Who Makes Who?

Yet, O Lord, you are our Father. We are the clay, you are the potter; we are all the work of your hand. Isiah 64:8


Many of us are familiar with this verse. Many of us have heard sermons, messages, children's stories so on and so forth dealing with this simple verse. God is the potter, we are the clay.

But how many of us forget that God is our potter about ten minutes after our prayers or just a few minutes after reading this in a devotional? How many of us begin to let God shape us and mold us into useful vessels but quit as we barely get into the process. We too often find the kneading process too painful or rough. Even if we are strong enough to endure the initial twisting and pressing, we find ourselves unhappy with the shape God is molding us into; then the struggle begins. Too often we think we know more than God; know what type of vessel we should be much more than our creator. Our lives shift from being clay shaped by a master artisan, to a self-molding lump of dirt and water that lays on a table and does nothing of any importance or purpose. Isiah 29:16 says, "You turn things upside down, as if the potter were thought to be like the clay! Shall what is formed say to him who formed it, "He did not make me"? Can the pot say of the potter, "He knows nothing"? How many of us are guilty of this day after day?

I must admit that I am the one who needs the first dose of medicine in the case of being reminded that I am the clay and God is the potter. So as I challenge myself, I ask that you also challenge yourself to become like clay; allowing God to use people and situations in your life to mold you into the vessel He wants you to be. Regardless of whether you are to become a vase, a coffee mug, or an ashtray, I challenge you to allow God to work in your life, stop fighting the shape He has for you, stop telling God that you know better what you should be, and allow Him to give you purpose and function so that you may serve Him and those around you.