On Clay

On Clay – Text and Illustrations by Julia

“So I went down to the potter’s house, and there he was working at his wheel. And the vessel he was making of clay was spoiled in the potter’s hand, and he reworked it into another vessel, as it seemed good to the potter to do. Then the word of the LORD came to me: ‘O house of Israel, can I not do with you as this potter has done? declares the LORD. Behold, like the clay in the potter’s hand, so are you in my hand, O house of Israel’ “ Jeremiah 18:3-6 (ESV).

 

Jesus,                                                                                                                                                                           

Baptize my heart in living water. Break down all that has grown brittle and broken. Raise me up as new clay, vulnerable and tender. Don’t let me remain the broken product of broken circumstances, let me be Your creation. You are the Potter, and I am Your clay. Have Your way. Rework my heart.  Center me.

 

Let all that would otherwise overwhelm me be the force spinning me between Your faithful hands. Let the trials of life transform my wandering into steadfastness. Wrestle with me. Reconcile my warbling and my weariness to Your strength. As I find that I am weak and vulnerable inside, give me the guts to trust Your sovereign plan and the courage to lean into your will. I don’t know where You’re going with this, but I trust You with who and what I am. 

 

Creator of the stars, You have scored my heart. Dip Your hands in mud and mend my rawness. Build my brokenness into beauty—make me a vessel that belongs in Your hands. Carve Your name into the soft clay of my heel—write it on the tablet of my heart. Smooth over my roughness and let the pattern of my soul be Your fingerprint. Give me rest. When I find myself in stillness and hoping, let the chambers of my heart not be hollow.

 

Even as I feel empty and unfinished, let me be full with praise. Let my waiting be my glaze, that by being still before You, I would reflect Your beauty and light. I long for the day that I am complete, but for now I am content to rest in wonder.

And be with me in the firing—there is no potter but You who can do such an outrageous thing. Hold me fast. Shield me. Change the substance of my being until I am a new creation. As I am transformed by the power of your will, let me never be separated from your hands.

 

You made man from dust. You set Your treasure in clay jars. You make the shattered things new.

Creator, renew me and fill me with Your heart.