“O house of Israel, can I not do with you as this potter does?” declares the Lord. Jeremiah 18:6
It’s not uncommon to love someone but hate what they do. For example husbands and wives who love their spouses may hate the way they leave their clothes lying about or the lid off the toothpaste or the way they drive the car. Parents love their children, but not always their behaviour. Likewise, we may love God but not always what he does. We may not like the way he chooses to shape the clay, especially when we are the clay!
Recently someone made this comment about atheists on my web site: “… it is not because they (atheist) don’t know who God is … they simply don’t like Him … so ignoring the fact that He is there, is the way they deal with Him.”
I commented, “I actually think it’s not only atheists who think like this. I suspect some Christians also have times when they ignore God simply because they don’t like him or don’t like the way he operates.”
Some days we struggle with the Sovereignty of God. God is running his world according to his agenda, not ours. We cannot demand God comes through for us on our terms. Paul explains, “But who are you, O man, to talk back to God? Shall what is formed say to him who formed it, ‘Why did you make me like this?’ Does not the potter have the right to make out of the same lump of clay some pottery for noble purposes and some for common use?” (Romans 9:20).
Whether we like it or not God has the right to do whatever he likes with what is his. He is the Potter we are the clay.
