We have all been created by God for a purpose. That purpose was created by God long before we were even born and it has always been God’s intention and desire that we fulfill that purpose (Ephesians 2:10). When He created us, God molded us into the vessel that was capable of fulfilling that purpose, much as a potter molds clay into a vessel that serves a particular purpose.
God is the Potter, and we are the clay, the workmanship of His hands (Isaiah 64:8). But God has also created us with free will. We have the ability to choose whether or not to walk with Him and follow the path He has set for us. So, what happens if we mess up? What happens when the mistakes that we make damage the vessel created by God to fulfill its God-given purpose?
The answer to these questions can be found in Jeremiah 18:4. This verse speaks of the ability of a potter to take a clay vessel that has been marred, one that can’t serve the purpose for which it was intended, and mold it into something completely new. That reshaped vessel is then able to serve the purpose that pleases the potter. When we stumble and leave the path that God has created for us to follow, when we are not able to fulfill our purpose, God can mold us into something new.
Look at David. David was called by God to be the king of Israel. He was the vessel created for that purpose. But David stumbled when he chose to sleep with Bathsheba. When Bathsheba became pregnant, David tried to cover up his sin by getting her husband, Uriah, to sleep with her. When that didn’t work, David arranged a way for Uriah to be killed in battle. David, who was God’s vessel, displeased God (2 Samuel 11). David repented and, although he had strayed from the path set before him by God, God still used him for a greater purpose. It was through the line of David that Jesus, the Messiah, would be born.
When we stumble and leave that path that God has set for us, we may feel that we are no longer able to serve the purpose that God created us for. But, God’s ways are higher than our ways and His thoughts are higher than ours (Isaiah 55:9). When we surrender our lives to Him, when we yield to the Potter’s hand, He can take us and mold us so that we are once again able to fulfill our purpose.
A Worshiper's Journal 