God Speaking

“Yet, O Lord, you are our Father. We are the clay, you are the potter; we are all the work of your hand” (Isaiah 64:8)

Recently I read a short, sad story about a daughter returning to her childhood home, to help her father pack up her mother’s possessions after her mother had died. While sorting through a cupboard of crockery she came across a large box that she had never seen before, and as she pried open the lid she could see a set of exquisite china, each piece carefully wrapped in tissue paper. As she unwrapped one of the pieces she could see the delicate pattern etched on the side and a gold rim encircling the edge and it appeared never to have been used.  Intrigued as to why she had never seen the set, she asked her father about this mystery and learnt that it had been a wedding present and her mother had been waiting for a special occasion to use it.

The story touched me and I felt sad that the beautiful china had never been allowed to bring joy to its owner or to others and it had never been able to fulfill the purpose for which it had been made.

I began to see a similarity in this story of the unopened gift, to our relationship with our Heavenly Creator. Each of us have been beautifully hand crafted and molded in to just the right pleasing shape by the Heavenly Potter. We have been designed to bring him great pleasure and just as the giver of the gift in the story chose carefully, so too we have been just as lovingly chosen.

Jesus says in John 15:16,

“You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit – fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name”

The Lord himself calls the apostle, Paul, chosen, but also specifically, “a chosen vessel”.

“…for he is a chosen vessel unto me…” Acts 9:15 (KJV)

Vessels are designed to be able to hold some sort of substance and consequently are hollow.  When Moses was given the design for the Tabernacle each detail however small was carefully relayed to him by the Lord.  Vessels were carefully chosen and dedicated to be used in glorifying the Lord God in worship.  What a beautiful picture this provides for us when we realize we are chosen vessels; chosen to bring glory to the Lord; lovingly handcrafted by our Father, the Potter; with a hollow space just waiting to be filled by his Holy Spirit.

When we can grasp this that each one of us is unique, but each has that special place in our hearts to be filled, we certainly do not want to hide in the cupboard, wrapped up in protective tissue, never venturing out into the world, never experiencing the joy of being filled to capacity, never using all the gifts God has poured into our hearts.  Unlike the precious china in my story, we have a choice.  We can ask to be filled by the Holy Spirit.  When we ask to be used to bring glory to the One who created us we will no longer have empty, hollow lives, but will be filled and overflowing with joy that we are part of his treasure trove of chosen vessels.

Related articles

• Four Vessels for Revival (the1stfollower.com)
• Are You Filled ~ or Empty? (rhondaburke.com)
• Are you a broken vessel? (thelivingmessage.wordpress.com)
• The Name of God: The Name Above Every Name (Part 9) (getrealchristianity.wordpress.com)
• Who Am I? (http://sheepfeeder.wordpress.com/2011/11/01/who-am-i/)