“Will the thing formed say to him who formed it, ‘Why have you
made me like this?’ Does not the potter have power over the clay,
from the same lump to make one vessel for honor
and another for dishonor?”
(Romans 9:20-21).
When the potter molds the clay and subjects it to an appropriate temperature, it is transformed into a valuable container. Paul used this illustrative and meaningful figure to establish the great difference between clay and human beings: we can resist change, preventing the Potter from achieving His final product.
Can we harmonize the issue of God’s sovereignty and human responsibility? How far does God’s power prevail in the face of human frailty and how far can a weak human being hinder divine action?
Paul said that we cannot argue with God; can the clay argue with the potter? Are there prefabricated clay vessels, ready to disagree, and vessels of mercy, ready to allow themselves to be shaped?
The same sun that melts the snow hardens the clay. The sun is the same, but the composition of the soil is different.
Both the sower and the seed are the same, but it is the receptivity and makeup of the soil that is important. Sometimes the seed does not penetrate the soil; other times, it penetrates and then is choked. Only in one is the purpose fulfilled and the best fruits produced (see Matt. 13:18-23; Mark 4:13-20; Luke 8:11-15).
A parable says that a couple visited a store and found a valuable cup that really caught their attention. They had never seen such a fine product. To their surprise, the cup began to speak to them:
“I wasn’t always like this. I was only a lump of clay until my potter beat me, tossed me around, and shaped me. Then I shouted out in desperation, ‘Leave me alone!’ He smiled and said, ‘Hold on a little longer.’ Then he put me in an oven. Never have I felt such heat!”
“Then he let me cool down, but only enough to be brushed and painted. The paint was suffocating. I yelled at him, but he only said, ‘Hold on a litte longer.’ Once again, I was put in the oven, which was much hotter that time, and again, I yelled and wept, only to hear him say again, ‘Hold on a little longer.’ After some time on the shelf, my creator said to me, ‘Now you are a finished product. You are ehat I had in mind when I began to form you.’ ”
Perhaps there are things in your life that still need to be shaped.
The Potter has the best things in mind for you. He can and wants to do them,
but of course, He needs your consent. Do not hesitate
to surrender completely to Him; if you are going through difficulties,
listen to His voice: “Hold on a little longer.”
May the Lord bless you, just ‘Hold on a little longer…’