“The Lord is nigh unto them that are
of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit.”--Psalm 34:18 (KJV)
“Can we be
done now?”
“I’ve had enough.”
“I can’t
take any more.”
“I’m overwhelmed” can be communicated in
numerous ways. All of them have the same meaning: “I feel buried in trouble. My
circumstances are more than I can handle. I don’t see how I can move on.”
Imagine
Jonah’s confusion if he had been expected to live permanently in Ninevah, not to just preach there temporarily. That
would have been totally overpowering! The prophet could have succeeded, though, with
the Lord’s help.
The message
of this article is that individuals become stronger and more beautiful when they
let the Lord take over. We’ll look at examples of trust and patience during the
process of purification.
This famous
story is about the process of making beautiful china. The potter subjects his
clay to dizziness, suffocating heat, and bad smells. The craftsman denies frequent
requests to stop by saying, “Not yet.” When the painful journey is over, the
cup sees that it’s no longer unshaped red clay. It has become a breathtaking addition
to any dinner table.
Touch of the Master’s Hand
This song by
Wayne Watson is based on the book by Myra Brooks Welch. It takes place at an auction.
The auctioneer is trying to sale an old, battered violin. The bidding starts
low, and few people are interested in the product.
That all
changes as an unassuming stranger walks up from the back of the room. He plays
the underrated instrument. The master’s beautiful music drives up the bids
exponentially.
Parable of the Potter (Jeremiah 18: 2-6 [KJV])
Arise, and go
down to the potter's house, and there I will cause thee to hear my words.
Then I went
down to the potter's house, and, behold, he wrought a work on the wheels.
And the
vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter: so he made it
again another vessel, as seemed good to the potter to make it.
Then the word
of the Lord came to me, saying,
O house of
Israel, cannot I do with you as this potter? saith the Lord. Behold, as the
clay is in the potter's hand, so are ye in mine hand, O house of Israel.
My Conclusion
Imagine yourself as a living house. God comes
in to rebuild that house. At first, perhaps, you can understand what He is
doing. He is getting the drains right and stopping the leaks in the roof and so
on; you knew that those jobs needed doing and so you are not surprised. But
presently He starts knocking the house about in a way that hurts abominably and
does not seem to make any sense. What on earth is He up to? The explanation is
that He is building quite a different house from the one you thought of -
throwing out a new wing here, putting on an extra floor there, running up
towers, making courtyards. You thought you were being made into a decent little
cottage: but He is building a palace. He intends to come and live in it Himself.―
C.S. Lewis (author of The Chronicles of
Narnia series), Mere Christianity
Related Posts
Are you allowing the master craftsman
to create a work of art?
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