“HE HELD MY HAND”
"O house of Israel, cannot I do with you as this potter, saith the Lord. Behold, as the clay is in the potter's hand, so are ye in mine haand, O house of Israel." Jeremiah 18: 6
Back in February 1989 fifty five persons were flying home from Australia and a cargo door failed, a huge hole was ripped open in the side of the plane. Nine persons perished when the pressurized air inside blew them into the thin air at 24,000 feet. A 31 year old lady [name withheld] , was sitting by the fateful hole that day. After the plane was safely on the ground she described what happened. "The whole plane was falling to pieces," she said, "and I thought, 'This is it!' but there was a man in front of me. "She did not know the man sitting in front of her. But in her own words, "he was--a wonderful, wonderful man." He held my hand," she said, "and he comforted me. It was so loving and so comforting to have someone's hand to hold."
The month of July 2007 will always stand out in my mind, and I want to give you, briefly, the reasons. I helped with three funerals - three persons who were stand out - stand up Christians. It has been said, "You will know them by their love," and all three expressed love in action. I, along with many others, visited with these three persons, and one thing that stands out today is, "How they held my hand" while visiting with them. How many do you know - now, today, who, if you moved out of your "Comfort Zone" would like to hold your hand; or you need the touch of a friend - even better, The Master.
In truth, that is what the church is all about. There are times when we need someone to hold our hand--to listen to us--to pray for us. The church at its best fosters a sense of community among people who may come from different backgrounds and who may even hold different beliefs. The people on the airplane did not choose each other. We in the church do not choose each other but once someone enters our fellowship it is our responsibility to be a caring community.
There are three things we need to understand from this
text: (In part by: Linda J. Guy)
The purpose of the Potter
- The Potter (God) decides the clay’s (our) purpose before it goes onto the wheel and He also decides what “qualities or character” this piece of clay needs in order to serve its intended “purpose”. If you’ve ever seen a potter work with a piece of clay, then you know that in order for the clay to take its intended form, the potter never takes his hands off of the clay while ‘it is on the wheel’.
The purpose of the clay
(us) - because the potter has already determined what the piece of clay will be when it is put on the wheel, it is the clay’s purpose to ‘yield’ to the direction of the potter’s hands. Jeremiah 18:4 tells us that the vessel was marred while in the hand of the potter, so he made it again. The word “mar” means damaged, hurt, disrupt. Yes, there will be times when we endure hardship, heartache, and pain while in the hands of the Potter, but Hebrews 13:5b says “He will never leave us nor forsake us”. It is at this point that if we yield (remain obedient) to the Potter’s hands He can make us whole again.
The purpose of the wheel
- the wheel controls the speed at which the potter turns the clay and has to be controlled by the Potter. The potter doesn’t stop the wheel until it is time to take the vessel off. This is why it is so important for us to stay on the wheel, because as long as we are on the wheel, we remain in His Will. If we stay on the wheel, God has the power to mold and make us the way He desires us to be. It is on the wheel where He can strip us of all impurities and make us clean vessels again.
Now, thinking on all that you are currently going through at this point and time in your life, coupled with all that you’ve already experienced, have you figured out yet that it’s all a part of your make-up? God has used all of that to develop your character. So no matter what comes your way, distractions, disappointments, distrust, diseases, just be sure to “Stay on the Wheel.” It's always comforting to have someone's hand to hold. We need one another. Amen.
><))):> In "HIS" Service
Bro. Roy