Pleasing Pots

But the vessel that he was making of clay was spoiled in the hand of the potter; so he remade it into another vessel, as it pleased the potter to make.   Jeremiah 18:4

As It Pleased – Did you wake up this morning?  Of course you did.  And the first thing that should have crossed your mind as you opened your eyes is this:  God is not finished with me yet.  The very fact that you are still alive on this earth is positive proof that God is not done with the shaping of your life.  This is no insignificant fact.  One hundred and fifty three thousand (that’s 153,000) people in the world reached the end of the potter’s wheel yesterday.  In fact, by the time you finish reading this message today, another 321 people will die.  God decided that today you were still worthy of remaking.  That is news worth celebrating.

Of course, there is another side to Jeremiah’s encounter with the potter.  It’s the more obvious one.  You aren’t the potter.  You don’t get to decide what kind of vessel you’re going to be.  But you do get to decide how much you’re going to be aware of the reshaping process.  You can look for the divine in every moment of today’s reshaping or you can just go blindly along the road of life, waiting to be counted among the 153,000.  Personally, I choose to see God’s hand at work in my life.  I want His reshaping to make a difference I notice.  Then if I am still here tomorrow, I can use what I learned about the potter’s hand today.

The Hebrew verb helps us see the imagery behind God’s sovereign choice.  It’s yashar, a verb that means to be upright, straight or pleasing.  The verb has both physical and ethical uses.  In fact, it is often found in descriptions of the righteous.  God isn’t making just any kind of vessel.  He is making a vessel that pleases Him and He is most pleased when His vessels reflect His character.  Just like a famous artist or craftsman, God has a signature style, recognizable by others.  When you are God’s pot, you look like the hand that made you.  And until you look like the potter’s hand, the reshaping process will most likely continue.

Welcome to the day of pleasing pots.

Topical Index: yashar, Jeremiah 18:4