The Potters Hands

I volunteer at our church to create the sermon series graphics that are used on Sunday mornings to help illustrate the sermon our Pastors are preaching on.  Some series are easier than others to illustrate.  

Normally I like to create these graphics in advance so I can have time to get feedback from our Senior Pastor on the graphics.  Keyword: Normally.  Then this summer happened.  I was doing great if I got the graphics done by the Friday night before the sermon.  (We have a patient Pastor...)

Our current sermon series at church started on August 28.  Around 12:15am on the 28th - mind you that church begins at 11:15a - I remembered I hadn't created the graphics yet.  (Did I mention that we have a VERY patient Pastor...)  So I ran to the computer and grabbed the sermon calendar our Pastor put together and looked up what he was going to preach on: "The Person God Can Use."

I looked at Mike and asked stated quite loudly "HOW IN THE WORLD AM I GOING TO ILLUSTRATE THIS?!?!"  Mike had just returned from his fantasy football draft at our cousin's house down the street, so his mind was still focused on that apparently and said "I donno, but you'll think of it.  I know you will" and walked into the other room.  I was glad he had the confidence in me because at that very second, I didn't.  

So I started thinking... and thinking...and thinking... I was getting nowhere.  I was desperate. I HAD to have SOMETHING, and soon!  So I prayed.  

Editorial Note: Why does it seem like we only go to God when we're desperate or need something, and not on a regular basis?

It's amazing that when we take ourselves out of the picture, and change the focus from "Oh me, oh my... i forgot to create the graphics..." to "Lord, this isn't about me.  This is about Your Word being preached and illustrated effectively for others to hear and see and understand" what can happen.

During that prayer, God put this on my heart: 

"Who in the world do you think you are to second-guess God? Do you for one moment suppose any of us knows enough to call God into question? Clay doesn't talk back to the fingers that mold it, saying, "Why did you shape me like this?" Isn't it obvious that a potter has a perfect right to shape one lump of clay into a vase for holding flowers and another into a pot for cooking beans? If God needs one style of pottery especially designed to show his angry displeasure and another style carefully crafted to show his glorious goodness, isn't that all right?" - Romans 9:20 (The Message)

God (the Potter) was molding us (the clay) into a person He could use.  

And this is the graphic I ended up with: The Potter at the wheel, with the series title in a font to resemble the old punch label machines.

Can God use you?  Yep.  God can use all of us, in our own - God molded - unique ways.