WE ARE NOTHING BUT PUTTY IN THE LORD’S HAND
By: Dr. Mike Jones
When people think of Putty, they think of something that can be pounded, squashed, reshaped … and that’s a good thing! Because we want the Lord to mold and shape us into the image of his dear Son [Jesus]
A Lesson from the Potter’s House
Jeremiah Chapter 18, the Lord told Jeremiah to go down to the potter’s house, “and there I will give you My message” (18:2, NIV). When he arrived, Jeremiah saw the potter working with a lump of clay on his wheel. “But the pot he was shaping from the clay was marred in his hands; so the potter formed it into another pot, shaping it as seemed best to him.”
Based on the work of the potter, 2 things emerge: First is the fact what the potter was working on was MARRED … meaning something that was damaged or disfigured … that’s really US, based on the fall of man – our sin nature! But there is no better place for our flaws to be repaired, than in the hands of the Potter (who is a portrait of God) who can fix us. Second, the Potter doesn’t throw away the MARRED clay; He keeps working on us, patiently reshaping us into the vessel He desires.
There is, however, one cautionary note. Our cooperation with the reshaping process makes all the difference. A pliable response allows the Potter to use us. But a stubborn response on our part is a deal killer. We must remain pliable in His hands.
The Danger of Hardness
This passage from Jeremiah challenges us individually; but its application is corporate and national as well. We see in verses 5 through 12 that if a nation God has targeted for destruction repents and softens itself, the Lord will relent from His plans to uproot it. By the same token, if a nation marked for blessing and establishment hardens itself against the Lord, that response will prompt Him to change His mind about blessing it. These are sobering words for nations—and for us as well. The far better of the two choices is to be “putty in His hands.”
The Lord warns Jeremiah in advance, however, about the unfortunate response he can expect to receive from the people hearing God’s message. “But they will reply, ‘It’s no use. We will continue with our own plans; each of us will follow the stubbornness of his evil heart.’” For some unknown reason, they would be unable to get rid of their stubbornness, refusing to tenderize their hearts toward the Lord and His purposes. [This day: Let US not be counted amongst this group. If YOU hear His voice, harden not your heart.]
(Adapted from my Teaching Being Molded in the Hands of the Potter; all Scripture references are taken from the KJV unless otherwise noted.)