The Runaway Clay
In 1907, a woman named Adelaide Pollard wrote a lovely hymn entitled “Have Thine Own Way, Lord.” These are the first few lines of the song:
Have Thine own way, Lord, have Thine own way. Thou art the Potter; I am the clay.
Mold me and make me after Thy will, while I am waiting, yielded, and still.
This song is a beautiful prayer of submission to the Lord. I have sung these words many times in my life, but when it comes to putting them into practice, I seem to have a great deal of trouble. Waiting, yielded, and still are hardly the words I would use to describe myself. You see, I am what you might call an impatient lump of clay. As soon as the molding process becomes painful… I tend to run away. Do you remember the old quote: “When the going gets tough, the tough get going?” Well, I get going all right… right off the potter’s wheel!
I would like to have more perseverance, but like the Israelites, I find myself wanting to go back to Egypt when the trials of life surround me. This thing of trusting God and following the cloud from day to day can be quite challenging. Sure, if I press on, I’ll come to the Promised Land, but the journey is just too long and too difficult. Thanks anyway, God, but I’ll take the leeks and onions of Egypt, if you please. I’d rather have the comfortable life… even though is it a place of bondage.
In his book, The Roots of Endurance, John Piper says that many Christians today are “emotionally fragile quitters.” And I believe he is absolutely right. How easily we quit on our marriages, our jobs, our friendships, our churches, etc. We walk away from situations when they become challenging or painful. Even though we have the living God inside us, ready to carry us through any trial we may face, we simply give up.
I am reminded of the prophet, Elijah. Although I would not say that he was one to give up easily, he did have a moment of weakness. In I Kings 19, we find him running away because he is afraid of Jezebel’s threats. Never mind the fact that God had already used him mightily to fulfill His purposes, protecting him through many treacherous experiences… Elijah had had enough. His faith in God had been exhausted. He wanted off the Potter’s wheel. In verse 4, we see him sitting under a broom tree saying, “It is enough now, O Lord, take away my life, for I am no better than my fathers.”
Can you relate? I certainly can. Now I know that my problems don’t compare to those of Elijah… I have not had someone threatening to kill me, but I have had some major trials in my life. And many times, I have sat under the oak tree in my front yard and said to God, “It is enough now, O Lord.”
We all struggle in the area of endurance, don’t we? Our flesh wants the pain to be over… now! If only we could see the end result, perhaps we would yield more readily to the Master’s touch. If God would just give us a picture of the finished product, then perhaps we wouldn’t be such “emotionally fragile quitters.” But in His wisdom, the Potter has chosen not to unveil the beauty of His pottery until His appointed time. Oh may we find comfort in the thought that God does have a plan and a purpose for our trials. Not one moment of our suffering is ever wasted.
Mercifully, God has given us His Word, His wonderful promises to cling to through the storms. For instance, He says “that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to His purpose.” (Rom. 8:28) And in 2 Tim. 2:12, we see that “if we endure, we will also reign with Him.” What strength I have found in holding to these promises. Time and time again, I am drawn back to the Potter’s wheel through the Word of God. I can trustfully lay my life into the hands of a God who only wants “good things” for me. And by His grace, I can endure the shaping and the molding process, painful as it may be.
We have a Savior who knows what it is to persevere. He endured the cross, and why? It was “for the joy set before Him.” (Heb. 12:2) Jesus not only had in mind the joy of glorifying His Father, but also the joy of making us His own treasured possessions. Jesus suffered unimaginable pain because of His great love for us. Do we dare endure the molding of the Potter’s hand for Him? Oh that we will press on, so that His glory will be revealed through us. May God cause us to be faithful lumps of clay, yielded to His hand, and molded into vessels fit for the Master’s use.
The Potter sat down at his wheel one day,
To mold and shape a small lump of clay.
The process had only just begun,
When the clay jumped up and started to run.
“Wait!” cried the Potter, “I’m not done with you.”
“Not I,” said the clay, “it’s over — I’m through.
I know that you have my best interest at heart,
But to yield to your hand doesn’t seem very smart.
The shaping and molding is painful for me,
So please go away and just let me be!”
“Dear clay,” said the Potter, in a kind-hearted voice,
“If you’ll only endure, you’ll have cause to rejoice.
I know you’re unhappy the way that you are,
You can’t go through life, an unfinished jar.
Just trust me; allow me to do my duty,
And soon you’ll become a thing of great beauty.
Though pressure and pain may be part of the deal,
You’ll see that it’s worth your time on the wheel!”
