The Purpose in the Process: Introduction

In my twenty-five years on earth, I have been through so many processes, and I’m sure you probably have, too. It seems that life is a process involving many small processes. Some people may not like the word process; nevertheless, they live it everyday. So, what’s the purpose in the process? This question has entered my mind many times. In the middle of a process, it can be hard to understand why we are going through it. When we surrender our lives to God, He becomes Lord over the process. He is the master potter, and we are the clay. He has a vision for every one of us to be formed into vessels for His glory - reflecting His beauty in the earth. Entering into the process is an invitation to trust and surrender to the Great Potter. He is the Lord over each process taking place in our lives, and He is faithful to complete the work He started. 

He has a vision for every one of us to be formed into vessels for His glory.

This analogy of God as the potter and believers the clay comes from many different scripture verses, but Isaiah 64:8 distinctly says, “But now, Lord, you are our father. We are the clay, and you are our potter. All of us are the work of your hand (CEB).” Here, Isaiah was crying out to God for mercy upon the Israelites. They had become a people who strayed far from God in their beliefs. Through this analogy, Isaiah emphasizes the greatness of God over the Israelites. God was so big and able to do powerful things, and the Israelites, although they weren’t collectively worshipping God at the time, were simply clay in his hands. There are many ways that we see God working on the Israelites’ behalf in the Old Testament; however, the greatest miracle of mercy was received when Jesus came to earth and gave the ultimate sacrifice so that all may experience Freedom if only they believe on Him and follow Him ( John 3:16)..

God formed Adam out of the dust of the earth, and since Eve was made from Adam, she was also formed from dust. Just as Adam and Eve were made from the dust of the earth, all of humanity will return to dust after death (Genesis 3:19). When I think about the dust of the earth, I think about clay. Clay at its most basic form is mud, which is dust to which water has been added. It’s amazing to think that God created us intricate beings made in His own image out of such a simple and lowly material. But God, in His kindness and compassionate love, reaches out to us and uses us as vessels that carry His glory wherever we go - if we allow Him to.

Join me on this jouney as we are invited into the process with the Great Potter. This is a process of beauty that includes the difficult realities of life, the strength available in surrender, and the growth that comes with pressure. This is a process of purpose where nothing is wasted, but every part is redeemed by the transforming power of God so that we may be his vessels of glory in the earth. Here, we become witnesses to the beauty of God.

Devotion:

• Find a pace to sit down and be still before God and ask him to prepare your heart for all that he wants to do in this process of purpose and beauty.

• Ask God to reveal himself to you through every step that you encounter in this process.

• Surrender yourself as clay into God’s hands and declare your trust for him. Ask Him to help give you the courage and strength to fully trust Him.

• Ask God to open your ears to hear all that he wants to say to you through this process.

• Believe to Receive

  • Proverbs 3:5-6

    • Trust in the Lord with all your heart. In all your ways acknowldege (or surrender to) Him, and He will direct your paths.

  • Ephesians 3:20

    • Now to him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask of think according to His riches in Christ Jesus.