There are many things that impact our lives and that shape us into who we are as unique individuals. We are shaped by the kinds of things, good or bad, that happen to us, by the decisions we make, by the company we keep, by the popular culture of today through mass media, by so many things. All these factors make us who we are.

But where does God come into the picture? Is he just one of the many influences in our life? The world thinks that life is a pot of clay, and it depends mostly on man as to what becomes of it. That is also what the nation of Israel thought just before they were sent into exile. Israel thought that they could determine their own destiny.

At the time that Jeremiah gives this prophecy, the powerful nations of Egypt and Assyria were fighting it out for suprem­acy. The Northern kingdom had already been driven into exile and only the Southern kingdom, Judah, was left. Judah was an insignificant nation and a mere pawn in the battle of the great nations. God’s people were at the mercy of whoever would turn out to be the most dominant power.

The great dilemma for Judah was trying to pick the winner. They wanted to be in control of their own future. And so, they played their games of diplomacy and did what they could to stay on the winning side. In so doing, they became like the other nations, thinking that they could do without God.

It is for that reason that God sent a prophet like Jeremiah to warn them of the disastrous consequences of such willful and disobedient actions. But his message fell on deaf ears. And so, the Lord has Jeremiah try a new approach. He sends Jeremiah to the pottery shop where he will give him a clear and unambiguous message to pass on.

When Jeremiah sees the potter at work, he notices that the potter is having difficulty with the clay. It did not cooperate. We are not told what the problem was. It may be that the clay was either too thick, too thin, or not kneaded enough by his assist­ant. Whatever the case, the potter could not make the kind of vessel out of it as he would like. And so, he made something else, something not as intricate, but nevertheless quite useful and marketable.

As Jeremiah sees what the potter does, he realizes why the Lord God had sent him there. God is the potter; Israel is the clay. That is the message! And if the pot is spoiled, it is not the fault of the potter, but the fault of the clay. For the clay resists the hand of the potter.

That is what Israel was like, and that is what we are like as well. By nature we too want to be in control of our own destiny and have God in the picture only when we think we need him.

As we go through life many dreadful things will happen which can make us afraid and cause us to look first for earthly remedies while putting God on the back burner. But God always wants us to turn to him first. Whatever calamities and disasters we may face, the answer is always found with God. He wants us to trust him and to turn to him for help. For no matter what, our lives are in God’s loving hands, and only he can shape us into the perfect creatures he wants us to be.

For Further Study⤒🔗

1. What are the kinds of worldly things that influence you the most?
2. Where does God come into the picture?
3. In what way does God work like a potter?
4. How does he shape us into perfect creatures?