God’s Heart for You

by Annie Yorty

In Jeremiah 18:2-11, God compares Himself to a potter. In this short passage, we learn much about God’s heart for you.

For just a minute, indulge your imagination. Pretend you’re a wet lump of clay thrown on a pottery wheel, and God is the potter. How does His hand feel upon you? Is it squeezing hard and unrelenting on your life, forcing you to conform? Do you perceive anger, judgment, and condemnation?

Or is God’s hand gentle, encouraging graceful curves and fluted edges in you? Do you perceive His desire to bring the beauty of holiness to the surface?

God’s Heart for His People

The prophet Jeremiah had a tough message from God to deliver to the people of Judah. They had strayed far from God and needed His discipline to turn away from their destructive path. In this part of God’s message, He sent Jeremiah on a field trip.

 “Go down to the potter’s shop, and I will speak to you there.” So I did as he told me and found the potter working at his wheel. But the jar he was making did not turn out as he had hoped, so he crushed it into a lump of clay again and started over. Then the Lord gave me this message:

“O Israel, can I not do to you as this potter has done to his clay? As the clay is in the potter’s hand, so are you in my hand. If I announce that a certain nation or kingdom is to be uprooted, torn down, and destroyed, but then that nation renounces its evil ways, I will not destroy it as I had planned.  And if I announce that I will plant and build up a certain nation or kingdom, but then that nation turns to evil and refuses to obey me, I will not bless it as I said I would.

Therefore, Jeremiah, go and warn all Judah and Jerusalem. Say to them, ‘This is what the Lord says: I am planning disaster for you instead of good. So turn from your evil ways, each of you, and do what is right.’” (Jeremiah 18:2-11 NLT)

At first glance through this passage, you may wonder at God’s heart for you. It sounds so . . . judgmental. But let’s dig a little deeper and mine some gems about God to ponder and treasure.

God’s Heart for You

God loves to communicate with you.

In verse two, God told Jeremiah to go to the potter’s shop to receive a message. His words weren’t for Jeremiah alone. God told the prophet to pass them on to all the people. The words were also written and preserved throughout history to communicate with you as well.

How does it change your perspective of God to know He enjoys communicating with you?

God wants you to understand Him.

The next few verses describe the nature of the field trip to the potter’s shop. God used a common item—pottery—as an object lesson. He pointed to something everyone could relate to so no one had to guess at His meaning. He speaks clearly so we can understand.

Have you concluded God is so high and holy you’ll never understand His ways?

God knows what is best for us.

God told Jeremiah His people are like clay in His hands. As our Creator, God knows your design. If you have strayed from His plan for your life, He may need to rework some areas. When He remolds an errant part of me, I admit it’s not pleasant. Yet when I submit to His work, I appreciate the results.

If you could believe God knows what is best for you, how would it help you to accept the pressure He applies to reshape you?

God longs to shower you with mercy.

In a series of if-then statements, God explained His readiness to extend mercy to nations that turn away from evil toward Him. The same is true of you personally. Any time you make a move toward God, His mercy draws you closer to Him.

Have you strayed from God in some area of your life and need to turn into his mercy?

God warns us when we’re in danger.

The purpose of this message was to warn God’s people. God warned because He wanted them to have every opportunity to avoid coming judgment. He hoped they would heed His words. God also gives us caution signs throughout His Word and by His Spirit living within us.

What warnings of God might you be overlooking?

God will discipline us because He loves us.

In the final verse of this section of Scripture, God explained the discipline He had planned for His beloved people. He took no pleasure in exercising judgment against them. Nevertheless, as a loving Father, He did the hard work of disciplining to produce a good result in His children. God’s children today can expect Father to intervene with correction anytime we play in the traffic of sin.

How can you learn to thank God for His discipline and learn His better way?

If the Potter’s hand has felt heavy upon you, I hope this passage from Jeremiah has illuminated the truth of God’s heart for you. He molds and disciplines us to create a beautiful and useful vessel to display His glory.

No discipline is enjoyable while it is happening—it’s painful! But afterward there will be a peaceful harvest of right living for those who are trained in this way. (Hebrews 12:11 NLT)

Join the conversation:

How has your perception of God’s heart for you changed as you study His Word?

I welcome your comments!

Copyright ©2023 Annie Yorty

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