Are you still clay or clay that's stll?

The answer to this question depends on your WQ (see Beryl's posting on "The Willing Woman" in December 2009)

Do you know this song?

Have Thine Own way Lord, Have Thine Own way

Thou art the Potter, I am the clay

Mold me and make me after Thy will
While I am waiting, yielded and still.

Did you know that a woman wrote this hymn? I always thought it was written by Jim Reeves – he was one of my mother’s favourite Christian musicians - and we listened to this song so many times that it's etched in my memory.

A bit about the author before we continue:
In 1902, Adelaide A. Pollard, a Bible teacher and hymn writer was hoping to go to Africa as a missionary, but found herself unable to raise the needed funds to make the journery (sic). Greatly discouraged, she attended a prayer service one evening and as she sat there, she overheard an elderly woman say "It really doesn't matter what you do with us, Lord, just have your own way with our lives." The elderly woman inspired Pollard and she contemplated the story of the potter from Jeremiah 18:3 and upon her return home that evening, wrote all four stanzas before retiring for the night. ** I’ve chosen the first stanza as it ties in with what we’ll be talking about shortly.


I’m not sure if this ever happens to you but it almost seems to be a constant in my life. I sincerely desire to do God’s will everyday and in everyway; it’s just that sometimes, it’s not convenient. I wonder why we ever expect that it will be “convenient” to obey God…but we do.

You won’t believe what happened to me while writing this piece. My husband just asked me to deliver a parcel to someone about 45 minutes away from our home – did I just say sometimes doing God’s will is not convenient? Talk about an “on-the-spot” example.

Let’s look and learn a few things from the passage where this topic is from - Jeremiah 18: 1-6

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 was working at the wheel. And the vessel that he was making from clay was spoiled in the hand of the potter; so he made it over, reworking it into another vessel as it seemed good to the potter to make it. Then the word of the Lord came to me: O house of Israel, can I not do with you as this potter does? says the Lord. Behold, as the clay is in the potter's hand, so are you in My hand, O house of Israel. Amplified Bible (AMP)

It was entirely up to the potter what “shape” the vessel will be (and what it will be used for too). The shape of a vessel determines its use & usefulness. Let me explain.

A plastic bowl, depending on its size, can be used for several things ranging from holding water, fruits or ingredients to being used to “serve” if someone needs water to wash their hands. A cup on the other hand has different and possibly more limited uses. Now if you have a bowl and use it as a cup, you could be “underutilizing” it and possibly “abusing” its purpose.

In secondary school (junior high), we had the opportunity of working on a potter’s wheel - it was so difficult – not to mention messy. I don’t even remember if I succeeded in making anything presentable. I clearly remember how much we had to focus on and apply pressure to the lump of clay in our “care”. One moment's distraction very quickly resulted in a marred product.

In molding us for His use and glory, God is constantly focussing on us – we are the ones who get distracted, moving out of His Will (potter’s wheel) and sometimes end up marring our lives. For as long as the clay is still (& still i.e. yielded) in the hand of the potter and stays on the potter’s wheel, there is every assurance the final product is a masterpiece. *** It’s all in being still, available (pliable) and waiting on God.

For as long as clay is not pliable for the potter, he needs to keep hitting it to make it suitable for molding. Have you ever felt that you keep getting “knocks from life”? It is possible that you are still clay because you have refused to be clay that is still and surrendered? In other words, God wants to remold you for a higher purpose if you would just be still but you are just resisting Him.

Resisting the Potter can result in one of 2 ways: the clay is discarded and a more "willing" lump of clay is used in replacement or the clay "suffers many things" because the Potter insists on using it...neither option is pleasant.

To have a pleasant life, we must realize and be able to say: “Yet, O Lord, You are our Father; we are the clay, and You our Potter, and we all are the work of Your hand.”* The potter’s most basic tool is his hand…do all you can to ensure that you remain in God’s hand and you can be sure that you will be His masterpiece even as He molds (and remolds) you for His purpose and glory.

In reading about how pottery is made, I realised that once the clay is pliable, the potter applies pressure in order to mold the clay into a (suitable) vessel. Despite all the pressure of the process, the vessel is not deemed completed (& will not be durable) until it is put through the fire. In putting us through fire, God is always watching out for us…He promises that: “when you walk through the fire, you will not be burned or scorched, nor will the flame kindle upon you.” We just need to release ourselves into His care...it's up to us.

I don't know about you, I'd rather be remolded several times over so I am equipped to do His Will rather than to be replaced; it may not be convenient but going through the pressure and fire of obedience and service it is definitely worth becoming God's masterpiece.

References:
*http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Have_Thine_Own_Way,_Lord
**Isaiah 64:8 - Amplified Bible
*** Ephesians 2:10: For we are God's [own] handiwork (His workmanship), recreated in Christ Jesus, [born anew] that we may do those good works which God predestined (planned beforehand) for us [taking paths which He prepared ahead of time], that we should walk in them [living the good life which He prearranged and made ready for us to live]. (Amplified Bible)

About Pottery: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pottery

I found 2 other nice pieces on the Potter & the Clay - may you be blessed by them:
www.baptiststart.com/ppt/nobg/Potter_Clay_Crack_Pots.ppt
http://www.churchonline.tv/Sermons/clay4.htm