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)

One of my young granddaughters loves to bake, even as a little girl she was always eager to help her mother especially with baking cookies and with icing little cupcakes. She has become so efficient in this area that every big family get together is now graced by a contribution from her of an array of tempting deserts. She and her mother were sharing with me just recently about visiting an upscale kitchenware store that specialised in cookware and they were amazed at the selection of baking pans and assured me there was a pan for every shape of cake imaginable. Whatever theme you had planned for a party you would be sure there would be an appropriate shaped pan for it. It was fascinating to realise by choosing the right sort of pan you could create exactly the right shaped cake of your desiring.

Our present generation is very conscious of physical shape and every magazine you pick up will have some article about improving one’s shape, either by dieting or vigorous exercise, but after thinking about that kitchen shop I started to think about what comprises our spiritual shape. Our best reference to go back to check this out, is of course, to our Heavenly Father who created us and knows only too well how he chose to shape us.

“So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.” (Genesis 1:27)

What encouraging news! If we are designed by God we are just the right shape, especially if we are made in his image. This does not mean we are like toys on an assembly line. Each one of us had been given our own personalities and our own gifts so God’s love can be displayed through them.

“…They are the shoot I have planted, the work of my hands, for the display of my splendour.” (Isaiah 60:21)

The other reassurance we have from our Heavenly Father is the beautiful image of him as a potter who carefully moulds us into the exact shape he has chosen for us.

“…Like clay in the hand of the potter, so are you in my hand, O House of Israel.” (Jeremiah 18:6)

One of the struggles many of us face in our Christian walk, is not recognising our chosen shape. We look at other’s lives and long to be shaped like them or feel our shape is somehow inferior and cannot be used to bring God glory. We fail to see the wonderful gifts God has pressed so lovingly into our very beings when he moulded us with his skillful hands. We don’t need to long to be somehow special, we already are!

The more we surrender ourselves to his love and allow the Holy Spirit to fill us, the more our spiritual shape begins to reflect the beautiful image of our Heavenly Father. We will discover exactly how our unique and distinctive shape can bring our Creator great joy and at the same time fill us with joy.

I love this song that realises the role of the Lord as the Heavenly Potter

The Potter’s Hand

Take me, mould me, use me, fill me

I give my life to the Potter’s hand

Call me, guide me, lead me, walk beside me,

I give my life to the Potter’s hand.