The Potter’s Hands

Apostle Don Meares

“The word which came to Jeremiah from the Lord, saying: 2 “Arise and go down to the potter’s house, and there I will cause you to hear My words.” 3 Then I went down to the potter’s house, and there he was, making something at the wheel. 4 And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter; so he made it again into another vessel, as it seemed good to the potter to make.

5 Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying: 6 “O house of Israel, can I not do with you as this potter?” says the Lord. “Look, as the clay is in the potter’s hand, so are you in My hand, O house of Israel! 7 The instant I speak concerning a nation and concerning a kingdom, to pluck up, to pull down, and to destroy it, 8 if that nation against whom I have spoken turns from its evil, I will relent of the disaster that I thought to bring upon it. 9 And the instant I speak concerning a nation and concerning a kingdom, to build and to plant it, 10 if it does evil in My sight so that it does not obey My voice, then I will relent concerning the good with which I said I would benefit it.” –Jeremiah 18:1-10

 

In the passage, God instructs Jeremiah to go down to the potter’s house to observe the potter’s work. The prophet then notices the significance of the potter’s hands in shaping and transforming the clay into a vessel. Sometimes in our lives we don’t understand what is happening. In such moments, we seek God’s guidance and purpose. As a prophet, Jeremiah needed to know what God was doing with Israel, so God directed him to the potter’s house.

 

At the potter’s house, Jeremiah witnesses the potter working with the clay on the wheel. He realizes the similarities between the clay and the nation of Israel. Just as the Potter molds and shapes the clay according to his purpose, God works on His people, fashioning them for His divine purpose.

 

God uses ordinary and seemingly worthless materials to fulfill His purpose. He lifts us and fashions us according to His plan. God saved us not for ourselves or others but for His purpose. From what the prophet Jeremiah has seen, the potter’s hand is crucial to the process. With the skilled craftsmanship of the potter, the clay can become a vessel. Like our relationship with God, we need to depend on Him. We need His touch and guidance to fulfill our purpose in our lives. 

 

God’s Word is powerful. It upholds all things. His Words spoken over our lives have seen us through and will continue to sustain us. 

 

In the creation story in Genesis 1–2, God deviated from His usual process of creating through spoken words when He created man. God touched man, emphasizing the need for us to have intimate contact with the Creator to fulfill His purpose. God created man without pre-existent substances but formed him using pre-existing materials, like a baker making a cake. As His creation, we must recognize God’s hands in shaping and transforming us according to His purpose. We need intimate contact with Him to see transformation in our lives.

 

Allow the Potter to fix you

 

If we want God to move mightily in our lives, we must allow God to fix and mold us according to His design. We need to be ready vessels before He can fill us with the power of the Holy Spirit. We must be excited in our spirits even when the things around us are unclear because we know even in the season of preparation, God is working in us. 

 

While we wait on the Lord, we can be of good courage. Spending time in God’s presence will give us strength and endurance. Psalm 27:13-14 reminds us: 

 

“I would have lost heart, unless I had believed

That I would see the goodness of the Lord

In the land of the living.

 

14 Wait on the Lord;

Be of good courage,

And He shall strengthen your heart;

Wait, I say, on the Lord!”

 

Returning to the passage in Jeremiah, the prophet saw that though the vessel was already in the potter’s hands, it was still marred. Applying this picture to our relationship with God, even if we’re already flawed, He still holds us in His hands. We can rest assured that when we are in Him, we can let go of our worries. 

 

While there are sturdy vessels, there are also leaky vessels. As vessels in the Potter’s hands, some leaky people struggle by holding onto worldly things and constantly seek reassurance. This “leakiness” might affect their relationships and ability to receive God’s blessings. However, God will not allow us to stay in the same place. God will not fill us until He fixes us. Only He knows where we are leaking and what caused it. As our Potter, He has the power to fix us. If we want to experience the life He wants for us, we must acknowledge that we need His help. 

 

Going through the process

 

When we go through the process of fixing and transformation, our hearts must long to worship God with an unwavering spirit. This is the time for us to show our heartfelt expression. We can worship Him without relying on a worship leader or a team. Even without these, when we are worshiping with all our hearts, He will accept what we are giving to Him. We can also worship the Lord in solitude, even when no one is around. When we are humble before the Lord, we allow God to mend our heart, mind, and soul, and empower us through the Holy Ghost. When we go through this process, we experience His divine touch that will revive our ability to remember and relish what the Lord has done in our lives. When we pray for our transformation, God will bring the lasting change we seek. 

 

When we know that God is at work in us, we can expect that the best is yet to come. But we can also look back and contemplate His remarkable work in us so far. We can find solace in knowing that God can remake, restore, and transform broken vessels like us. The true transformation that we long for can come only from Him. But though we might appear the same on the outside, we must look into the profound change within. Let us look at what God has done and what He is doing. We can be grateful for our freedom and victory because of His power. 

 

The Word of God reminds us in 2 Corinthians 5:17: 

 

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.” 

 

In this process of fixing, molding, and transforming, we can joyfully praise God for renewing us. We can declare that we are no longer who we used to be. The transformative work from the Lord goes beyond our personal fulfillment. God changes us so that we can also be a blessing to others. God’s work enables us to embrace abundance and overflow in every aspect of life. 

 

Today, open up your heart to the Holy Spirit. Prepare yourself for the blessings and breakthroughs that await. When you are fixed and made strong, you can experience a life of overflow and share what you have with others. 

 

Embrace a life of abundance in alignment with God’s divine plan! Discover how to achieve increase and fulfillment by watching the complete message at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FdtLsxsrysI&t=5s.  

 

Take your life to the next level! Experience the transformative power of God and His Word. Unlock divine revelations and deepen your faith by watching captivating videos from Evangel Cathedral’s Heaven’s Gate on YouTube. Don’t miss out on this incredible opportunity for spiritual growth. Subscribe to our channel now at https://www.youtube.com/@EvangelCathedral, and let God’s truth impact your life today!