Trusting God to Mold and Shape Us

Who of us likes or enjoys being changed.  I certainly do not like it and yet isn't all of life constantly changing. Jeremiah was a prophet during the Exile period when the kingdoms lost so much and drifted toward idolatry. He shares his message with the people and urges them to change their ways.  In verses 11-12 the people insist it is too late and refuse to consider repentance.  In our spiritual lives, the potter reshapes, and stretches us so we can become soft again, becoming more responsive to His work and open to change.  God desires our hearts become soft enough to be shaped.  However, they often grow stiff and resistant.  On a personal note, I usually resist till God persists and ultimately, I let go when my heart knows God's path is better.  It is not easy and much trust is called for.  

Have you ever been nudged to change a habit, to forgive or try something new?  If you are resisting, you are human and nothing is ever instant.  I believe God wants to shape us and form us in ways that will make us happier and bring us closer to Him, or do we really just want to remain complacent? Whatever is misshapen in us, the Lord wants to form this into something new and beautiful.  All is always done out of mercy and love. As you experience the God of love you are able to trust the hands that hold you, as you might be stretched and shaped to be a freer person who desires a peaceful life.

According to Bible Readers Companion, Jeremiah was sent to observe a potter at work in his workshop. (vv 7-10) When the vessel the potter is making is flawed; the potter squeezes the clay into a lump and begins again. In verses 1-4, God tells Jeremiah, He will work the nation like clay, constantly reforming through judgment, until Judah takes the good shape that he has in mind. (vv 5-10)   Like a human potter, God has the unquestionable right to remold the spoilt nation. We are His creation and He is guiding us each step of the way, though often we do not listen, or we tend to take our lives for granted.  We cannot assume that things will always be the way they are.  God can and will do what He chooses.  

The personal application is that when this is rightly understood, the image of the potter at work is a picture of God's grace. When we soften our hearts, He can rework us and make us better. Do you believe this is possible?  If you regularly read the Scriptures and lay your worries at the feet of the Lord in prayer, trust that God's love will carry you and hold you no matter what is going on in your life whether caretaking, your own health or any other circumstance. If you have been remiss in connecting with the Lord, today is a new day to try. We praise the Lord now with, Psalm 59:17-18, "But I shall sing of Your strength, extol Your mercy at dawn, for You are my fortress, my refuge in time of trouble.  My strength, Your praise I will sing; You, God, are my fortress, my loving God."