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Oct 05, 2024 06:00am

Clay

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As I was reading my Bible the other day, I came upon a passage in Isaiah 30. Throughout this book, the prophet Isaiah communicates to Israel with messages from God. In this particular chapter, a section of verses stood out to me.

Verses 12-15 tell us, “Therefore this is what the Holy One of Israel says: “Because you have rejected this message, relied on oppression and depended on deceit, this sin will become for you like a high wall, cracked and bulging, that collapses suddenly, in an instant. It will break in pieces like pottery, shattered so mercilessly that among its pieces not a fragment will be found for taking coals from a hearth or scooping water out of a cistern.” This is what the Sovereign Lord, the Holy One of Israel, says: ‘In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength, but you would have none of it.’”

See, I had been reading through Isaiah, witnessing Israel repeatedly ignoring the messages God was sending them through His prophet. They were facing attack from Assyria, and they were looking to everything but God to find help – aid from Egypt, the swiftest horses, anything they could think of to get out of their dilemma. Have you ever been there before? I know I have. I have felt scared, overwhelmed by life’s circumstances, trying to find a way to overcome, but forgetting I have access to The Overcomer. I can’t judge Israel too harshly. I have been Israel. Maybe you have been, too.

The reference to clay shattering mercilessly, like the high wall collapsing suddenly, created a strong word picture in my mind. My (soon-to-be) daughter-in-law is an art major and has recently been hired as a Teacher’s Assistant for pottery class. I asked her if clay ever shatters suddenly into so many pieces it is not usable. She explained three different circumstances that happens throughout the stages it undergoes to become a vessel.

In the initial stage, the starting clump of wet clay can become completely destroyed when it is moved too suddenly or anything unintended for the process touches the clay – like when we try to depend on things that are not God’s will in our growth process – things the world might tell us we need to depend on to become our “best self” rather than allowing our relationship with God to help us develop into the “vessel” He knows we should be. Once the clay is a little bit harder, it can also be destroyed if the potter cuts too deeply during the shaving stage. This makes me think of times when I allow the opinions of others or my own selfishness to take over the job of Potter. If the piece survives these two stages, it can still be blown into little pieces inside the kiln, if air is trapped inside the pottery from not being wedged well enough from the beginning. In a similar way, we need to trust Jesus with every struggle, every piece of ourselves – depend on Him solely to be our salvation from the very beginning.

There is great news though! Even if we have messed up, even if we have tried to find our salvation and redemption from something or someone other than God, we can choose to recognize our sabotage and ask The Potter to intervene. He is Sovereign, and He will redeem our shattered vessel. If we will recognize our inability to put our pieces together and our need for The Potter to take those pieces and make them new, He will save us from our own destruction. He will make us new. We can be redeemed from our empty way of life, not with perishable things, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect. (1 Peter 1:18-19)