1 God said to Moses, "Now you'll see what I'll do to Pharaoh: With a strong hand he'll send them out free; with a strong hand he'll drive them out of his land." (Ex. 6:1)
Try as we might, we cannot resist the powerful hand of God on our life. Many have tried to escape his plans, but in the end all they do to escape is get deeper and deeper into bondage to something they didn't want or like either. Even the hardest of hearts and the one who just demands there must be a different way can be tamed and softened under his mighty hand. Moses was coming to realize that the God he served was the "El Shaddai" - the Lord Almighty - not just "one" of the run-of-the-mill gods of the land, but the mighty God of all - creator of all that exists. When we begin to come to a revelation of the one true God in our life, there is no denying his power or his ability. God never forgets his covenant with his people. His truth will endure. It will make an impact in our lives. There is a deep sense of his peace that should accompany that revelation in our lives. Even slavery is not a thing God will leave us in for long - because he is a God of deliverance - he delights in bringing freedom from bondage in our personal walk.
God yearns to make us his own special people. There is nothing selfish in this plan - because it is done solely from a heart of deep, passionate, adoring love. He doesn't redeem because we deserve it. He redeems because we NEED it! No one really wakes up one morning and dreams of being a slave - unappreciated, used for the benefit of another without consideration to how much misuse of his body, soul, or spirit occurs as a result. When God redeems, it is with his mighty acts and a great show of his power. He WILL be known as the God of Redemption to all who have eyes to see and hearts to respond. Bondage becomes an entrenching thing that robs us of our joy and our hope - the two things that go a long way toward what we label as 'strength' in our lives. A hopeless people are a helpless people. Where there is no hope, there is little chance that faith will be built because faith is built upon hope. Hope that there is something more, something better, something 'real' - something that sets us apart.
We can argue with God's plans all we want - but he only needs a yielded vessel to accomplish his purposes. Moses struggled with God's call on his life because he felt unworthy and incapable of accomplishing what God was asking him to accomplish. Truth be told, God is not looking for the most "competent" vessel for his purposes - he is looking for the most "yielded" vessel. If he was looking for the most competent, he'd have a hard time finding anyone! God knew that a "strong orator" (one who could make a good speech or win a debate hands down) would rely on his own strength and ability when facing the challenge of a wicked Pharaoh hell-bent on having his own way. Moses was in absolutely NO position to demand the release of every Israelite from the rule and reign of Pharaoh - he was a servant himself, under the bondage of an ungodly dictator. Yet God called him to do just that - demand their release and then lead them out of their bondage into a land flowing with milk and honey (the land of promise and hope and dreams).
What looked impossible in the hand of Moses was entirely possible in the hand of God - not only possible, but plausible (believable and worthy of confidence and trust) . When God gave Moses the plan to lead the people out of captivity, he did it with a specific directive - lead them out division by division. I don't want us to miss that God does things orderly - there is a "master plan" that he follows. God does not operate in a fit of chaos, but in an orderly manner. Those divisions (family clans, so to speak) were purposeful - there was a plan to God's directive. There is no greater threat to a society than chaos - when chaos exists, the plans go askew. God uses his plans to maintain order - to assist with guiding what otherwise would be a thing of absolute chaotic disarray.
Moses asks one important question - "Why will Pharaoh listen to me?" The answer is simple - a child of God carries a mighty strong message - even if we don't think the message is getting through! We should never be intimidated to bring the message God has placed in our lives - it is always backed by the mighty hand of a MIGHTY God. God blesses the obedient with his presence and power. When we learn to discount the negative influences of doubt or disbelief, we learn to listen with hearing ears and an open heart - listening as we should. No one man could lead Israel out of Egypt - BUT God could with ONE yielded vessel he would use to accomplish his purposes. Let's learn to be that "ONE" yielded vessel in his hand! It may amaze you what God will do through you to bring order out of chaos and lead many out of bondage into a place of safety and peace! Just sayin!
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Showing posts with label Yielding. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Yielding. Show all posts
Sunday, May 27, 2018
Wednesday, November 14, 2012
On the potter's wheel
Isaiah is an Old Testament prophet sent to Israel to encounter them for their "drift" into becoming "like the other nations". If you have never really read the entire message of Isaiah, you will have missed special words such as:
- Though your sins are like scarlet, they will be white as snow. If they are red as crimson, they will become like wool. (1:18 CEB)
- Then they will beat their swords into iron plows and their spears into pruning tools. Nation will not take up sword against nation; they will no longer learn how to make war. (2:4 CEB)
- Doom to those who call evil good and good evil, who present darkness as light and light as darkness, who make bitterness sweet and sweetness bitter. (5:20 CEB)
The list could go on and on, but I would like to focus us on one of the latter chapters of this great book. There we find these words:
Still, God, you are our Father. We’re the clay and you’re our potter: all of us are what you made us. Don’t be too angry with us, O God. Don’t keep a permanent account of wrongdoing. Keep in mind, please, we are your people—all of us. (Isaiah 64:8-9 MSG)
All of us are what He made us. Think on this one just a little for a moment. God is our Father. In his hands, he fashions us exactly as he envisions us to be. I want to call attention to the fact not stated here - he sees the finished product just as he planned for it to be! He is the creator of all life - it is by his hand we are formed in the womb and it is equally by his hand we are fashioned into the person we are today. Now, I know we have a free will, so some of the "fashioning" may get a little "out of whack" at times. Yet, it is this crystal clear image of us perfectly created by his hands which he sees.
The illustration used by Isaiah of the clay and the potter tell us much. Clay is a very moldable substance - it can take on many forms. But...there are some things about clay I would like us to consider this morning. Clay is first of all a type of soil. It is a very "heavy" soil - difficult to bring growth from. Why? It is compacted tightly and this makes it difficult for growth to spring forth. Now, in respect to us being clay in the hands of a potter, I wonder how "compacted" we are? How hard is it for God to bring growth from our lives? What does he have to do in order to "coax" any sign of life from within? Did you know clay soil can be the hardest to bring to a place of "tilled productivity" simply because it compacts so easily? The compacting work may come because of what passes over the soil for any length of time - with each "step" of the passage, the soil becomes more compact.
It takes much effort to bring growth from clay soil. It is only by the addition of what farmers refer to as "organic matter" that the soil is changed in structure. If you don't know what "organic matter" is, let me just remind you it usually comes out of the tail end of an animal! In other words, some pretty "foul" stuff gets added to the soil, in turn, breaking down the hardness and opening it up to the possibility of life. This might get us to consider the "organic matter" we find in our lives at times as more of a positive additive, rather than a thing we just consider to be "foul"!
Our passage makes reference to the clay in the hands of the potter - as the potter fashions it on the wheel. This process is referred to as "throwing clay bodies". Anyone who works with clay will tell you the best clay has three very important characteristics: plasticity, strength, and absorption. Plasticity refers to the flexibility of the clay. Clay with a very high plasticity can be very difficult for the potter to work with - contrary to what we might imagine. Why? There are really two reasons: 1) Highly plastic clay requires much strength from the potter - pushing "against" the plasticity of the clay; and 2) Highly plastic clay shrinks and warps during drying - making the object created no longer hold its original shape. So, the potter has to work with the clay to get the right degree of plasticity - so it will yield to his touch and so it will hold its shape in the end!
The strength of the clay is what gives it the ability to withstand the furnace. A very weak clay will simply crumble in the kiln. The hardest of clays might actually crack, yielding a vessel of no use in the end. So, the potter works with the clay in a couple of ways to get the right "strength" to the clay. There is a process called "passing the clay through the grog" which is simply the passing of the clay through a screen. If the little holes in the screen are too small, the clay will be too dry and will be very inflexible to the potter as he attempts to model it. If the clay is not passed at all through some type of mesh screen, it may contain just way too much moisture, making it impossible for the clay to hold its form. So, he passes it through the right screen in order to get just the perfect blend of moisture and in the process, he adds some of the coarseness clay needs. Like a little sand - if there is a right blend of a little coarseness, the strength produced is good. If too much - the thing crumbles. Can you see how this might apply to our lives - going through "screen after screen", little things which seem "unnecessary" to us being added into the "mix"? What we may view as unnecessary may be the very thing which adds the strength to our structure!
The last characteristic of the clay is its ability to absorb. Water is added to the clay while it is on the wheel. Since this is the case, if the clay is too "wet" to begin with, it might just become too "goopy" to handle. If the clay was to dry to begin with, the water might begin to break down the clay a little, but it takes much strength from the hand of the potter to form anything of value. I think this is why the potter puts the clay through various "tests" first. He wants the clay to be ready for the wheel. In the process, he creates the right plasticity, the proper strength, and the perfect absorbability.
Now, if we are the clay and he is the potter, does this give you a little perspective of how silly it would be for us to assume we are ready for the wheel? The wheel might produce the object he envisions, but if we are not readied for the wheel, the work of the wheel will have to be repeated and repeated. Just sayin!
- Though your sins are like scarlet, they will be white as snow. If they are red as crimson, they will become like wool. (1:18 CEB)
- Then they will beat their swords into iron plows and their spears into pruning tools. Nation will not take up sword against nation; they will no longer learn how to make war. (2:4 CEB)
- Doom to those who call evil good and good evil, who present darkness as light and light as darkness, who make bitterness sweet and sweetness bitter. (5:20 CEB)
The list could go on and on, but I would like to focus us on one of the latter chapters of this great book. There we find these words:
Still, God, you are our Father. We’re the clay and you’re our potter: all of us are what you made us. Don’t be too angry with us, O God. Don’t keep a permanent account of wrongdoing. Keep in mind, please, we are your people—all of us. (Isaiah 64:8-9 MSG)
All of us are what He made us. Think on this one just a little for a moment. God is our Father. In his hands, he fashions us exactly as he envisions us to be. I want to call attention to the fact not stated here - he sees the finished product just as he planned for it to be! He is the creator of all life - it is by his hand we are formed in the womb and it is equally by his hand we are fashioned into the person we are today. Now, I know we have a free will, so some of the "fashioning" may get a little "out of whack" at times. Yet, it is this crystal clear image of us perfectly created by his hands which he sees.
The illustration used by Isaiah of the clay and the potter tell us much. Clay is a very moldable substance - it can take on many forms. But...there are some things about clay I would like us to consider this morning. Clay is first of all a type of soil. It is a very "heavy" soil - difficult to bring growth from. Why? It is compacted tightly and this makes it difficult for growth to spring forth. Now, in respect to us being clay in the hands of a potter, I wonder how "compacted" we are? How hard is it for God to bring growth from our lives? What does he have to do in order to "coax" any sign of life from within? Did you know clay soil can be the hardest to bring to a place of "tilled productivity" simply because it compacts so easily? The compacting work may come because of what passes over the soil for any length of time - with each "step" of the passage, the soil becomes more compact.
It takes much effort to bring growth from clay soil. It is only by the addition of what farmers refer to as "organic matter" that the soil is changed in structure. If you don't know what "organic matter" is, let me just remind you it usually comes out of the tail end of an animal! In other words, some pretty "foul" stuff gets added to the soil, in turn, breaking down the hardness and opening it up to the possibility of life. This might get us to consider the "organic matter" we find in our lives at times as more of a positive additive, rather than a thing we just consider to be "foul"!
Our passage makes reference to the clay in the hands of the potter - as the potter fashions it on the wheel. This process is referred to as "throwing clay bodies". Anyone who works with clay will tell you the best clay has three very important characteristics: plasticity, strength, and absorption. Plasticity refers to the flexibility of the clay. Clay with a very high plasticity can be very difficult for the potter to work with - contrary to what we might imagine. Why? There are really two reasons: 1) Highly plastic clay requires much strength from the potter - pushing "against" the plasticity of the clay; and 2) Highly plastic clay shrinks and warps during drying - making the object created no longer hold its original shape. So, the potter has to work with the clay to get the right degree of plasticity - so it will yield to his touch and so it will hold its shape in the end!
The strength of the clay is what gives it the ability to withstand the furnace. A very weak clay will simply crumble in the kiln. The hardest of clays might actually crack, yielding a vessel of no use in the end. So, the potter works with the clay in a couple of ways to get the right "strength" to the clay. There is a process called "passing the clay through the grog" which is simply the passing of the clay through a screen. If the little holes in the screen are too small, the clay will be too dry and will be very inflexible to the potter as he attempts to model it. If the clay is not passed at all through some type of mesh screen, it may contain just way too much moisture, making it impossible for the clay to hold its form. So, he passes it through the right screen in order to get just the perfect blend of moisture and in the process, he adds some of the coarseness clay needs. Like a little sand - if there is a right blend of a little coarseness, the strength produced is good. If too much - the thing crumbles. Can you see how this might apply to our lives - going through "screen after screen", little things which seem "unnecessary" to us being added into the "mix"? What we may view as unnecessary may be the very thing which adds the strength to our structure!
The last characteristic of the clay is its ability to absorb. Water is added to the clay while it is on the wheel. Since this is the case, if the clay is too "wet" to begin with, it might just become too "goopy" to handle. If the clay was to dry to begin with, the water might begin to break down the clay a little, but it takes much strength from the hand of the potter to form anything of value. I think this is why the potter puts the clay through various "tests" first. He wants the clay to be ready for the wheel. In the process, he creates the right plasticity, the proper strength, and the perfect absorbability.
Now, if we are the clay and he is the potter, does this give you a little perspective of how silly it would be for us to assume we are ready for the wheel? The wheel might produce the object he envisions, but if we are not readied for the wheel, the work of the wheel will have to be repeated and repeated. Just sayin!
Monday, October 25, 2010
God's Dependable Love
16-17 And me? I'm singing your prowess, shouting at cockcrow your largesse,
For you've been a safe place for me, a good place to hide. Strong God, I'm watching you do it, I can always count on you—God, my dependable love.
For you've been a safe place for me, a good place to hide. Strong God, I'm watching you do it, I can always count on you—God, my dependable love.
(Psalm 59:16-17)
Understanding the background of this Psalm might help us understand these words even more clearly. David, as King of Israel, was in heated battle with the Edomites in the Valley of Salt. The Edomites were descendants of Esau, one of the sons of Jacob. Esau is probably best known as the son who sold his birthright for a pot of stew (Genesis 25). As the firstborn of Jacob, he had the full right to the inheritance of his father (a double portion). In a time of weakness, hungry and weary, he "sold out" to his twin brother.
Esau's family became a band of nomadic raiders settling in the region just south of the Dead Sea - the land that Israel would realistically pass through on their way to Canaan as they existed Egypt. Edom is recorded in Scripture as the people that would not allow the passage of Israel through their land, causing them to detour around Edom on their journey. King Saul mounted a huge attack against Edom during his reign and 40 years later, King David, along with Joab, his General of the Armies, destroys 10,000 of the military men of Edom.
This huge battle is what is celebrated in this Psalm. David cries out: I am singing of your prowess, shouting of your largesse! He is overcome with the protection of his God and the safety he has enjoyed in the battle - a battle that could have easily overrun his troops and caused huge casualties to his kingdom.
To David, God has been a safe place to hide - a good place for him to find refuge. Some might think that David is a little cowardly by these words, but in fact, these are words that describe the condition of his heart. He faced his fears in the midst of battles that seemed insurmountable by placing them in the hands of his great God. When David brings his fears to God, he stands back and watches as God repeatedly intervenes in ways that would have been impossible through natural skill or military might.
I know that we probably don't face huge armies today, wielding all kinds of weaponry, preparing to charge at us with all their military might (although some reading this might be in service to our country, facing just this type of an enemy). We DO face "armies" of forces just waiting to see our destruction. Those forces are the armies doubt, bitterness, deception, lust, pride, etc. Enemies that stand against us, filling us with fear and unbelief. To us, they seem insurmountable. To God, they are grains of sand - irritating, but totally removable!
Maybe you find yourself in the place today where you could say, "I have been trying to do this all on my own, God! I have been trying to figure a way out of this bondage, but am just not getting it!" If that is the case, you have an opportunity today to take your inabilities to God - then stand back and watch what he does with the heart that yields to his plans. Most of the battle is not in the "sin", but in the laying down of our will. When we finally lay down our will, step back and begin to watch, God begins to move.
I am praying for you today - to be able to lay down what you have been holding onto so tightly; to be able to take a step back; and to have your eyes opened to how God will move once you do. As your eyes are opened to God's graces refilling you with his peace, setting you free from your resentments, taking you to new heights in his love, I am confident you will sing out with David: I am singing of your prowess; I can always count on you, my God!
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