And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter: so he made it again another vessel, as seemed good to the potter to make it. –– Jeremiah 18:4
In our last lesson from the potter’s house, we saw how the clay could become marred even in the hands of the potter. The potter, who is the expert with the clay, knows exactly how much pressure and forming the clay can take. Sometimes, the pressure can be so much that the clay finds itself marred, even when it’s in the hands of the potter.
Jeremiah continued on and shares how the potter didn’t simply get frustrated with the clay and throw it aside. He didn’t become angry and yell at the clay. He didn’t punish the clay in any way. He shares that the potter kept his hands on the clay and made it again into another vessel.
To a lot of other people, the marred clay would have simply been viewed as completely ruined. They may have viewed it as trash, unworthy to be used as a vessel. But the potter saw the potential. He knew that the clay could still be used for a purpose. He continued working with the clay and made it into another vessel.
There are a couple of lessons we can see from the potter’s house in this statement. First, we can see an image of God’s grace in that He gives second chances. In this situation, the potter could have thrown away the clay. He could have simply set it aside, throw it into the trash, and completely discarded the clay. Instead, he chose to keep it and give it a second chance.
I’m so glad that our God is a God of chances. So many times, I have sinned or failed to do what God would have me do the first time. He could easily stop working on my life and move on to other things. Yet, even amid my failure, He gave me a second chance. No doubt you can relate as well.
But more than just a God of second chances, I am thankful for a God that sees potential. When I accepted Jesus Christ as Savior, there were a lot of people in this world that would have told you I had no potential. I didn’t have anything in this world that mattered. I was far from perfect. Just like anyone else, I was a sinner in need of a Savior.
But God saw potential. Amid all the imperfections, He saw something in me that made Him want to work on my life to make me into a vessel that could be used by Him for His purpose. When anyone else may have thrown me aside, the potter had a purpose in mind. He saw the potential of what I could be.
Just because we mess up in life, it does not mean that we are unable to be used by God. Just because we have sinned or failed to do what God would have us to do, it does not mean that we are destined for the trash heap. I’m so thankful that our God is a God of second chances. God sees past the flaws and sees the potential.
We may find ourselves facing discouragement and disappointment over being marred in this life. Don’t let anyone convince you that you do not have value to God. He still has a purpose and plan for you. God, our potter, sees the potential vessel you can be. It’s another great lesson we can learn from the potter’s house.
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