Text: Jeremiah 18:1-6
Memory text:
“And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter; so he made it again into another vessel, as it seemed good to the potter to make.”
‭‭Jeremiah‬ ‭18‬:‭4‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

Our text is about the Potter and the clay, an imagery of how God shapes lives (Isa 64:8). The potter begins by selecting raw clay, often full of stones, air bubbles, and impurities. He kneads and works it thoroughly to remove all the debris, pounding it until it becomes soft, smooth, and pliable. Likewise, God chooses us in our raw, imperfect state, full of pride, fear, and weakness. Before He shapes us, He purifies and prepares us by breaking, molding, and softening our hearts through repentance and surrender.
Once prepared, the potter places the clay at the center of the wheel.
The wheel begins to spin, turning continuously as the potter uses his hands to shape the clay. God places us at the center of His will, just like the wheel, where life sometimes feels like it’s spinning, having constant changes, pressures, and motion.
It’s on that spinning wheel that God’s hands shape our destiny. With the wheel turning, the potter gently presses, squeezes, and reshapes the clay into the desired form — a cup, a bowl, or a vessel. God uses pressure, correction, and guidance to shape our character and purpose. When we resist His will or make mistakes, He reshapes us instead of dumping us.
After shaping, the potter sets the vessel aside to air dry slowly. This stage allows the clay to harden slightly before being fired. If it dries too fast, it can crack. This is the waiting season, when it feels like nothing is happening, but God is stabilizing your life. He’s preparing you for greater strength and endurance.
Finally, the potter places the dried vessel into a furnace and heats it at an extremely high temperature. This process hardens the clay, making it durable and usable. Without this stage, the vessel would remain too fragile and unable to hold water or withstand use. The fire represents trials, tests, and refining experiences that strengthen your faith and character.
The fire doesn’t destroy the vessel but completes it. Having endured shaping and fire, God covers you with His glory and grace. You become not only useful but also beautiful, a vessel that reflects His image (2 Tim 2:21; 1 Pet 1:7).
Friends, the clay vessel cracks if it is removed too early. Faithfulness is the process that strengthens your clay until you can hold the glory. Faithfulness keeps you in God’s hands until His purpose is revealed.

Prayer points
1. Father, purge me from wrong motives, sin, and secret flaws that could crack my vessel. Burn away everything in me that can not carry Your glory, in Jesus’ name.
2. Father, please build the character that preserves Your anointing in me. Give me the strength to stay on the wheel when the pressure feels heavy, in Jesus’ name.

Today’s declarations
1. I am clay in the Potter’s hand. My life is not my own, for I belong to God. His grace is shaping me. His fire is refining me. My life will reveal His glory.
2. I remain faithful in every season — in the shaping, the spinning, and the waiting. My faithfulness keeps me in position for divine promotion.