God's Sovereign Will

"The Potter isn't finished with you"

Jeremiah 18:1-6

Pastor Gus Rich-March 8th, 2026

In Jeremiah 18:1 to 6 the Lord sends Jeremiah to a potter’s house in order to teach him something about His authority over His people. Instead of giving Jeremiah a message immediately, God first tells him to watch. The lesson would come through what he saw.

When Jeremiah arrives he observes the potter working at the wheel, shaping a vessel from clay. As the potter works, the vessel becomes spoiled in his hands. Rather than throwing the clay away, the potter presses it back together and begins forming it into another vessel, shaping it into whatever he decides it should be.

Then the Lord explains the meaning of what Jeremiah has seen. “O house of Israel, can I not do with you as this potter has done? declares the Lord. Behold, like the clay in the potter’s hand, so are you in my hand, O house of Israel.” The point is clear. God is the Potter, and His people are the clay.

Clay has no authority over the potter. It does not decide its shape or purpose. The potter determines what the vessel will become and how it will be used. In the same way, God rules over His creation with complete authority. Nations rise and fall under His hand. The course of history unfolds according to His will.

Israel had forgotten this. The people were living in rebellion, assuming they could continue in sin without consequence. Through Jeremiah, the Lord reminds them that their future is not in their own hands. Just as the potter can reshape the clay on the wheel, God has the right to bring judgment or mercy according to His purposes.

The scene in the potter’s house also shows that God’s control is never threatened by human failure. The vessel Jeremiah watched was marred during the process, yet the potter did not lose control of the clay. He simply began shaping it again into something different. In the same way, God is never limited by the brokenness of the world. Even when sin distorts what was meant for good, the Lord continues to carry out His plans.

Scripture later returns to this same picture. The Creator has authority over the clay and forms vessels according to His will. This truth humbles us because it reminds us that we are not the ones directing our lives. God is the one who shapes, directs, and accomplishes His purposes.

Jeremiah 18 calls us to recognize the Lord’s rightful place as the sovereign Potter. The clay does not question the wisdom of the one shaping it. Our hope and confidence rest in the fact that the One who holds us in His hands is perfectly wise and perfectly just.

We always encourage everyone to check everything through the lens of the Scriptures. Be like the noble Bereans of Paul's day. Please visit us here for much more, and remember, Christ is enough.

God is good, despite our sinful ways.  Let us continue trusting Him, no matter the circumstance and together lets go serve our King!

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