Isaiah 64:8, “But now, O Lord, Thou art our father. We are the clay, and thou our potter.”

Over the past few months the subject of the potter and the clay has intrigued me. This is a symbol of the relationship between God and us, and His intricate plan that he has for our life. It is very humbling to think that we cannot create ourselves, and only God can construct us.

When the Potter searches for the clay he will use, he does not go to a convenient location. Instead, he looks in the depressing slum pits. There is no way for this clay to climb out of the pit alone. Likewise, we are unable to get out of our pits alone. But how awesome is it to know that if we cry out to the Lord he will hear us and raise us up out of our dark place! When He picks us up, he welcomes us with open arms, not focusing on who we were, but what we eventually will be.

Once the potter arrives back to his studio with his clay, the potter must wash, stomp on and beat the clay until it is soft enough to mold. This is why we should not be discouraged when it feels like we are being cleansed and beat up a little by circumstances in our lives; God is just preparing us for the next plan that he has for us.

Next, the potter puts his clay upon the wheel. As the potter begins to spin the wheel, his hands may begin to shake, which means the clay is not centered on the wheel properly. When the hands shake, it means that the clay is resisting against the potter, which can cause it to be thicker on one side than the other. This causes the vessel to eventually crack. I have seen this resistance in my own life. You can see with this illustration that when the clay is not centered around the Potter it will eventually crack. Similarly, we will never reach our full potential if we are not centered upon the rock of Jesus Christ. God doesn’t want to see a finished product that is cracked; he wants to stand back in awe of the beautiful and wholesome vessel that we have become.

As the potter begins to form the clay into the shape he wants it to be, he will apply pressure, working his way from the bottom to the top, always drawing the clay towards himself. As he draws the clay towards himself, he begins to work on the “heart” or the inside of the vessel. The more room that the potter makes inside of the vessel, the more the vessel can pour out. This is why it is so important to draw near to the Lord, allowing Him show us his heart, so that our hearts will be filled to the brim, eventually outpouring into others. Since we can’t pour more then we contain, I want to stay as close as I possibly can to the Lord, so my heart may be pure before him and he will daily use my vessel to pour into others.

As the potter has finished making shape to the once uninspiring clay, it must go through the fire. The clay may look pretty, but without going through the fire it has the strength to stand on it’s own, but will not be able to give to anyone else. The moment you pick it up or shake it a little, it will fall apart.

One of the coolest things I learned is that the potter never takes his hands off of the clay. How awesome is that! Our Father, the great and mighty God, will never let go of me. No matter how hot the fire is, if my vessel has a crack in it at the end of the process, he will start all over again, from scratch. If you have one crack or to many cracks to count, the Lord meets you where you are, repairs your cracks, and begins to make you new again.

Your experiences that you have faced, are facing, or will eventually face in life are only preparing you for the wonderful vessel that God desires you to be. Don’t resist God; this will only make the process take more time. Even though it may be very hard at times (and trust me, I weekly go through things that seem impossible), try to think positively that God’s hands are upon you every step of the way. Each time you will be one step closer to the finished product.

Only when you draw close to him in your daily walk, can you truly discover what your purpose really is. A few years ago I wrestled with God every moment of everyday, not knowing what my calling was on my life, but I realized that my walk was not right where it was supposed to be. As you draw closer and closer to him, he will begin to open doors that you thought were closed and use you in ways only God knows are possible. And the most awesome thing is that God will not forsake you even when you have done wrong- He will only embrace you like a loving father and begin to form you once again.