Two of our most treasured possessions are hand-made pieces of pottery hand-made by a friend of ours. One serves as a fruit bowl and is inscribed with the words: ‘Seek and you will find’ (Matt 7:7. The second is a shallow bowl inscribed with the words of Jesus ‘I am the vine’ (John 15:21).

God’s treasured possession is people – more specifically the people of Israel in the context of this passage. He loves His people and He longs for them to return to Him. The ball is in their court. He is God, they are not. He shapes us according to His plans and purposes and His design is always the best.

Notice that there is no echo of the song ‘Que sera, sera’ (Whatever will be, will be). As Jonah discovered at Nineveh, God is God and He has decided that His actions in this season are conditional upon our response. Even a prophetic word is not the final story. It requires our engagement to be fulfilled. A warning may cross our bows and we do well to heed it. A promise encouraging us to step into something that God has for us needs to be acted upon in order to be fulfilled. In either case action is required on our part.

We are the clay, He is the potter. You’ll notice that opposition mounts against Jeremiah and his response is fairly vitriolic (v.19-23). Whenever we read the Old Testament it is always good to invite Jesus in to the story and ask the question: What difference does knowing Jesus make? It does not take us long to see the gap between Jeremiah’s cry of v.23 and Jesus’s cry on the cross: ‘Father, forgive them.’

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Questions:

In 2 Corinthians 4:7 we are reminded of our own frailty as a jar of clay. I wonder if you have ever felt marred, spoilt, seen yourself as damaged goods? Or maybe you find it hard to know what God is shaping you into – you’re not quite sure where you fit, your purpose, your gifts etc. He’s working His best for you. He is displaying His glory through you. Hold on to those truths.

Action:

Is there any way in which you need to respond to v.12? Either feeling like giving up: ‘It’s no use’. Or, needing to change your plans? If this speaks to you then ask the Lord to reform your ways and your actions (v.11).