Text: Jeremiah 18: 1 – 6
By: Bro. Daniel Idogar
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Jeremiah 18:1-6 1The word which came to Jeremiah from the Lord, saying: 2 “Arise and go down to the potter’s house, and there I will cause you to hear My words.” 3 Then I went down to the potter’s house, and there he was, making something at the wheel. 4 And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter; so he made it again into another vessel, as it seemed good to the potter to make. 5 Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying: 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!
INTRODUCTION
It is that time of the year again when it seems like it’s almost over. Days have gone by, months – so many have passed – and now it is clearer what you can and cannot achieve. But is that true? I invite you to walk with me as we take a seat at the master’s feet. I believe a touch from the master can make the difference in your life today.
We shall be taking encouragement from someone who is popularly described as the weeping prophet; Jeremiah. It is not really a fancy job being a prophet because a lot comes with it. A lot of revelations, hate, responsibilities and much more than you can think. No wonder when God called Jeremiah (Jer. 1), he did not want to accept the call. He said he could not speak because he was just a youth.
But I feel the more reason he never wanted that job was because God’s people at that time were in a state where they did not recognize God. In fact, the word “prophet” would be an abomination to their ears, and now God chooses to call him. Jeremiah delivered sorrowful messages to the people about that state, their dammed conditions, their failures, their disobedience, but at almost every try, he failed, they never listened. And concerning one of those situations, God told him to Arise and move to a certain place.
THE POTTER’S HOUSE
The Bible uses symbolism to deepen the understanding of God’s people. He uses what we can see intellectually to help us understand what we should spiritually. He told him to go see something in the physical so he could understand something in the spiritual.
- In this story, God is the potter and we are the clay. 2:7, Isaiah 64:8, Psalm 139: 14.
- The scene painted here was not necessarily just a showroom where the potter displays his beautiful items but his workshop. It was a place where he made vessels out of clay. That means we are God’s unfinished business, we are in God’s workshop and God is still working on us.
- When we are in the presence of God, there is that potential that God is going to repair our brokenness, our sinfulness, our disobedience, and as the case may be.
THE POTTER AND THE CLAY
- We are not yet what we ought to be (Jer. 18:4): In the process of molding the clay, the clay gets marred in the hands of the potter. It was ruined, inadequate, spoiled, and unusable.
- This shows our imperfections. We still need God to keep working on us. Molding and shaping depends on us yielding to the will of God.
- But he doesn’t stop and throw this spoiled clay away, or pick up a new clay and recreate.
- No! He reshapes, He repairs, He gives it a second touch because He understands the clay – every bit of it – and He knows what part was broken.
- God keeps working on us till we meet His required standards. Till we fit His needs.
- God develops us through a process: The potter positions the clay at the center of the wheel. The wheel is life.
- God wants your life positioned in the center of his will. He wants your heart balanced in him. You look onto God for direction not on yourself.
- God has an ultimate purpose for our lives
- The potter knew exactly what he wanted from the clay. The design was inbuilt and known before he started the work. He had a purpose for the clay.
- God has given us a purpose. God has stored some gifts in you – talents, abilities. What are you doing with it? Can he trust you with more?
- A vessel had a use of being profitable when sold. Does God delight in you; does He see you as a profitable vessel fulfilling its purpose? God wants you to be profitable for the kingdom.
CONCLUSION
There is this story of an old violin to be sold at an auction. A man made a bid for 1 dollar. Another 2 dollars and then a man bid for 5 dollars (Funny, right? 5 dollars for a violin). Just when this violin was about to be sold for 5 dollars, an old man who was sitting at the front rose up and took the violin and started playing it (Apparently, he was the owner of the violin and a master player at that – but most people did not know). After playing, a man made a bid for 1, 000 dollars and the bid rose to about 5, 000 dollars. This violin ended up being sold for 5, 000 dollars.
After the auction, everyone was curious and marveled at how a violin that was almost sold for such a meagre amount ended up being sold for the later amount. Then someone said; “It was because they let the master put his hands on it”!
When the master puts His hands on you, you become valuable. When God works on you, you begin to have a sense of purpose and meaning. We are still a work in progress. Although, you feel like you are being auctioned but God has unfinished business with you. He is not done with you. Just let him. Let him put his hands on you!
God bless us all in Jesus name. Amen!
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