Clay in the hands of the potter

Looking over the  scripture readings for Thursday, they seem to be about God using mundane, everyday things to get a message across to us.  Jeremiah is sent to the potter’s house.  The Lord tells Jeremiah, “Like clay in the hand of the potter, so are you in my hand.”  The psalmist proclaims, “Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob.”  And in Matthew, Jesus tells a parable using fisherman.  As fisherman separate the good fish from the bad in their catch, at the end of the age, the angels will go out and separate the wicked from the righteous.

God is all powerful.  God is the Creator.  God is huge.  God can rain down fire to consume sacrifices and altars.  We want God to dazzle us.  And yet, more often God chooses to be on an intimate level with us.  When Christ started His ministry, it wasn’t with something spectacular.  He changed water into wine at a wedding party.

Wanting to do something huge is normal enough.  We all want to make an impact.  However, it can wind up paralyzing us.  It can become an excuse, a way to avoid doing anything.

God doesn’t need us to sit in judgment of his call.  “This task is too small or mundane” or “this really won’t do much good.”  We just need to be obedient to His call. 

These readings have made me question and evaluate my obedience and openness to listen to His call.  Have I fallen into the trap of replacing God with things?  Have I fallen for the myth that things bring joy?  How can I improve my walk with Christ?  How can I be more open to His call?

My prayer today is for all of us to be open to God’s call, and to open ourselves up to be clay in the hands of the potter.