Mold me and make me after Thy will,
While I am waiting, yielded and still.
“O house of Israel, can I not do with you as this potter?” says the LORD. “Look, as the clay is in the potter’s hand, so are you in My hand, O house of Israel! (Jer. 18:6)
God reveals His purpose in sending Jeremiah to the potter’s house—He has power over His creation. As the clay is in the hands of the potter, so is the house of Israel—and all mankind—in the hands of God. While molding the clay on his wheel, the potter’s hands gently apply pressure from inside and outside of the vessel, his eyes focused on the clay. God, too, is applying pressure on men and nations, His eyes wisely fixed on His creation. The potter has a vision for the vessel he is creating and he chooses the clay that is best fitted for it. A low-fire, easily chipped earthenware terracotta clay for a flowerpot, a high-fire, chip-resistant porcelain clay for fine china. God has a vision for each person He creates. He gives each individual a unique heritage and circumstances, perfectly fitting them for His purposes. He skillfully and wisely provides just the right amount of firing, trials and disappointments for each person.
Before placing the clay on his wheel, the potter had to prepare it with his hands, kneading and crushing it, making it pliable, removing air bubbles and hard spots. He knows that if he fails to take the time to do this, his vessel will crack or break when placed in the fiery furnace. He then patiently centers the clay on his wheel. So it is with us. When we are not pliable in the Lord’s Hands and centered on Him, our lives do not conform to His purposes. It takes years of patient handling by the Lord before we are ready for His Wheel. When He is centering us, we think we are close enough. We are not. When not centered, we cannot know all that God has for us. Like the clay, we will break when the fire comes. While forming the clay, the potter continuously immerses his hands in water so the clay will remain soft and pliable. In Scripture, water represents troublesome times and the Word of God. When He is shaping us, we encounter much pain, internally and externally. We endure by the washing of the water of His Word.
Are you allowing the Lord to have His way with you as you go about your daily life? Are you wanting Him to hurry the process along, not willing to give Him time to crush and remove the pride and other hard spots in your life? Won’t you pray to the Lord that He would “Mold me and make me after Thy will, while I am waiting, yielded and still.”