Jeremiah 18 : 1-11v 4 “But the jar he was making did not turn our as he had hoped, so he crushed it into a lump of clay again and started over.”
The prophet Jeremiah had a message from God to go down to the potter’s shop. When he got there, he found the potter working at his wheel. But the jar he was making did not turn our as he had hoped, so he crushed it into a lump of clay again and started over.” God said he would do the same. Either crush or build a nation. He says, “so turn from your evil ways and do what is right.”
This Old Testament passage is very clear about the message. God used what Jeremiah had observed in the potter’s shop. He asked him to look at it from a spiritual point of view. I know when I was in school, I used a potter’s wheel briefly. I found it very frustrating to get any shape to hold and it was very easy to mess it up. This image gives me even more understanding of our relationship with God. Easy to mess up. Constant re modelling required. But I have a few clay pots made by experts and they work well, and I enjoy using them. So, whether you take the simple message that God wants us to always do the right thing, or add that His powerful hands guide us, and beautiful things occur when we work together, the potter and the clay. Do what is right today.
Prayer: Holy Father thank you for giving us simple images to help us understand how we need to do what is right. Help us to see today how we can do your work. Amen.
CrossWalk 