He Is The Potter We Are The Clay / Mrs Peggy Adamson

Mrs Peggy Adamson

Pastor's Wife

Northview Baptist Church

Brookhaven, MS

HE IS THE POTTER AND WE ARE THE CLAY

     During the past two years, God has allowed many trials in my husband's and my life, through many health issues.  Recently, He has allowed my husband to have prostate cancer.  My first thought was,  no, Lord, not again.  Two years ago, I went into kidney failure, then exploratory back surgery to discover what the mass was by my spine in my upper back. Then had a pick line for six months total because of a bad infection in my back, the mass.  God has been good through all this, brought my kidneys to function normally and infection has been gone now for a little over a year.  Now cancer?   God, what are you trying to tell me or teach me?  Then Jeremiah 18:1-6 came across my Bible reading one day.  It talks about the potter and the clay.   Verses 4-6 say, "And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter: so he made it again another vessel, as seemed good to the potter to make it.  Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying,  O house of Israel, cannot I do with you as this potter? saith the Lord. Behold, as the clay is in the potter's hand, so are ye in mine hand, O house of Israel."  I believe God is also teaching us a lesson in this.  He allows things in our lives to mold us into what He wants us to be.  1 Peter 1:7 says, "That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ."  

   Ok, Lord, I thought, you are still trying to mold me into what YOU want me to be.  This trial He has allowed to come our way is there to mold us into what He wants us to be.  As Peter said, when we are tried with fire, we want to bring praise and honour and glory to God.  He is worthy of our praise!!!

We won't always understand why God allows the trials in our lives, but we can keep our eyes on Him, trusting Him, and allowing them to bring glory and honour to Him. A favorite song of mine that I've been singing a lot of lately is, "He didn't throw the clay away."   May I share some of the words with you.  "Over and over, He molds me and makes me, into His likeness, He fashions the clay.  A vessel of honor, I am today, all because Jesus didn't throw the clay away."  I am so thankful He doesn't give up on us, but gives us these trials to help mold us so we can bring glory and honor to Him. 

   I read a story recently of a couple who went into an antique shop to buy a teacup.  The wife picked out one that she thought was very beautiful and unusual.  As she picked the cup up, it spoke to her.  "You don't understand," it said.  "I haven't always been a teacup.  There was a time when I was red and just a pile of clay.  My master took me and rolled me and patted me over and over. I yelled out for him to let me alone, but he told me not yet.  Then he placed me on a spinning wheel where it went round and round. I got dizzy and yelled for him to stop, but he only nodded and told me not yet.  Then he put me in an oven where it was so very hot.  I  thought I would burn up, and yelled and pleaded with him to get me out.  He only said, not yet.  Finally he opened the door and put me on a shelf, where I began to cool.  He brushed and painted me all over. Then back into the oven I went.  Only this time it was twice as hot as the first time.  I knew I was gonna suffocate.  I begged and pleaded with him to take me out, but he only said, not yet.  Then I knew there was no hope.  Just when I thought there was no hope, the door opened and he took me out and put me on a shelf.    An hour later he handed me a mirror and told me to look at myself.  I saw how changed I was.  I was no longer that lump of clay but a beautiful, exquisite tea cup.  He reminded me of all that I had gone through to make me into this new vessel."  Friend, God knows what we each need in our lives to make us usable for Him and to bring glory and honor to Him.  Will you be that vessel that allows God to mold you into what He wants you to be?  I pray through this new trial of my husband's cancer that we allow Him to continue to mold us into what He wants us to be so He can use us  in the way that He wants to use us.