Even In His Hands, We Can Be Marred

Just because you are in the Potter's hands doesn't mean you will never experience pain, heartache, or disappointment. As Jeremiah observed in verse 4: “But the pot he was shaping from the clay was marred in his hands....” The New Living Translation says: “But the jar he was making did not turn out as he had hoped...”

That is an amazing statement. What Jeremiah is telling us is this: There will be times when things turn out not only difference from the way you wanted, but different from the way God wanted them as well.

Here is a truth that we sometimes forget. Not everything that happens in life is by the design of God, but if you let him, God can redesign anything that happens. The Bible makes it pretty plain that lots of things happen that aren't his will at all. For instance, the Bible says that it's not God's will that any should perish...but there are many people who have refused to accept the truth of God's Word and have rejected Jesus Christ. Jesus taught us to pray, "Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven."Why? Because in heaven His will is always done...not so on earth. In this life there are things that happen that are outside the will of God. 

Verse 4 continues: “the potter formed it into another pot...” As the ESV says... “and he reworked it into another vessel, as it seemed good to the potter to do.” Things happen in our lives that are not God's will for us; however, nothing happens that is not under the control of God. There is no situation beyond his power to redeem. If we allow him, He can take the broken parts of our lives and shape them into something marvelous.