The apostle Paul wrote, “He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus” (Philippians 1:6).
“Yet you, LORD, are our Father. We are the clay, you are the potter; we are all the work of your hand.” ISAIAH 64:8
Give a talented sculptor a lump of clay and you unleash exquisite creativity. The artist becomes inspired, dreaming and envisioning what this blob of simple clay can and will become. The potter begins to work with it, passionately forming it and fashioning it with his hands.
Those who happen to be passing by have no clue what the artist has in mind. They may try to guess, but only the potter knows his intentions. Some onlookers may even wonder, What is he doing? He’s ruining it! Why doesn’t he make ___ instead? Of course, the true artist ignores his critics. They’re not privy to his plans.
And if the onlookers are oblivious to what the potter is doing, how much less does the clay understand? If it could feel and speak, it would tell of being squished, squashed, shaped, spun, scraped, and baked in a furnace. If the clay could reason, it would only be able to say it’s being crafted into some kind of vessel for some kind of unknown purpose.
According to the Bible, God is like a potter. And we are like clay in His hands. We don’t know what He has in mind for us. We’re often clueless as to what He’s shaping us into. At any given moment, God’s sculpting of us is painful, confusing, and dizzying. Sometimes it seems impossible that we will ever be useful, much less beautiful. But if we trust the Potter, we can trust that the day is coming when we will look in the mirror and gasp, “Oh my! That is better!”
The apostle Paul wrote, “He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus” (Philippians 1:6).
It is not our job to question or critique the Potter. It is our job to rest in His hands, knowing He’s not done with us yet.
When do you find it difficult to trust in God’s plan for you?
PRAYER
God, thank You for not giving up on me. Thank You for shaping me into the person You want me to be. Help me to be patient and to trust You when the shaping gets uncomfortable. Amen.