THE POTTER'S CLAY

Jeremiah 18:1-6

The word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD: "Come, 
go down to the
potter's house, and there I will let you hear my 
words." So I went
down to the potter's house, and there he was working 
at his wheel. The
vessel he was making of clay was spoiled in the 
potter's hand, and he
reworked it into another vessel, as seemed good to 
him.

Then the word of the LORD came to me: Can I not do 
with you, O house
of Israel, just as this potter has done? says the 
LORD. Just like the
clay in the potter's hand, so are you in my hand, O 
house of Israel.

_________________________

Hath not the potter power over the clay, of the same 
lump to make one
vessel unto honour, and another unto dishonour?
- Romans 9:21 (KJV)
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IN my first-grade classroom, someone left the lid off 
the tin of
modeling clay. When I gave hardened balls of clay to 
my students,
they tried to soften the clay by pounding it, rolling 
it, and even
dropping it on the floor.

I asked the children to try holding the clay tightly 
in their hands
while I read them a story. I could see their hands 
flexing as they
held the clay. One child grew impatient and asked, 
"Isn't it ready
now? Can't we let go of it?"

I replied, "The story isn't finished yet."

The warmth of their hands did the trick. By the time 
the story was
finished, the clay was softened and pliable.

Like the child who wanted to let go of the clay, 
sometimes we want the
waiting to be over even though our "story" is not 
finished yet. A
spouse is still unfaithful. A child is still unruly. A 
terminal
illness is still progressing. The job market remains 
closed. But God
wants us to be like clay in the potter's hands. God 
will work us when
we are ready and the time is right.

Prayer: Dear God, help us to let go and wait for your 
work to be
completed, when the time is right. Amen.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:
When we are pliable, God molds us according to a 
divine plan.

-- Gwen Rice Clark (Ohio, U.S.A.)