He said, “Can I not do with you, Israel, as this potter does?” declares the Lord. “Like clay in the hand of the potter, so are you in my hand, Israel.” – Jeremiah 18:6
We do not always understand the workings of the Lord even though all our earthly blessings come from the Lord. Therefore, we lift our eyes towards the heavens and say, “Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”
Faithful Job, who had lost all his earthly blessings, his wealth, his family, and his health, continued to trust the Lord. In acknowledging the powers of the Lord, he resolved, “The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.” (Job 1:21)
Yes, the Lord gives us earthly blessings and He takes them away. We are reminded that God is the prime mover. He creates and He destroys. Therefore, at His will, we acquiesce.
As we journey through this world of tears and sorrow, dear ones are taken away from us. When this happens, we feel grief and disappointment. However, in the face of such adversities, we are powerless. Through faith, we trust the Lord and bear our burdens.
We cannot fight against the will of God. James Weldon Johnson, in his creation of sermons titled, “God’s Trombones”, said, “Your arm is too short to box with God.” He is suggesting that we cannot outwit God.
Therefore, what God wills for us, we must accept. Who are we to challenge what God does in our world and in our lives?
In the above text, the prophet Jeremiah writes, “… Like clay in the hand of the potter, so are you in my hand, Israel.” The Lord, God, is the potter, and we are the clay.
The clay does not and cannot challenge the potter as He molds an image from the clay in His hand. If He pleases, He may destroy the image He made and make a completely new one. Or He may just abandon that clay in His hand.
Just recently, God’s will came to rest upon my family. Two weeks ago, He sent His holy angels to ferry away my last living and younger brother, Richard, home to his eternal rest.
Richard’s death was quite sudden and unexpected. In fact, on the day of his death, we were preparing to travel to Orlando, for our annual family reunion. Unfortunately, he did not make it.
Our gathering, instead, became a time of mourning. Notwithstanding this, we trust God to know and do what is best for him.
Like many who experience the loss of a loved one, we, in our sorrow, asked why just out of curiosity. However, we do not question God. We accept the Lord’s will for our brother, Richard.
Like Job, we are comforted that the Lord has the last say in the things that happen to us in this life. We are the clay, consequently; we do not challenge the potter. He is free to do whatever He wills for us.
I pray that the God of all grace and mercy remain with my family throughout our earthly sojourn. I pray that when our final hour comes, like my brother, the holy angels ferry us to God’s kingdom where there will be no more tears, death, sorrow, crying or pain. Amen.
• Reverend Samuel M. Boodle, pastor at the Lutheran Church of Nassau, 119 John F. Kennedy Dr can be reached at P.O. Box N 4794, Nassau, Bahamas; or telephone 426-9084; website: www.nassaulutheranchurch.org.
