O house of Israel, cannot I do with you as this potter? saith the LORD. Behold, as the clay is in the potter’s hand, so are ye in mine hand, O house of Israel. — Jeremiah 18:6
Someone that has the talent and skill to make something is amazing to me. I am certainly not gifted in the area of art or design. I’m not an abstract thinker and dreaming something into existence like a piece of art is beyond me.
I have always enjoyed watching someone that makes things and one thing especially is pottery. A potter can take just an ordinary lump of clay and use their hands and tools to make an amazing work of art. I wish I had that type of skill. In the story of the potter’s house in Jeremiah 18, we see how God used the potter to teach a valuable lesson to Jeremiah and the people of Israel.
The potter took something that was ordinary, a piece of clay and began to create a work. The work of the potter was marred, so the potter had to start the work over again. He didn’t give up on it, he simply went back and started over. God used the example that the clay was representative of what He was doing with the children of Israel. He was molding them and shaping them into something.
Throughout the Bible, God proves that He is in the business of molding people to be used by Him. He took Saul and molded him into the man we know as Paul and used him to minister to the church. He took David and molded him from a simple shepherd into a mighty king. Throughout history, God has taken ordinary people and accomplished extraordinary things with them when they are willing to be molded.
While we may see ourselves as ordinary and nothing special, God sees us as something He can work with. He sees us as moldable and usable. God can accomplish extraordinary things with ordinary people if we are willing to be used by Him.
