting whatever He brings. Then the molding, when it happens, becomes welcome.
DeleteThis reminds me of one of my favorite hymns. Have Thine Own Way, Lord. Thou art the potter. I am the clay. I remember first hearing it when I was a child and it made a great impression on me then. I'm so glad He is the potter and I am just the clay.
ReplyDeleteBlessings,
Charlotte
I apologize if my comment is coming through twice. I thought I left one earlier, but I don't see it here. Just wanted you to know how much I appreciate you, and your thoughtful words.
ReplyDeleteOh Jennifer, thank you. You are a real encourager.
Delete"I work not to get a job done, but because God works."
ReplyDeleteJoanne, I've been chewing on Philippians 2:13 "it is God at work......" and Paul repeats himself in many other places.
It is all God. (and it's all good :-).
bless you.
I'll tell you, Jody, I am a Martha through and through, and this is a hard concept for me. Working on it...
DeleteI love the story of the potter and having worked with one, I truly see the comparison in how God molds and shapes us.
ReplyDeleteBlessings,
Joan
Absolutely needed to read this today...so beautiful...I love knowing that God pursues me, molds me, and will not let me be comfortable being anything less than what He desires me to be.
ReplyDeleteThanks for visiting. Was taken by your idea of grace and grit, and followed. Grace and grit, a perfect combination.
Delete"The hands that redirect are Gods." So much truth and grace in these words. I do need to remember this when I'm tempted to push back. The molding and shaping by God's hands is what I need and want.
ReplyDelete