A different day and a lump of clay
Keeping the Sabbath holy. That was a big deal for God back then. A day when the people would do no work. A day when they would cease trading. A day to spend time together remembering their God.
Do not bring a load out of your houses or do any work on the Sabbath, but keep the Sabbath day holy, as I commanded your ancestors. Yet they did not listen or pay attention; they were stiff-necked and would not listen or respond to discipline. Jeremiah 17:22-23
It wasn’t a lot to ask. It was about obedience. Doing what God wanted rather than what you wanted. And trust. Trusting God that He would provide if you didn’t work for a day. Trusting God that the world wouldn’t fall apart if you stopped working and rested for a bit. And taking time. Time to reflect. Time to reconnect with each other and with God.
God knows best. God knows that we need a day like the Sabbath in our lives. A day to stop. A day to rest. A day to reconnect with each other and with God.
OK, so the world has changed since the days of Jeremiah. Nothing stops. Ever. We live in a 24/7 society. You can find a shop or a gym open at any time of the day and night. People have to work. But the principle still stands. We need a day that is different. A day to slow down. To reconnect. To breathe. To ground ourselves in what is important. When we do manage that on a regular basis, our whole lives will improve. Our general wellbeing will improve. Our relationships will improve. And our relationship with God will improve. There’s always been a reason for the Sabbath. There still is. God knows best.
Have you ever tried to make a pot out of clay? The great thing about it is that if you get it wrong, you can just squish it up and start again. You can roll the clay up and restart over and over and over again until you have made the best pot you possibly can. God uses this as an example of how He is with His people –
‘Can I not do with you, Israel, as this potter does?’ declares the Lord. ‘Like clay in the hand of the potter, so are you in my hand, Israel.’ Jeremiah 18:6
It’s a great image, isn’t it? That God is moulding each one of us into something beautiful. Continuously moulding and remoulding. He is shaping us as a potter shapes a pot, shaping it as seemed best to him.
Beautiful Lord, Wonderful Saviour
I know for sure, all of my days are held in your hands, crafted
into your perfect plan
You gently call me into your presence guiding me by Your Holy Spirit
Teach me dear Lord to live all of my life through Your eyes
I’m captured by Your holy calling
Set me apart, I know you’re drawing me to yourself
Lead me Lord I pray
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 handYou gently call me into your presence guiding me by your Holy Spirit
Teach me dear Lord to live all of my life through your eyes
I’m captured by your Holy calling
set me apart, I know your drawing me to yourself
lead me Lord I prayTake 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
But once the pot is finished and dried and hardened, there is no changing it. It may have been perfect when it was first made, but now it has not been treated well or used for purpose and it is beyond repair. God tells Jeremiah to get a clay jar from a potter and take it to a public place.
Then break the jar while those who go with you are watching, and say to them, “This is what the Lord Almighty says: I will smash this nation and this city just as this potter’s jar is smashed and cannot be repaired.” Jeremiah 19:10-11
We must never think of ourselves as finished. God’s work is never done. We need to put ourselves in God’s hands to be moulded over and over and over again.
Stay soft. Be open for change. See that there is always more to be done.
I give my life to the potter’s hand.
