Earthen Vessels

But now, O Lord, thou art our father; we are the clay, and thou our potter; we are the the work of thy hand (Isaiah 64:8).

Have you every watched a skilled potter work? I find it fascinating. I have worked with clay, but I've never felt successful at the potter's wheel, probably because I've not tried it enough. In Isaiah, God is portrayed as our potter. If we let Him mold us with the vision He sees for us, we become a beautiful work of art. However, if we resist His hand, we will never become much more than a messy lump.

When God molds us, He does it with love, and then fills our vessel with more love, intending that we share it with others. Remarkably, the more we give away, the more we have remaining. It's like the flour and oil of the poor widow in Zarepath who housed Elijah for a while; it never runs out. Or we could compare it to the five loaves and two fish that fed thousands and still had baskets filled with leftovers. Never underestimate what God can do.

But molding isn't the only process that makes a usable vessel. The pot must be placed in the fire to make it strong enough not to crumble. The clay pot represents how fragile we are until we're put through the fire, tested, and tempered. We get stronger when going through the trials of life, and it's there we learn to rely on God. It's when we recognize our weak state and turn to God's power that we become our strongest. May He make me, mold me, and use me for his glorious purpose.

But we have this treasure in earthen vessel, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us (2 Corinthians 4:7).

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