Day FIVE: Nov 29-Dec 5

Donia Hovet

I have a masseuse. His name is Tyler. I’ve seen Tyler a handful of times over the past six months in an effort to rid my body of significant back pain over the past year. One session in particular, I limped through the door with my right hip stubbornly wrenched, feeling like someone had wedged a broom handle into the joint. I remember bracing myself, taking deep breaths, and singing songs in my head, willing myself through the intense discomfort of that massage. After 25 agonizing minutes, Tyler had worked and stretched and kneaded that broom handle into oblivion. It hurt, but it walking instead of limping out made it worth it.

Read:

And yet, O LORD, you are our Father. 
We are the clay, and you are the potter.
We all are formed by your hand.
Don’t be so angry with us, LORD.
Please don’t remember our sins forever.
Look at us, we pray,
And see that we are all your people.

Isaiah 64:8-9

The final movement discussed by Isaac this past Sunday comes on the heals of longing, repentance and confession. It is simply titled, “But…God.” 

The scripture that jumps to my mind immediately is Ephesians 2:4:

But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much, that even though we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. 

Ephesians 2:4

Much like Isaiah 64, this chapter in Ephesians describes a METAMORPHOSIS. Faith in Christ requires a journey from death to life; from stubborn rebellion to walking in the Spirit; from separation to unification with God and his family. God is the potter and we are the clay, being transformed from glory to glory, as Paul says elsewhere (2 Corinthians 3:18).

So why are we so resistant? Impatience, maybe? Or is it simply a lack of trust in the potter?

If there is one thing I’ve learned from following Jesus for the past three decades, it is that trust is ESSENTIAL. Trust in God. Trust in the holy scriptures. Trust in our leaders, who have gone before, who are bravely paving the way. And trust doesn’t come easy, especially when pain is involved. The imagery of a potter molding the clay should arrest our attention! This is not a gentle, soothing back scratch session. It is therapeutic massage: digging into the tender places of our souls. And like the massage that loosened the ligaments and muscles of my hip, it WILL HURT, but it will be worth it. God is the potter, we are the clay.

Next steps: 

1. Read Ephesians 2. In your own words, describe the way God is molding the clay of our lives.
2. Reflect: What areas of your life are off-limits to the potter? Where are you struggling to trust God? Confess and Repent.
3. Memorize Isaiah 64:8 (Suggestion: tape the scripture on a bathroom mirror or the dashboard of your vehicle and read it throughout the week)
4. Practice trust: what is one tangible way you might invest in your trust relationship with God?

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