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Many are willing to be used by God however; few are willing to be prepared for use.
Earlier we discussed the first step in the process of making vessels of clay: obtaining the clay. The potter of Jeremiah’s (Jeremiah 18:1-6) day went down into a miry pit looking for the clay he needed to make the vessel he envisioned. God did the same thing when He sent Jesus down into the pit of this world. Now we can say, as did the Psalmist David:
Psalms 40:2 He also brought me up out of a horrible pit, Out of the miry clay, And set my feet upon a rock, And established my steps.
When Jesus touched you, He knew what was in you, both the good and the bad, and He chose you anyway. Why? Because God sees your potential and knows that if all goes according to His plan, He will make you into a vessel of use for His purposes. He is the only one who sees and believes in your real potential.
Now that the clay has been selected in its raw form, the potter is ready for step two: Preparing the Clay
Isaiah 41:25 I have raised up one from the north, And he shall come; From the rising of the sun he shall call on My name; And he shall come against princes as though mortar, As the potter treads clay.
The clay must first be washed to remove the exterior dirt, mire and surface impurities. This initial washing will not be the last time the clay will see the potter use water to aid the process. Of course we understand the natural water of the potter to be a representation of spiritual water which is the Word of God.
Ephesians 5:26 That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word.
Water was used not only to begin the cleansing process but also to soften the clay and keep it workable. Now begins the treading process.
Nahum 3:14 Draw your water for the siege! Fortify your strongholds! Go into the clay and tread the mortar! Make strong the brick kiln!
The potter, and/or others assigned the duty by him, would begin to tread upon the clay, stomp it, and jump up and down on it. He does this to get the pockets of air out of the clay, mix it good within itself to bring about a balance in the consistency of the clay, and to help identify for removal any foreign objects dangerous to the process.
The treading can serve to dry the clay and so more water is applied throughout this process to keep the clay pliable and workable to the potter’s need. At the right time, known through the touch of the potter, he begins to knead the clay with his hands, first beating it and slapping it, applying more water, then folding it over and over, even lifting it high and slamming it back down on the table or floor. This pounding can seem intense however, the potter knows what he is doing.
This step in the process is much like a baker who kneads dough by pounding it, stretching it, rolling it, and even beating it with his fists, all in order to make the dough ready to become that finished product, fresh baked bread. Without the kneading process the ingredients would never be mixed with the clay to make the consistency necessary to be what the baker intended. Too much yeast in one part or not enough in another would create over rising in one and flatness in another. Surely you can make the comparison.
All along the way water is necessary to be added. However, not without measure. Not enough water and the clay will dry out, begin hardening in the wrong state, and become completely unworkable. Too much water and the clay will become sloppy and too fluid to mold.
So it is with every believer and the church as a whole. The church is to be a temple of the Lord’s presence built by each one of us as though we were stones, bricks, laid in order by God, not soup, each one floating in the broth of Jesus, seasoned with the Holy Spirit, added together without form, structure or purpose.
Remember, the potter knows what he is doing and has a vision for each lump of clay. He has the image of the finished product already in his mind before He ever begins this process.
If in the treading process the clay cannot measure up to the potter’s expectancies, or retains impurities which rob the clay of its potential for use, there are only three options. One is for the potter to continue treading and purifying the clay if there is time before the vessel is needed; Two is for the potter to discard the clay as unworkable; or Three would be for the potter to decide to make a cheap, weak, vessel of dishonor, intended only for short use, from the inferior clay.
When more treading, more kneading, more water won’t make the clay ready to be shaped on the wheel, the options are limited.
All during the preparation process the potter is gauging the purity and consistency of the clay. It is the goal of the potter to prepare the clay mixture so that it is ready to be placed on the potter’s wheel for shaping. Perhaps this time of preparation is the most important step in the process of clay becoming the beautiful and useful vessel the potter envisioned when he first went down into the pit.
Conclusion:
We must all be prepared for use and submit ourselves to the cleansing and kneading processes of God.
Hebrews 12:11 Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby.
Next time we will talk about the importance of being centered on the wheel. You will not want to miss this one.
