Morning Devotional

September  20, 2005
"The Potter's Shop" (Part 3)     
    by Don Emmitte

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The LORD gave another message to Jeremiah. He said, "Go down to the shop where clay pots and jars are made. I will speak to you while you are there." So I did as he told me and found the potter working at his wheel. But the jar he was making did not turn out as he had hoped, so the potter squashed the jar into a lump of clay and started again. Then the LORD gave me this message: "O Israel, can I not do to you as this potter has done to his clay? As the clay is in the potter's hand, so are you in my hand. (Jeremiah 18:1-6 NLT).

In Bible times, potter’s wheels were made of wood. There were two wheels joined by a shaft, so that the upper wheel was at hand level. The foot moved the lower disc and the connecting axle caused the upper wheel to revolve. Before using the wheel, a potter must knead his clay to rid it of impurities and air. He “wedges” it—slicing it in half and slamming the halves back together to force out air bubbles. When he feels the clay is ready, the potter places a container of water at his workbench (to keep his fingers wet) and turns to his wheel. The potter next throws the ball of clay down on the upper wheel. Then he sets the wheel in motion and surrounds the clay with his hands, forcing it true to the center of the wheel head. Now the potter must “master” the clay, making it responsive to his touch. He applies pressure at the base of the clay ball, causing it to rise up in a sort of rounded cone. Then he pressed on top of the clay with his thumbs or the palms of his hands. Repeating this three or four times increases the flexibility of the clay and increases its strength.

At this point the potter “opens up” the clay ball by pressing his thumbs into the center, gradually hollowing it out. Applying pressure with his fingers, he evens out the thickness of the cylinder walls. Finally he shapes the clay into a vase, a pitcher, or whatever he chooses. As the terms force, master, and throw imply, clay is not always easy to work with. Often a partially formed object will disintegrate into a shapeless heap of clay—perhaps because a tiny stone was overlooked when the clay was worked. The potter must begin to knead the clay again. Sometimes God starts over with our life. Just as the potter squashed the jar he was working with and started again, God, too, will sometimes begin a whole new work in our life. Ultimately God is working towards an end goal.

Over six years ago God broke every idea I had about how I was going to spend the rest of my life. I never dreamed my career would change from the pastorate to the business world. However, God had squashed old dreams of mine in order to create a new work in my life. It has not been without difficulty and challenge. In fact, there are days when I am forced to admit that I can only take the one more step that he has given me. I simply don’t have the strength to even think about the second step in the process. It is at these times that I understand the word “squashed” very well indeed! God may squash your mold too. God may have extreme changes in mind for your life. You may be in the midst of that process now. Don’t be afraid of change if God is on the potter’s wheel. You are in good hands!