At the Potter’s House: Part 1
Today is our first study of Jeremiah 18! For this first part of the Potter’s House Study, we will be looking specifically at verses 1-3 of the passage:
Jeremiah 18: 1 - 6 (NIV)
This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord: 2 “Go down to the potter’s house, and there I will give you my message.” 3 So I went down to the potter’s house, and I saw him working at the wheel. 4 But the pot he was shaping from the clay was marred in his hands; so the potter formed it into another pot, shaping it as seemed best to him.
5 Then the word of the Lord came to me. 6 He said, “Can I not do with you, Israel, as this potter does?” declares the Lord. “Like clay in the hand of the potter, so are you in my hand, Israel.
In verses 1 to 3, we see that God had a message to give to Jeremiah, but he needed to be in the right position for God to speak to him. When he was in the place he needed to be, God revealed the word. The obedience came before the word was revealed and obedience positioned Jeremiah to receive what God wanted to reveal.
One thing I notice is that God didn’t have to tell Jeremiah where the potter’s house was. We see that God only tells Jeremiah to go to the potter’s house, which indicates to me that Jeremiah was familiar with the place. From this, I see that sometimes the supernatural happens in the place of the ordinary. There was nothing unique or special about the place where the potter worked- it was just an everyday building full of clay and carpenter’s tools that people passed by day after day. Maybe Jeremiah even passed by there regularly. In his obedience, Jeremiah goes to an ordinary place with the expectation of the supernatural; the expectation to hear a message from God.
So I ask: what is your “potter’s house”? Is it the workplace you go to everyday? Is it the grocery store? Is it your school? Is it your home? Is it your car? The verses challenge me to be expectant of encountering God and seeing Him move in the ordinary, familiar places. I’m encouraged to be open to seeing God in the “everyday”, knowing that even in the ordinary the supernatural can happen and lives can be impacted. One ordinary workday, a co-worker can ask me about Jesus; one ordinary grocery trip, I may get a revelation about something I’ve been praying about; one ordinary drive home may illustrate something I’ve been learning in that season. Like Jeremiah, we can walk in the ordinary with the expectation of the extraordinary.
A key part of this story is that Jeremiah needed to be in the right location to receive the message from God. God specifically tells him, “Go down to the potter’s house, and there I will give you my message”. Jeremiah needed to got to the potter’s house- not the market, not the public square, not even the Jewish temple. God was specific on where he needed to be. I would even go further to say that he needed to be in the right place at the right time because part the message God had was illustrated in some specific actions of the potter, and so if he was late or postponed, would he had even gotten the message? Anyways, I think a key reason that Jeremiah had to go to the potter’s house was because the actions of the potter gave greater clarity and helped convey the message not only for Jeremiah himself, but also for us who are reading this account many years later. They say a picture is worth 1000 words and I don’t know about you, but when I read the description of the potter’s house and the message that follows, the word just hits harder.
We see Jeremiah get to the location, to exactly where God has told him to be to receive the word. From this, I can see that there are times and places for things that God has for us, and that we sometimes need to get in position first so that we can be in the place or space for God to give us the revelation we’re looking for. We’re waiting on God’s direction for a new job, but we need to get in position with our resume updated; we’re waiting on God to reveal our purpose, but we need to surround ourselves with people who will encourage and speak life into the vision and not discourage or distract us. We desire to get a revelation in our love lives, but we need to get in position with God as our source of wholeness. Sometimes, our “message”, the thing that we’re waiting on is on the other side of us getting into position. We get into position so that we’re in the “place” for the encounter with God that we need; that place of divine connection with destiny helpers; that place of clarity and direction; that place of deliverance and breakthrough. The “place” is where God is speaking, where God is moving and arranging things to be in alignment for our paths. And from this, I see that getting into position is ultimately about getting in alignment with God and what He plans and desires to bring about in the world.
So, I ask you and I: Where do we need to get into position? Is it an attitude that needs adjustment? Is it following through on something God had called us to do? Is it walking in forgiveness? Is it joining that small group at church? The position isn’t limited to a physical placement, but it can be change in perspective, or even building the relationships you need in your life. With that all said, I challenge us all to take a moment over the next few days to reflect and see where we need to adjust our locations. My prayer is that we take a moment to see where it is God would have us, where he’d want us to be positioned so we can receive what He has for us.
Thanks so much for joining the first part of the Potter’s House study! Part 2 will be released in a few days, so stay tuned!
Also, let’s chat it up in the comments!
Was there anything that stood out to you from the passage, specifically in verses 1 - 3?
Have you ever experienced God reveal something to you in the midst of an ordinary moment? What happened?
I look forward to hearing from you!
Peace and Blessings,