When clay talks back ∙∙

When clay talks back ∙∙

What sorrow awaits those who argue with their Creator. Does a clay pot argue with its maker? Does the clay dispute with the one who shapes it, saying, ‘Stop, you’re doing it wrong!’ Does the pot exclaim, ‘How clumsy can you be?’ – Isaiah 45:9

How foolish can you be? He is the Potter, and he is certainly greater than you, the clay! Should the created thing say of the one who made it, “He didn’t make me”? Does a jar ever say, “The potter who made me is stupid?” – Isaiah 29:16

Romans 9:20-21

 20 No, don’t say that. Who are you, a mere human being, to argue with God? Should the thing that was created say to the one who created it, “Why have you made me like this?”

 21 When a potter makes jars out of clay, doesn’t he have a right to use the same lump of clay to make one jar for decoration and another to throw garbage into?

The following illustration is a slightly altered excerpt from “The Hammer, the File, and the Furnace” by Samuel Rutherford.

In the midst of severe trials and heartaches, Rutherford proclaimed: “Praise God for the hammer, the file, and the furnace!”

Consider this. The hammer is a practical and essential tool, especially when nails need to be driven into place. With each strike, the hammer drives the nail deeper as the hammer’s head pounds and pounds.

However, if the nail had feelings and intellect, it would give us another side of the story. To the nail, the hammer is a brutal, relentless adversary. The hammer is an enemy intent on beating it into submission through relentless pounding. This perspective is understandable but overlooks a crucial point: both the hammer and the nail are controlled by the same craftsman. It is the craftsman who decides which nail to strike and which hammer will do the job.

This decision is the sovereign right of the carpenter. When the nail remembers that it and the hammer are in the hands of the same craftsman, its resentment fades, and it submits to the carpenter without complaint.

Heartaches and disappointments are much like the hammer. They come in various forms: unmet expectations, lingering illness, unexpected loss, unachieved dreams, broken friendships, rebellious children, stubborn habits, or fractured relationships. These heartaches may come suddenly or gradually, but they are inevitable.

Undoubtedly, if nails could feel, they wouldn’t “enjoy” being struck by the hammer. But does it make sense for a nail to resent the hammer’s blows?

The same is true of the children of the King. The Father has the right to decide whose head will be hammered next, how hard, and for how long. For all practical purposes, although we are but nails, we are His nails.

As difficult as it may be to believe at times, the Master knows what He’s doing. He is working out a plan created in and for eternity. The Father knows our breaking point. The hammer blows are designed to reshape us, not ruin us. Our value to Him increases the longer He lingers over us (Rutherford).

REFLECT & PRAY

Common clay is simply part of the dry ground, the dirt, that the Father separated from the waters at the dawn of creation.

Father, it is so very human and natural to wrestle with this. Encourage and help me to remember that I was made from the dust of the earth. Help me not to forget that You are fashioning me into what You desire and that one day, I will finally become what You intended all along.

INSIGHT

Do we forget who is the clay and Who is the Potter? Does a clay pot argue with its maker? Does the clay dispute with the one who shapes it, saying, “Stop, you’re doing it wrong!” (Isaiah 45:9)?

Do we genuinely believe that the Father lacks intelligence or wisdom? Is there any reason to think His planning is flawed, unfair, or insufficient? Does He need more power or ability to accomplish His goals? Absolutely not; such thoughts are absurd!

Finding peace of mind and understanding in this matter can be extremely challenging. However, any child of the King is capable of achieving it, though it often involves significant inner conflict and struggle. Despite our wish for things to be different, the Father is the Potter, and we are merely the clay designed to be shaped into whatever He wants. Thus, the solution is simple yet complicated.

Each child of the King must recognize that the Potter is indeed the Potter. The final decision in the shaping process belongs to Him, not to us.

If we momentarily indulge in wishful thinking and imagine ourselves as the potter, we might think we could take control. Yet, until such a time comes, it is wise to remember that pliable clay bends while hard, brittle clay breaks.

One more thing: clay, by its very essence, is inactive, passive, and lifeless. It doesn’t engage in mud fights with other clay, nor does it get rambunctious or toss itself around. It doesn’t cause rockslides or muddy, clear, sparkling water for amusement or spite. Essentially, clay just lays around. It is utterly torpid.

However, when placed in the hands of a potter, it becomes something else. It is fashioned, molded, and shaped into something new. It acquires a new form, meaning, purpose, and value.

The potter is the one who crafts and determines what kind of vessel the clay will become. Some pots turn out to be very beautiful and ornate, while others, not so much. The New Living Translation is notably straightforward, even stringent, in its interpretation.

Romans 9:21 When a potter makes jars out of clay, doesn’t he have a right to use the same lump of clay to make one jar for decoration and another to throw garbage into?

Children of the King can find peace when they embrace the fact that the Father is shaping them into the vessel He desires. Although the process is challenging and, at times, painful, it ultimately leads us to fulfill our true purpose. We become what we were born to be and do.

With thoughtful reflection, common sense, and wisdom, we can realize that the Father, as the Sovereign Lord, is orchestrating everything according to His grand design. He is the Lord God Almighty, and we are merely dust from the earth. Yet, we are His dust.

Praise the LORD! For the Lord God omnipotent reigns (Revelation 19:6).

¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 4-10-1

© Dr. H 2024