28 July 2022
The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord: ‘Come, go down to the potter’s house, and there I will let you hear my words.’ So I went down to the potter’s house, and there he was working at his wheel. The vessel he was making of clay was spoiled in the potter’s hand, and he reworked it into another vessel, as seemed good to him.
From Jeremiah 18:1-6, NRSV
The prophet Jeremiah was led by the Lord to the house of a potter. Here he observed the potter at work and noticed that when a pot became spoiled as he worked on it, he was able to work it into something new rather than discard it as useless. Jeremiah was led to the understanding that this image could stand as a metaphor for the people of Israel. If only they would turn back to God, they could avoid the disaster that would befall them. In God’s hands, they still had the chance to become something new.
- Why do you think God used the image of the potter at work to explain what he wanted for Israel?
- Does God offer us the same opportunity to be made into something new?
Pray today for those who feel “broken” or overwhelmed by the events of their lives – and for their openness to being reformed.
