The Purpose in the Process: Centering on the Potter's Will

Centering the Clay

Coning Up and Coning Down

After the potter wedges the clay, she or he must center it on the wheel. To center the clay, the potter pushes the clay into a cone shape (“coning up”) and presses it back down with one hand on top of the cone and one hand supporting the side (“coning down”). If the clay is not centered, the clay will be hard to control and will fall out of alignment when in formation. If the potter tries to form a vessel without centering the clay, it will would make the walls of the vessel uneven and possibly cause it to collapse on the wheel from the pull of the centrical force. Centering the clay brings the alignment and stability needed for the clay to be formed into the beautiful vessel that the potter envisions.

Sometimes, clay is difficult to center. The centrical force induced by the spinning wheel causes the clay to vacillate in many directions away from the center. The potter guides the clay toward the center with patience and strength. As I said in my last pottery post, I think about you and me when I think about clay. The centrical force of life often causes us to be pulled in many different directions. Our unrestricted and impulsive desires also reach for our attention and distract us from centering on God’s will. When the clay is difficult to center, it can be very frustrating for the potter. The Master Potter, God, shows us so much patience as he draws us into the center of his will. However, this is only possible through the heart posture of surrender to God that we embody as we allow Him to draw us close.

The will of God is such a daunting subject. Many people attribute God’s will to His sovereignty over the occurrences in the world and divine destiny for their life paths. The idea of Theocracy is one of the most difficult questions that I’ve tackled in seminary. The google definition of Theocracy is the vindication of divine goodness and providence in view of the existence of evil. If God is good, why do bad things happen? I’m going to expound upon this subject on a later step in the process, but for now, I want to say that I believe God is good. When the curse of sin and death entered the world through Adam and Eve’s sin, the world was changed and people were changed to a certain degree. Sickness and sin flourished at this time causing chaos and destruction to enter this world. However, Jesus is our redeemer from the curse of sin and death. We do not have to be stuck in a cycle of the curse. There is hope.

Our decisions also have the potential to produce good or evil. The knowledge of this potential outcome can cause some of us to put so much pressure upon ourselves to be in the center of God’s will. I want to remind you that it is the potter that guides the clay to the center. The clay simply surrenders. Surrendering comes from trust, which is built through relationship. 

Thou will show me the path of life in your presence is fullness of joy and at thy right hand pleasures forevermore. - Psalm 16:11

In this scripture, the Psalmist is declared God’s revelation of the path of life. Jesus is our path of life (John 14:6). When we abide in the presence of God through worship, prayer, and scripture, we find life eternal as well as direction for life today. The created finds purpose in the presence of the creator. 

God pursues us and invites us to seek Him. God does not hide from us in trickery. He pursues us like the shepherd chased the one sheep that left the fold or like the Father ran to greet the prodigal son. In Jeremiah 29:13 Jeremiah was writing to the exiled Jews as the voice of God urging them to seek God saying, “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.” Part of surrendering to God is making him primary. God wants our primary devotion because he is love and he draws forth love from us. This is the relationship the builds the trust that we need to devote our full desire and devotion to God. John shares the world of the Lord in Revelation 3:20 as he writes, “Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.” God stands at the doors of our hearts asking us to open up and invite him into our daily lives.

In life, we have so many distractions pulling us off-center, but when we merge our spiritual Sunday life with our weekday life and invite God’s presence to infiltrate every part of us, He centers us again. When we fully surrender to Him and sit like Mary at the feet of Jesus, He makes our natural everyday moments supernatural! We give Him liberty to perform miracles in our lives and the lives of those around us. In other words, we reveal the glory and treasure of God hidden in our earthly vessels to those around us. There is power in surrender. We are clay in God’s hands, and we can’t center ourselves. It’s all God, the Master Potter.

Devotion

Today, find a quiet space to yourself, enter a mindset of rest, and have a talk with God.

• Pray that God reveals a deeper revelation of His love for you.

• Express your desire to grow deeper in relationship with God so that you can fully trust.

• Ask God to give you the strength to seek Him with your whole heart and above all else.

• Finally, ask God to align your desire to His desires so that you may be centered on Him and be the vessel that He has called you to be.

Meditate on these scriptures for the next few minutes and ask the Holy Spirit to speak to you.

Matthew 6:33

“But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all these things will be added to you.”

Psalm 16

Protect me, God, because I take refuge in you.
2 I say to the Lord, “You are my Lord.
    Apart from you, I have nothing good.”
3 Now as for the “holy ones” in the land,
    the “magnificent ones” that I was so happy about;
4     let their suffering increase because
        they hurried after a different god.[b]
I won’t participate in their blood offerings;
    I won’t let their names cross my lips.
5 You, Lord, are my portion, my cup;
    you control my destiny.
6 The property lines have fallen beautifully for me;
    yes, I have a lovely home.

7 I will bless the Lord who advises me;
    even at night I am instructed
    in the depths of my mind.
8 I always put the Lord in front of me;
    I will not stumble because he is on my right side.
9 That’s why my heart celebrates and my mood is joyous;
    yes, my whole body will rest in safety
10     because you won’t abandon my life[c] to the grave;[d]
    you won’t let your faithful follower see the pit.

11 You teach me the way of life.
    In your presence is total celebration.
Beautiful things are always in your right hand.