In Jeremiah 18:6 we read, “Can I not, O house of Israel, deal with you as this potter does?” declares the Lord. “Behold, like the clay in the potter’s hand, so are you in My hand, O house of Israel.” Today the Holy Spirit asks us, “Can I Not, O house of Israel, deal with you as this potter does?” When we read from verse 1 we see the message of hope to the people of Israel. God saw the stubbornness of the people of Israel but wants them to know that He wants to use these people and so advises them to come back. Through Jeremiah God gives this message to his people. God wants to use these people in spite of the fact that they are living as they wish. In verse 11 we read the extent of the evil ways of the Israelites. “Oh turn back, each of you from his evil way, and reform your ways and your deeds.” In verse 12 we read how the Israelites think that it is hopeless for them because they are stubborn and going their own way. In verse 15 we read how they burn incense to worthless gods and they have stumbled from their ways. In verse 18 we read the extent of their stubbornness that they disregarded the word of Jeremiah and wanted to strike him with their tongues. God knew this nature of the Israelites but He still loved them and wanted to use them – and so send Jeremiah to the potter’s house.
In verse 3 we see a picture of how a potter makes a vessel with clay. When the vessel got spoilt the potter remade it into another vessel which pleased the potter. Jeremiah saw this spoilt vessel in the potter’s hand. Jeremiah must have thought that the potter will not use this spoilt clay again and that he will throw this clay away. Jeremiah must have thought that the clay became useless. But we see a beautiful picture of how the potter reused the clay and made a beautiful vessel and it pleased him. God is encouraging us today. We see God’s love for us and God’s hope for us in whatever condition we are. Nothing is impossible for Him. Whatever be our condition – maybe we have lost hope, spiritually we may be in a dry state. But God has this to say to us today – “Can I not?” Nothing is impossible with God. We only need to come back with a repentant heart. God has a perfect plan for our lives. He wants to mold us and shape us and remake us into a beautiful vessel. The Bible says, “Trust in the Lord and lean not on your own understanding”. Whatever may be our state, learn to trust that God can change it into a state that is pleasing to Him. Submit to God so that God can mold us to his will.
In Mathew 12:20,21 we read, “A battered reed He will not break off, and a smoldering wick He will not put out, until He leads justice to victory. And in His name the Gentiles will hope.” Don’t give up hope. In this condition also, God gives us hope. The battered reed shows a powerless condition and the smoldering wick shows a dying out stage – but even in this stage there is hope! Our God is a God of hope. Let us submit our lives to God and let Him shape us and mold us as He wants for His glory. In Genesis 1 we see a similar picture. The earth was formless, void, shapeless and dark. God didn’t leave the earth in that worthless state, rather He remade the earth into a beautiful state with his word. In verse 31 we read, “God saw all that He had made, and behold, it was very good.” We see this same kind of remaking in the potter’s house. The final vessel made the potter happy. Dear brothers & sisters, God wants to restore us from whatever state we are in to a state that makes Him happy. Yield to Him completely, let him restore us and use us for His glory.
In verse 4 we read that the vessel was spoilt at the potter’s hand. How can that happen? It could be because there were some small hard stones in the clay that was hindering the potter to use the clay as he wanted. We are not perfect, we have many flaws. The small hard stones in us also need to be broken completely so that the potter can mold us as He wants. The small hard stones can be our stubbornness, our pride, our selfish attitude, or our unbelief. We need to see what is hindering God from using us as He wants. Allow God to break those small hard stones.
Our God is a God of hope. He will never leave us or forsake us. God didn’t forsake the people of Israel but wanted to mold them and restore them. In Jeremiah 13:23 we read, ““Can the Ethiopian change his skin or the leopard his spots? Then you also can do good who are accustomed to doing evil.” The Ethiopian can’t change his skin or the leopard his spots. But with the power of God, you who are accustomed to doing evil can change to do good. This is the hope that God gives us today. The Ethiopian got his skin by birth and the leopard got his skin by birth. We too have got many evil and fleshly natures within us by birth, but God encourages us that with the Holy Spirit we can get the nature of Christ in us. Nothing is impossible with God. In John 2 we read how Jesus turned water into wine. Our God is a God of hope. God can change a dry dessert into a beautiful garden. Allow God to make you into an honorable vessel useful for the master. In 2 Timothy 2:21 we read, “Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from these things, he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified, useful to the Master, prepared for every good work.”
God doesn’t want to keep this vessel empty. But he wants this vessel to be filled with the treasure. In 2 Corinthians 4:6,7 we read, “For God, who said, “Light shall shine out of darkness,” is the One who has shone in our hearts to give the Light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ. But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, so that the surpassing greatness of the power will be of God and not from ourselves”. God wants us to be filled with the life of Jesus. Allow God to mold you and use you. There is no need to be discouraged seeing your condition but pay head to the word of hope that the Lord has for you today. May God bless us all!
