The Potter

Identity Found in God

​The Potter and The Clay
~ The Potter
~ The Clay
~ The Idea
~ The Plan
~ The Refining Fire
~ The Reshaped Pot
~ Living as His Clay Pot

​The Potter: 
 
Isaiah 64:8 – Yet, O Lord, you are our Father.  We are the clay, you are the potter; we are all the work of your hands.
 
I am always amazed at the art of pottery.  I remember the pottery projects our kids did in school.  We would hear about them and anticipate seeing the finished products.  Then the day came when they were able to bring them home.  Sometimes they came home in the form of a gift, and other times they would simply retrieve the project from the deep abyss, (AKA backpack).  What accompanied the excitement, though, was always that crippling moment when they revealed their masterpiece, and I gazed upon a beautiful…a well-crafted…a nicely molded…um…whatchamacallit…You offer up sincere ooos and aaaahs and compliment them for their good work.  But it doesn’t end there.  Here comes the dreaded question, “Mom, do you know what it is?”  Stammer. Stammer.  I’ve learned the hard way to answer that question by replying with a smile on my face, “Well why don’t you tell me about it.”  I then settle in to hear the description of their project, the detailed explanation of exactly what they had in mind and how they shaped the clay into this final work of art!
 
A potter’s hands are amazing tools used to create beautiful things out of lumps of clay.  A potter has the capability of looking at a blob of material and envision what it could potentially be made into.  Not only that, but he knows how to do it.  Have you ever watched a potter at work?  He knows just how fast to spin the wheel, just how much clay to use, just how much water to add, and just how much pressure to apply as the clay is being spun.  You can almost see it in their eyes.  It’s as if they can see the final product in the midst of the process – from the very first step.  The art of a potter is amazing. 
 
There are some of us who have an idea of what something should look like at the end, but don’t know how to go about getting there.  In our human minds we can muster up an idea of what we would look like as a finished piece of pottery.  We might do our best to spin our lives in such a way to craft us into what we think we should be.  Or another scenario would be if we place ourselves in someone else’s hands.  Maybe there is someone in our life who does a lot of manipulating and who spins us and places their handprint on our lives.  But what if God has something else in mind?  We can relieve ourselves of such pressure – the pressure of self-creating our clay pot, and the pressure of being molded by the wrong hands.  Our Potter knows exactly how to mold us.  
 
Let’s consider God, our Potter.  Remember He is the very one who created all things.  In fact, all things He created out of nothing.  He hand-crafted you and me, and breathed life into us.  Now what?  Scripture refers to our Maker as a Potter.  He has the ability, the creative flare, to take this body of clay and mold it into what He envisions us to be.  He is an artist we can trust.  He knows the material He is working with – in fact, He made the material!  He knows the make-up of His clay.  He understands the limits and qualities of the clay.  He knows the conditions that are needed in order for the clay to be molded into what He envisions it to look like on the other side.  He is FOR us.   He has a sketch, a plan, and if the clay cooperates, His good, perfect plan can be accomplished.   
 
Picture in your mind your Creator, your Maker, your Potter, smiling upon the piece of pottery He was given the opportunity to mold, perfect and refine. 
 
Sit in the hands of your Potter and be transformed.  What self-created pottery do you need to turn over to your Potter?  Is there someone in your life who is attempting to be your potter?  Allow God to take over in that role.  Write down what comes to your mind as you consider God as your Potter.   Allow Him to share with you His plans – the details of the pottery He has in mind for you. 

This video gives a visual of a potter at work