Renew. Refresh. Restore. Remake. Redeem.
One of my favorite things about Scripture is how often the Lord uses real-world examples to communicate deep spiritual truths. We should pay attention to those moments, because the Lord can use the ordinary things to reveal deep spiritual truths to us.
The Lord tells Jeremiah to go to the potter's house. As Jeremiah watches, the potter takes the clay that has been marred in his hand and reshapes it into another vessel which the Lord calls good.
Then the Lord says: "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!" Jeremiah 18:6
Even in some of Israel's darkest days of grievous sin and rebellion and as they were persecuting God's messenger the Lord was still speaking. And what He spoke revealed both His sovereignty and His mercy.
Call it what you want:
Renew. Refresh. Restore. Remake. Redeem.
The potter and the clay reminds us that God is not helpless when things become marred or broken. He is the Potter, and we are in His hands. His desire is not simply to leave us as we are, but to shape us according to His purposes.
The Lord's heart toward us is one of redemption. He calls us to know His heart and, through His Spirit, to reflect that heart toward others.
Are you in need of the Lord's redeeming work in an area of your life?
Is there someone around you who needs to hear about the redemption found in Christ?
Then remember the Potter.
God is sovereign over the clay. He is able to reshape what has been marred and bring beauty and purpose from what seems broken. That does not mean every circumstance will unfold according to our desires, but it does mean that our lives are never outside His hands.
So let the truth of the Potter and the clay speak to your heart this morning. Trust Him with what is broken. Submit to His hands. Let him correct you, restore you, and transform you for His purposes.
-To Know Jesus. To Live on Mission.