The Potter and Play-Doh

Isaiah 45:9  “Woe unto him that striveth with his Maker! Let the potsherd strive with the potsherds of the earth. Shall the clay say to him that fashioneth it, What makest thou? or thy work, He hath no hands?”

In my office I have a small collection of arrowheads, Confederate money, and some pottery. In particular, the pottery from the Southwest U.S. dates back hundreds, maybe thousands of years. The ancient pottery is intriguing because it points to a creator. I do not know the skilled potter who initially made the vessel, but his artwork (a small piece of it, anyway) now sits in my office! Who knew he would be an “artist” many years later!

In the Bible, we are told that God is the Potter-He is the shaper and the One who has a purpose for us. Here in Isaiah 45, we see that even the great and powerful Cyrus was a tool in God’s hand to accomplish His own will and purpose. This same God controls and makes the rain (verse 8)-no one else can do that! God is the Master Potter.

I don’t know how you feel about it, but I do not particularly like Play-Doh. In fact, I really do not like it at all. It gets matted into the carpet and messes up our floors; but my son Weston loves the stuff. Sometimes Weston will bring an oddly shaped clump of Play-Doh to me and say, “Look, Daddy!” On the other hand, I have a replica of a famous American masterpiece in my office. Bronco Buster is a famous image by the artist C.M. Russell. The sculpture of a cowboy riding a bucking bronco is cast in bronze, and although it is a “copy of a copy,” mine is somewhat valuable. The difference in worth between a cold clump of Play-Doh and the American masterpiece Bronco Buster is the artist.

Who are you letting shape your life? Do you resent and resist God’s shaping, or are you pliable, flexible, and ready for His hand? A master artist’s work is valuable-because of the artist. You are valuable and important to God, and He has not forgotten you. When you are reluctant to let God shape your life, you turn down the Master Potter.