Have Thine own way, Lord! Have Thine own way!
Wounded and weary, help me, I pray!
Woe to him who strives with his Maker! Let the potsherd strive with the potsherds of the earth! Shall the clay say to him who forms it, ‘What are you making?’ Or shall your handiwork say, ‘He has no hands’? (Is. 45:9)
It is as foolish for the broken clay to find fault with the potter as it is for man to argue with His Creator. God made man from clay and He formed man with His hands. Man is merely a potsherd, a broken piece of pottery, weak and fragile, living with others equally so. It is absurd, to complain of the way God has made one, the place he has been assigned, or the purposes God has designed for the individual to accomplish. To say that God’s work has no hands is to arrogantly condemn the Creator, superior in every way, accusing Him to be without wisdom, power, or skill.
The potter chooses his clay based on the purpose he has in mind, the equipment he has, and the temperature he will fire it at. God chooses us based on His purposes, who and what He has placed in our life to shape and form us, His equipment, and the degree of fiery trials we are able to withstand. Clay comes with varying amounts of impurities. If it is not removed, the clay will resist the potter’s touch, leaving him 2 options. 1) start over, remove the impurities, and remold the clay or 2) if hopelessly marred, it will be thrown out. So it is with us. God uses our circumstances to bring about pain and weariness to our being, removing what is not of Him. As we learn to yield to His will, we become useful vessels for His purposes. If we do not yield to Him, we find ourselves on the slippery slope that leads to destruction. The history of nations and of mankind is replete with examples of both. Satisfied with his vessel, the potter places it in the fire to increase its durability and to permanently set its shape. Clays with a higher degree of purity require higher temperatures for firing. We, too, must go through the fire to bring us to God’s purposes—increasing our strength and permanently setting our faith in Him alone. Great faith in God makes us of great value to Him.
You may be a weak and broken potsherd. Are you allowing God to shape you with His gentle fingers, His mighty right hand of righteousness? His hands that stretched out the heavens? Won’t you agree with the hymn writer this day and ask God to, “Have Thine own way, Lord! Have Thine own way! Wounded and weary, help me, I pray!