MONDAY, APRIL 30, 2007
The Potters Vision
Isaiah 64:8 (NIV)
"Yet, O LORD, you are our Father. We are the clay, you are the potter;we are all the work of your hand."
When the potter looks at the clay He has a vision of what His skilled hands will create. With love and joy he shapes the clay forming it into the image he has planned for it. God is the Potter we are the Clay. God has a plan for you. He is with you in your trials and walks with you in the fire. He longs to use these things to form you into the image of His son Jesus Christ.
I wanted to look more closely at how the image of the potter is an image of the spiritual life. So I did some research.
Interestingly enough,clay begins as Mud. For wheel thrown pottery the clay cannot be worked until it is pugged. This is when the clay master takes his raw materials and prepares them with a process by which it becomes thoroughly blended and almost all the air is forced out of the clay.( This can symbolize a purification from pride)
Next, with water and sponge, and using the action of His spinning wheel the master patiently shapes the clay. And as the clay surrenders to the plan the master has for it, its beauty and form begins to take shape.
In preparation to be “fired” the pottery is set on a shelf (left alone) to dry for several days. (In our suffering we often feel alone but God is using this time to prepare us. Remember the potter is watching, He has a plan, we are not alone.)
It is then placed in the fired up Kiln. The initial firing removes impurities that would cause the pot to break or return to mud in the glazing process. (God wants to purify us of anything that will keep us from fully receiving His love and He wants to make us strong )
As part of the glazing process the pot needs to be returned to the kiln for a second firing.It is important to note that before it is returned to the kiln for a second firing the bottom of the pot is placed in a pan of paraffin otherwise the glaze would adhere to the bottom and the pot would become a permanent part of the Kin shelf. (We belong to Him(our Lord) not the Fire. )
This all reminds me that in our trials we often forget we are children of God. God, like the potter looks at us and sees a beautiful work in progress. As we submit ourselves to His handiwork the image of a lump of clay diminishes and with the help of a purifying fire The Potters vision becomes a reality and a testimony of the great things that God can do with a soul who trusts in Him. So in your difficulties remember what I said when I began this piece.
When the potter looks as the clay He has a vision of what His skilled hands will create. With love and joy he shapes the clay forming it into this image he has planned for it. God is the Potter we are the Clay. God has a plan for you. He is with you in your trials and walks with you in the fire.(Daniel 3:25,John 19) He longs to use these things to form you into the image of His son Jesus Christ
Come Holy Spirit. Spirit of Fire and Love help us submit to God’s handiwork. Amen.
The Potters Vision, by Jdandrow Spirit Bytes
