The Message of the Re-Fashioned Pot

by Monica Hernandez
Published February 10, 2006

“And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of
the potter: so he made it again another vessel...” (Jeremiah 18:4, KJV).

Jeremiah heard the Lord’s command: “Arise, and go down to the potter's house, and there I will cause thee to hear my words.” In truth, the Lord could have given His message to Jeremiah wherever he was, be it his private chamber, his living room, his deck or any other place, but He chose the potter's house as the scenario to support what He wanted to say.

However, the message was not only for Jeremiah and Israel but also for us today. God wanted the potter's trade as an illustration to give to Jeremiah a visual parallel of what He wanted to reveal. He wanted to implant His information strongly and firmly into Jeremiah's mind about what He in His omnipotence could do, and so in essence, He said to Jeremiah “go and take a look at what the potter is doing...I have a message for you there.”

Jeremiah obeyed and the Lord spoke in very graphic terms to Jeremiah.

The above text says that “the vessel that the potter made of clay was marred in his hands, so he made it again another vessel, as seemed good to the potter to make it." What is the message here? It is that the Lord re-fashions us as is fit to Him and beneficial to us.

The message of the re-fashioned pot is that of “conformation” (Romans 8:29), which tells us that “God made Jesus to be the firstborn among many brethren.” This text reveals that God is creating a new generation with Jesus as the firstborn of that generation, and is conforming us to be like Jesus, the Firstborn. And to conform means "to mold, shape, break down and re-mold, re-shape and re-structure.”

The word “there” at Jeremiah 18:2 means a lot. It tells us that in the process of our conformation and transformation, God meets us wherever “there” happens to be in our lives and it is always the right place for a meeting. He meets us and reveals Himself to us in ways we can understand and does His great work of breaking us down and re-fashioning us into the persons He wants us to be.

God breaks us down by allowing our faulty plans and patterns of thought to be shattered, yet this is not to be seen as negative but as a teaching tool for our benefit. It teaches that God is sovereign. And He does His re-fashioning all for His glory. Therefore, we must learn to see our challenges as opportunities for change, adjustment and improvement; for being made vessels pleasing to God’s service.

In actuality, what happens when God begins to re-fashion us? The re-fashioning process presents itself as challenges to be overcome and barriers to be broken through on our part, but God enables us to do so and renews us in ways we might not be able to comprehend at this time. This process is usually harsh and may last any length of time. It takes us through rivers to cross, mountains to climb and fires to be quenched.

Just as the potter continually re-molds his marred pot, so God is continually adjusting and re-adjusting us and out of this process we learn to seek God for healing, deliverance, peace and harmony. When we seek God, He brings us into contact with workable ideas and strategies that can help us as He works out His highest blessing in us.

So often we say "that all things work together to them that love God..." not realizing the full import of those words, and it really is important because what that text is saying is that no matter what happens to us day by day, good or not good, it is by the power of God working within us for our highest benefit.

God is not the One creating our pains and discomforts. He is not punishing us for wrong deeds, but it is our wrong deeds producing their own fruitage of pain and sorrow. God, in His wisdom allows these ills to arise in our lives so that we can deal with them and be re-fashioned into useful vessels for His kingdom.

So when we look into our lives and see that like pots in the hands of the potter, God, the Master Potter, is breaking us down, or “allowing” us to be broken down and re-fashioning us, we are to take courage and be grateful that He is making us into better vessels, all for His divine use and glory.

Here is a stanza from that beautiful, old hymn that could be comforting: “Have Thine Own Way” by Adelaide Addison Pollard:

“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.”

Suggested Readings: Jeremiah 18:4, Romans 8:29, Romans 9:21, Romans 12:2,
2 Corinthians 3:18, 1 John 3:2, Revelation 2:17.

Reflection: God is continually in the life-transforming business, all for His glory and use.

Prayer: “I speak the truth that God is performing His great work in my life, directing it and transforming it, all to His glory...all is well and I give thanks.”

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