Have you ever sat at a potter’s wheel and formed clay? It is not easy. The potters hands are responsible for forming that clay into something that is of use. It takes an experienced potter to do it with excellence. If the pot is not spun well, it will crack under the heat of the fire and become useless. We are the clay in the hands of God. He wants to shape us into a vessel his Holy Spirit can be poured into.
Jeremiah 18:6
“O house of Israel, can I not do with you as this potter?” says the LORD. “Look, as the clay is in the potter’s hand, so are you in My hand, O house of Israel!”
Submit to the Shaping
We are clay in the master potter’s hands. This is one of the most fabulous illustrations of God’s sovereignty. He is in control of our lives. He is molding and shaping us into the image of His Son, into the shape of the vessel to be used for his service. As He spins the wheel and shapes the clay in his hands we need to submit to that shaping. If He detects there is a flaw or defect in us he can work it out. Submit to the shaping of God’s plans. Let Him mold us into the vessel he chooses. Do not resist his design or insist on your desires but trust in his purposes.
Through the Fire
When the potter is done shaping the pot, he puts it in the kiln. This intense heat hardens the moist clay. It makes it durable for use. When we are going through the fire allow the temperature to solidify the work that God is doing in our lives. After the kiln we need to ask to be filled with the Holy Spirit so we can be poured out for His glory. While a vessel like a pitcher or a vase may look pretty on the shelf, it was made to be used. Some of the most useful vessels aren’t the most attractive, but they get more than their share of the work done. It’s not what you look like on the outside that is important. Remember the Pharisees were all about appearances but Jesus called them whitewashed tombs. They looked good but were dead on the inside. Let God shape you and fill you so you can be poured out for His glory.