“Why is this taking so long?”
Have you ever closely watched a potter while he was shaping the clay? My husband and I spent five years in Asia and were able to visit the lovely country of Papua New Guinea several times. While I was there, I remember visiting a small town where an old woman and an old man were engaged in turning pots into something beautiful. I saw many vessels, all made by the loving hands of this woman. Some were more beautiful than others.
It was in a potter’s house in Jeremiah’s day that the prophet received one of his most dramatic messages. God told Jeremiah in 18:1 to go down to the potter’s house and give him a message. The potter’s workshop must have been in lower Jerusalem. The original text indicates the urgency of the order: GET UP, GET DOWN! The word “potter” means “former” or “moulder”. The verb can be used of God’s creative work (Genesis 2:7-8, Psalms 94:9 Isaiah 29:16. God has formed everything that exists. He is the one who molds people. He is forming each one of us in one masterpiece for His glory.
It is the choice of the one being formed if he agrees with what his creator does. I wonder how many of us, if we were honest, wonder what God is doing in some area of our lives and if he really knows what he’s doing. Today he can feel that no one cares or knows, and he feels as if he is in a hidden storage place. Answer these personal questions:
Am I in agreement with what God is doing in the essential aspects of my life?
Am I willing to die for what will not glorify God?
Can I accept the process of personal dispossession of God in my life?
“I assure you, I very solemnly tell you, unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains (a single grain; it never becomes more but lives) alone by itself. But if it dies, it produces many others, and gives a rich harvest” (John 12:24Extended)
Shaping the Messenger strong>
“When Jewish potters make new pots, they set aside the best pots and ceramics for special treatment. After putting their name on the bottom of these extra good pieces, they put them away in a cool, damp room for storage, away from public view. Only when the most selective buyers ask for the ‘best’ of the potter’s products, will the craftsman retrieve the chosen vessels from their hidden storage place”.
Jeremiah obeyed and went downstairs. . He saw the potter at work on the wheel. The Hebrew word for wheel implies two wheels (dual form). Potters generally used a device with a lower stone wheel attached to a vertical spindle with a small wooden wheel above. The potter would sit turning the large stone wheel with his feet while he shaped the clay on the small wooden wheel. To express verse 4 with the meaning of the Hebrew verbs, “Every time the pot he was shaping got spoiled, like clay in the potter’s hands, he turned it into another pot, giving it the shape he liked best. the.” The spoiled, marred, or ruined vessels were not tossed aside and discarded in favor of those that emerged perfect. They were redone! God can mend broken vessels!
We often try to defeat the potter’s purpose. The clay often presses against the potter’s hand as it goes. The potter controls the opposing force with pressure if he wants a useful pot. God kneads, pushes, squeezes and molds, but he never throws us away. He tells Israel in verse 6: “O house of Israel, can I not do with you what this potter does?“Isn’t this what it tells us too? Can we not say,Yes sir. Make me in your image. Do whatever it takes. I want to be like you!”
Shaped by the hand of God
“Yet, O LORD, you are our Father. We are the clay, you are the potter; we are all the work of your hands (Isaiah 64:8).
There are things we must practice as we are shaped by the hand of God. There are ways we can get the most benefit from these times of refinement. This is the time to completely trust God because He knows exactly what he is doing. He is making you into a masterpiece for his glory. Learn to trust Him day by day. Remember that you are in the hands of the potter: God is working on the wheel of your life in every detail. Let’s look at some of the ways to cooperate with God:
- look at your hands: they are not just foreign objects, but they are attached to a person who thinks, feels, and chooses. The actions of our hands have a purpose. In the same way the hands of God are not just instruments in the universe, things that just happen, but are linked to a loving God who cares, cries, feels, has compassion, gets intimately involved and chooses what is best for you. Trust Him and trust Him during times of trial. God is maturing you for a purpose.
- listen to what you say to yourself: We say messages to ourselves as we live our lives. What messages are you telling yourself? Believe the truth and tell the truth instead of the lies of the enemy. See Isaiah 45:9 and the following:
Romans 9:20: “But who are you, a human being, to answer to God? “Will the formed say to the one who formed it: ‘Why did you make me like this?’”
Isaiah 29:16: “You turn things upside down as if the potter is thought to be like clay! Will what is formed say to the one who formed it: ‘You did not make me’? Can the pot say to the potter, ‘You know nothing’?”
- Ask yourself: “Do I know the hands that are shaping me? – Remember, God is your good shepherd Meditate on Psalm 23.
Psalm 23: “Jehovah is my shepherd, I will lack nothing. In green pastures he makes me rest, by still waters he leads me, he restores my soul…”
- Obey God and walk in repentance – Let Him touch every area of your life. Repent of weaknesses as He brings them to the surface.
- Hold on to God and His Word – He will help you. She doesn’t rush through the process, but learns to hold on to Him and His Word. Hold on to the promises of the Bible. Notice how other characters in the Bible were being shaped by God through his life experiences (Moses, Joseph, David, Elijah).
- Learn to wait on God and pray persistently – Cry out to Him and wait on Him. He knows exactly what He is doing.
- Take care of your attitude – Thank him for the character he is developing in your life. Don’t give up or complain. Recommit to Him and what He is doing in your life. Recommit yourself to God’s plans and purposes. Remember, He is making you into a masterpiece for His glory.
- Love God for who He is – Learn to be a lover of God for Himself and not for what He can give you. Adore him and praise him throughout the day.
Let us be like Evan Roberts, who was instrumental in the Welsh revival, who cried out to God:Bend us!” Bend your church!” May we be flexible and so easily moldable in the hands of God. Isn’t God telling us like he told Israel: “O house of Israel, can I not do with you what this potter does?”
Sit still and listen to this song called: The Potter’s Hand.
“The tested vessels have been fired and refired over and over again in the engagement kiln until they have proven their ability to withstand the pressures and temperature of the fire. Once you cry out, ‘God, I want to be like you,’ then they will probably split you up, turn you into a new vessel, and take you out of the bright light into a dark, deserted back warehouse until the appointed time. Remember, diamonds were just bits of carbon formed in a dark, pressurized environment.” – lori wilke
Intercessors Arise News
Norm just left for a month in Spain and North Africa – Please pray for this strategic trip to help build the House of Prayer in these regions. You can email me if you want to receive regular updates or sign up below.
4 books on prayer and intercession with a 20% discount on each book – See the links to find a description, how to buy them and use the discount code: PL6G7Y59. I would appreciate it if any of you would advertise these books on your Facebook page or website. My heart’s desire is to kindle the fire of prayer throughout the world and help people grow in prayer.
Breakout Prayer: Pray God’s Truth, Destroy Enemy Lies
24/7 Prayer Arise: Building the House of Prayer in your city
Deeper Even: Secrets to a Deeper Prayer Life
Ascending to the heights in prayer: Touching the sky, changing the earth
• Have your friends sign up for Intercessors Arise here!
• If you would like to pray for us and receive monthly updates, sign up here at Norm and Debbie’s prayer partner.
• Become a member of the Intercessors Arise International Network here. Connect with intercessors and what God is doing in prayer around the world! Discover many resources and training on prayer on this network.
Together in the Harvest,
Debbie Przybylski
Intercessors Arise International
International House of Prayer (IHOP) KC Staff
*This article was first published on 03/18/2013