respond

“But now, O Lord, you are our Father; we are the clay, and you are our potter; we are all the work of your hand.”

Isaiah 64:8 ESV

Like a teapot, we are vessels, formed for our Father’s use.

We see the potter and the clay referenced in many books of the Bible — Romans, Jeremiah, Isaiah — all spoken within different contexts, yet pointing back to the One who created us.

We are molded — and remolded — by our Father in Heaven for a purpose. It all started when He reached down in the mud and formed us from the lump in His hand — looking at who we were & calling us beloved.

Think about the process of forming a teapot. The potter must go back to the same piece over time, forming and reforming, before it is ready to be used as a vessel. Even when the piece has been turned into the desired shape, it must be sent to the kiln for an increase in strength.

Each season we walk through, something is added or adjusted to help us form into the people God has called us to be — the vessels He knows we can be.

The process may be uncomfortable, painful even, as we experience pieces of our original form shedding and the heat of the kiln clarifying others.

But remember — the Lord is mindful when creating a masterpiece.

With kindness + love,
Madison Leigh

additional reading:

Ephesians 2:10 / Jeremiah 18:2-6 / Psalm 119:73 / Romans 9:20-24

reflect:

 Beloved, are you responding to the hands of your Father?

centering prayer:

Father God, we thank you for forming us with the purpose of advancing your Kingdom. May we respond to your hands as you form, and reform us, to be vessels for honorable use. amen.