Scripture reading: Isaiah 45:9–10

In His Hands

                             Like the clay in the potter’s hand,                                so are you in my hand. Jeremiah 18:6)

It’s amazing what God can do with dirt! At creation, he made man out of the dust of the ground (Genesis 2:7). Similarly, in the work of re-creation, God likens the process to a potter at his wheel working with clay (Jeremiah 18). Yes, in the hands of the Master, a little dirt and a little water can become a thing of beauty. But note it well: this dirt is alive; his clay has a mind of its own. It can choose whether or not to cooperate with the Master’s plan.

I wish I could tell you that God’s purposes for your life did not involve pain, but nothing could be further from the truth. To create the masterpiece he has in mind, God will need to hurt the dirt and slay the clay. The process will involve pounding, squeezing, spinning, shaping, reshaping, and then doing it all again. Then, just when you think you can’t stand any more, the Master Potter will scoop you up and throw you into a fiery furnace. Yes, there will be moments when the lump of clay wants to run screaming from the Potter’s House crying, “Enough! I can’t take any more!” But don’t run. Though the process may hurt, allow him the privilege of finishing what he started. Stay on the wheel. Remain in the furnace. God knows what he is doing. Trust him. He is making a masterpiece. An old poem by an unknown author says it well.

When God wants to drill a man                                                               And thrill a man
And skill a man
When God wants to mold a man To play the noblest part;
When He yearns with all His heart To create so great and bold a man That all the world shall be amazed, Watch His methods, watch His ways!
How He ruthlessly perfects Whom He royally elects!
How He hammers him and hurts him, And with mighty blows converts him
Into trial shapes of clay which Only God understands;
While his tortured heart is crying And he lifts beseeching hands! How He bends but never breaks When his good He undertakes; How He uses whom He chooses And with every purpose fuses him; By every act induces him
To try his splendor out– God knows what He’s about!

            It is doubtful whether God can bless a man greatly           until he has hurt him deeply. —A. W. Tozer

point to ponder • Even when it feels like things are falling apart, God knows what he’s doing, and his purposes are always good!

prayer focus • For the gift of faith to trust God, even when you don’t understand.