Our Daily Bread 26th March 2025 | ODB TODAY
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Read Our Daily Bread For 26 March 2025 ODB: Shaped by God — Jennifer Benson Schuldt
READ: Jeremiah 18:1-10
Like clay in the hand of the potter, so are you in my hand. Jeremiah 18:6
MESSAGE
Dan Les, a lifelong potter, creates decorative vessels and sculptures. His award-winning designs are inspired by the town in Romania where he lives. Having learned the craft from his father, he made this comment about his work: “[Clay needs to] ferment for a year, to have rain fall on it, to freeze and thaw out [so that] . . . you can shape it and feel through your hands that it is listening to you.”
What happens when clay “listens”? It’s willing to yield to the artisan’s touch. The prophet Jeremiah observed this when he visited a potter’s house. He watched as the craftsman struggled with a vessel and finally reshaped it into something new (Jeremiah 18:4). God said to Jeremiah, “Like clay in the hand of the potter, so are you in my hand” (v. 6).
God can build us up or bring us down, yet His ultimate purpose isn’t to overpower or destroy us (vv. 7-10). Rather, He’s like a skilled craftsman who can identify what isn’t working and reshape the same lump of clay into something beautiful and useful.
Listening Clay doesn’t have much to say about this. When prodded, it moves in the desired direction. When moulded, it stays in place. The question for us is this: are we willing to “humble [ourselves] under God’s mighty hand” (1 Peter 5:6) so He can shape our lives into what He wants them to be?
How are you listening to God today? What do you think His purpose is for refining you through your life’s experiences?
Dear God, please help me to trust You. I want to submit my life to You.
