"Then I went down to the potter's house, and there he was, making something on the wheel." Jeremiah 18:3 (NASB)
Jeremiah stood outside the potter's house and he watched. The potter sat at the wheel creating something. Unhappy with what was on the wheel, the potter takes the spoiled object and makes it into another vessel - a different vessel - one that pleased the potter.
God uses the imagery as a tool in conveying to Jeremiah that He too will take what is spoiled and make it into something pleasing to Himself.
While this is a powerful message of hope and transformation, I find myself staring at the word "something".
"..and there he was, making something on the wheel."
Something.
Jeremiah makes no mention of what is being made - a cup? A plate? A jar? Can Jeremiah even determine what it is?
God asked him to go down to the potter's house. Jeremiah did, and he watched.
And waited.
Jeremiah watched from the sidelines as the clay was poked, prodded, molded, spun and watered. He was asked only to watch. Jeremiah wasn't the one creating the pottery piece, he was there to watch it happen.
Do you find yourself on the sidelines watching someone you love be molded?
Are you standing outside of the potter's wheel while they are being transformed?
You find yourself only being able to watch. And it is hard.
Yours is a broken heart, a tired heart, a helpless heart begging for something beautiful to come from the clay yet unable to do anything about it. You can merely watch.
You aren't the potter.
Take encouragement my friends.
Jeremiah wasn't given the reason why he was there until after he watched the clay be transformed. The purpose of his sideline was given after the Something was made into Something Else and the Potter was pleased.
The sideline may seem overwhelming.
The sideline may be the hardest place to stand.
Yet, the sideline is also the front row to watching Something being made that pleases the Potter.
It is a hard earned blessing that comes with many cuts, scratches and bruises.
And just like Jeremiah, after standing outside the potter's wheel, after the completion of Something, vs 5 tells us, " Then the word of the Lord came to me..."
God spoke.
He spoke to Jeremiah and He will speak to you.
The sideline is tough.
It is also the place where He meets you.
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The word which came to Jeremiah from the Lord saying, 2 “Arise and go down to the potter’s house, and there I will announce My words to you.” 3 Then I went down to the potter’s house, and there he was, making something on the wheel. 4 But the vessel that he was making of clay was spoiled in the hand of the potter; so he remade it into another vessel, as it pleased the potter to make. Jeremiah 18:1-4, NASB
