Reshaped By God

 

WED Evening Prayer Reflection 031721 (Jeremiah 18:1-11)

The prophet Jeremiah is sent to a potter’s house to observe his work and prepare a sermon to be delivered to the people of Israel. The prophet began to observe the potter, how easy and quick he worked with clay, which he designed and formed into a shape he wanted. If the mold was so stiff, he would rework it and remove potential foreign object from the mold. If the lump was marred in his hands, he would reshape the mold. Now if there is anything frightening in life, no comparison may compete with this. I remember a recent sermon mentioning how God is patient and slow to anger and yet at times He says: I have had it! This we can understand because, we are the ones that are impatient, easily angered and unforgiving. God is not like that, but surely, he can get tired of behaviors of disobedience.

By sending the prophet to the potter, God wanted also to invite all of us his audience to observe the potter and the prophet with the utmost care and attention, so we can learn. Look at the potter! God says. [I am paraphrasing here: “Have I not the absolute power over you more than the potter has over the clay? You are in my hands, don’t ever forget that! I may dispose of you as I see fit.”] The implications are huge! God can recreate you: 2 Cor 5: 17 “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation.” We can get the mind of Christ. Phil. 2:5-8 “Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus” or be transformed by the renewing our minds Rom 12:2 This sounds like a new beginning to me and you know? It is because in God’s hands anything is possible! God can miraculously reshape your history from this point onwards. God can re-purpose any perceived destiny trajectory. God can close up your tendency to addiction (inherited or not) Is there anything difficult for God?

So much more can be deducted from the potter’s observation: Our times are in the hands of God. No oppressor will have the last word, history has shown this to be true. Suffering may seem endless but, on the horizon, there is healing. (Thinking of Mandela’s 28 years in prison; slavery by exploitation and human trafficking all over the world, oppressive war lords and many more) All these teach us that victim or not, we ought to be wise as those who will one day give an account of everything we have ever done in life. Most times, when an individual or a nation becomes so powerful and forget to consider the fact that the one who strengthen can also destroy. It is more likely that by not following our God-given internal moral compass, it wouldn’t be surprising if things didn’t turn out well! God who installed that inner moral compass in us, is capable of either prosperity or destruction. We should keep this in mind! There are rules. Rules are made to protect us. When we think that our power exempts us from following the rules, we may force God to act like the potter acts with the clay. I think this is a frightening picture! How comfortable would it be to be reshaped and molded into something else that is useful to the creator?

Surely, our God is a God of Mercy, but also, He is a God of Justice. Parents always make sure that their children quickly learn the dangers of their environment to ensure best chances for survival. We learn from our early age to stay clear of the Fire; Snake; large body of water; Height… because there is a danger associated with those. They teach us about the consequences of our actions, and therefore holding great opportunities for learning and growth. For e.g., Consider the bushmen. They have lived in the Kalahari Desert for centuries; they understand the laws of nature and pass them onto the next generations. They can survive fires, the worst of droughts, ferocious beasts, cold night temperatures, but from time to time as in any society you may find people who rebel and find out the huge cost of disrespecting the laws of nature. We don’t walk close to crocodile infested waters. Who doesn’t know that? The trouble is when we want to prove that we can, then something major happens: Loss of life! We end up learning more.

The Old Testament stories show the principle that, a sincere conversion from sin effectively prevents punishment (We see this in the book of Judges.) This principle works also for the bushmen and also for us believers. Listen to God, not because you fear punishment, but because you love God, and live to please only God.