https://odb.org/2026/10/14/lives-molded-by-god
Jeremiah 18:1–10 (NIV): 18 This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD: 2 “Go down to the potter’s house, and there I will give you my message.” 3 So I went down to the potter’s house, and I saw him working at the wheel. 4 But the pot he was shaping from the clay was marred in his hands; so the potter formed it into another pot, shaping it as seemed best to him.
5 Then the word of the LORD came to me. 6 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. 7 If at any time I announce that a nation or kingdom is to be uprooted, torn down and destroyed, 8 and if that nation I warned repents of its evil, then I will relent and not inflict on it the disaster I had planned. 9 And if at another time I announce that a nation or kingdom is to be built up and planted, 10 and if it does evil in my sight and does not obey me, then I will reconsider the good I had intended to do for it.
When Asheton met Nick, she described herself as lost, lacking purpose, and behaving in ways she wasn’t proud of. Nick had recently experienced something similar and had reconnected with his faith in the process. He shared with Asheton how viewing God as a loving potter who had reshaped his life and given him hope in that difficult time. The two eventually married and took up pottery as a hobby.
God likened Himself to a potter when communicating with the prophet Jeremiah, instructing him to observe the way a potter reshaped marred pots into new pots “as seemed best to him” (Jeremiah 18:4). God revealed to the prophet His ability to shape and reshape the Israelites—either planting or uprooting them according to their response to His counsel. He endowed Jeremiah with a message of repentance and hope for them that He can “do with you, Israel, as this potter does” (v. 6). (Kristen Holmberg, Our Daily Bread 14th October 2026)
In Jeremiah 18, the image of a potter working and reworking a clay pot illustrates both God’s grace and power as well as the seriousness of sin. The statement that “the pot he was shaping from the clay was marred in his hands” (v. 4) suggests that imperfections in the clay prevented the potter from making the pot as originally intended. Similarly, if God’s people persisted in their rebellion against Him, they couldn’t expect to experience His full blessing. Like a potter forced by poor material to make an inferior clay vessel, God would respond to their rebellion with judgment (vv. 9-10). His grace remained unchanged, however, and was always available. If at any point the people repented, God would “relent” and not send judgment (vv. 7-8). (Monica La Rose, Insight, Our Daily Bread 14th October 2026)
The potter and the clay is a well-known illustration of the relationship between God and Israel, applicable to us modern-day believers in this era of post-Jesus resurrection. This is because our lives may indeed be transformed if we allow Christ to mould us into His image of us even as each and every one of us is special and unique in the eyes of God.
In Jeremiah 18:4, notwithstanding the pot was marred, God nevertheless shaped it to the best of His ability. It speaks of Israel as imperfect and thus we as believers are similarly “work-in-progress” clay and pot. Yet God will not abandon us and will work us to the best of His ability. Of course the best of God’s ability is extraordinary and supernatural. God is God. He is able to mould and shape us to the best person we could be despite our humanity, fulfilling His plans and purposes for our lives.
The journey to perfection as God moulds us takes a lifetime. Not days, weeks or months but years. Yet to ascend and climb any mountain, we need to take the first steps. I recall nearly 14 years ago embarking on a hike up Mount Sinai. The trail was not difficult as it was a well trodden path. It just required perseverance and determination to reach the summit, and time. It was certainly not a 10-minute hike! It took us nearly 4 hours to reach the top and 7 hours plus for the round trip. We were tired and exhausted – but we needed to push on.
The message this morning and it’s a basic and fundamental truth about our faith – perseverance is key. God’s plan for us is not to destroy but to prosper us and give us a future in Him (Jeremiah 29:11). In the New Testament, we know that the hope He spoke about in Jeremiah 29:11 is our hope of glory in eternity. Allow God to mould and shape us – it will stand us in good stead in this life and is the best preparation for us for our life in eternity!
