There is no waste in the economy of God. God can turn every circumstance of our life into a learning curve if “we have ears to hear”, if we ask the Lord for His perspective on our situations as our first port of call, instead of applying our own understanding of events and solutions.
Jeremiah was shut up in a prison cell when the Lord spoke these words to him: “Call unto Me and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things which you do not know.” Jeremiah 33:3 Our Father wants us to call on Him instead of struggling to work things through in our limited understanding and strength.
God instructed Jeremiah the prophet to speak to the errant children of Israel, encouraging them to repent, seek the Lord and return to following Him. Jeremiah 18 records the Lord’s words for that nation, but we can identify with His words when we have made a mistake or are in failure. Jeremiah 18: 1-6 “The word which came to Jeremiah from the Lord, saying “Arise, and go down to the potter’s house, and there I will cause you to hear My words”. Then I went down to the potter’s house, and behold he wrought a work on the wheels. The vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter, so he made it again another vessel, as seemed good to the potter to make it. Then the word of the Lord came to me saying…..”Cannot I do with you as this potter? As the clay is in the potter’s hand, so are you in My hand…..”.
The Lord is often referred to as the divine Potter. When we discover our frailties, God does not discard us. The Potter can take the marred vessel and “make it again”, reusing the same lump of clay but moulding the fault lines out on His wheel. Our part is to go down (humble ourselves and repent) to the Potter’s house, to seek the Lord’s help. When the potter has finished his work on the wheel, the vessel is placed in the kiln for firing. If any fault lines (air bubbles) remain, the vessel will explode in the heat. Selah.
Our lives are likened to that lump of clay in the potter’s hands, but our Potter is divine. We are in a safe pair of hands and can learn to yield to the pressure on the Potter’s wheel, as He perfects His work in us for our divine destiny.
Each of us has different circumstances that God is using to the same end. The Potter is “making again the vessel as it seems good to Him”. God knows what is best for us. Only as we yield to Him will change take place on our journey to fullness, our birthright in Christ Jesus, conformed to His image in full stature, (Ephesians 4:13), divine purpose for every Believer.
God’s sovereignty operates in all, whether in permission or purpose. His love is such that He cares for the slightest thing that concerns me. Why does God permit, in His wisdom, that which He could prevent, in His power? He permits it, (not sends it), in order for us to see our need to change, to see things from His perspective. These circumstances are permitted that we might tap into His love and provision as we trust Him. Our heavenly Father sees the end from the beginning. At the moment we are all in a measure of permission, because none of us are walking in the total fullness of our birthright available to us through Calvary. However, let us not be discouraged, nor lose sight of our final destination in divine purpose.
Today, you and I are the exact expression, in our spiritual walk, of our past and present choices. Where we are is not where we have to remain. God wants to take us forward on our journey with Him. We can make right choices as the Lord presents them, in order that we can fulfil, and reach, our divine destiny.
The wilderness was never meant to be God’s final destination for the children of Israel. It was a journey in His permissive will to the Promised Land, their inheritance in His perfect will of purpose. Even so, they experienced supernatural provision in the permissive will. They saw, and knew, miracle upon miracle in their wilderness journeying, and yet never entered their final destination, the Promised Land. Why? Their murmuring, discontent, complaining and unbelief denied them entry into their inheritance, (Psalm 95: 8-11).
Philippians 1:6 “Being confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you is able to complete it, until the day of Jesus Christ”.
Dear Lord, may we be the generation to learn from our mistakes, humbly submit to Your Potter’s wheel to remove our fault lines, as You make vessels fit for Your purpose, and enter into Your fullness, our divine destiny. Amen.
Photo by Taylor Heery on Unsplash
