I changed my name because I got married – more than 19 years ago!!
It’s sort of a long story, but it involves a life that got too busy and a heart that was too proud. I liked my maiden name (Langford). I was used to it. I’m adopted and it always felt like one of the first really special things anyone had ever given me – a name that said I belonged.
But over time, the Lord showed me I was hanging on to something that wasn’t who I am anymore. And isn’t that just how He does things? He makes us new. Even when our circumstances might not change, He changes us. He creates in us a new heart, a clean heart, a fresh life.
Change is not comfortable – but as my dear friend Melissa Pepin recently said, “the most uncomfortable moments of my life are the ones that have yielded the most growth.”
I was studying in the book of Jeremiah yesterday and in chapter 18 verses 1-6, the prophet Jeremiah receives a word from the Lord that tells him to get up and go to the potter’s house with the promise that once he’s there, the Lord will let Jeremiah hear His words. When Jeremiah gets to the potter’s house he finds the man working at his wheel reforming a vessel of clay. The vessel he was making had “spoiled in the potter’s hand, and he reworked it into another vessel, as it seemed good to the potter to do.” (Jeremiah 18:4).
The Lord then speaks to Jeremiah specifically about his people Israel, saying that they are in His hand and He can do to them exactly what the potter did to the vessel.
The Lord goes on to give a warning to Israel through Jeremiah about the impending disaster He is planning against them because of their disobedience.
I share all of that “context” with you because it is always important as we study God’s Word to be careful that we understand the context around a given story.
This is an Old Testament story and the Lord was using the illustration of the clay vessel in the potter’s hand to speak to Israel. But there is also value in this story for the Gentiles, for us as Christians.
We are in God’s hand. Whether we’ve submitted our lives to Him or not. He holds us. He holds our futures. Yours and mine.
And when we submit He will make us new.
The process of renewal, of being reformed in the potter’s hand isn’t easy. The breaking down of old habits, habitual sin and the letting go of the things we hold in tightly clenched fists is uncomfortable. But the result is beautiful and worth it.
I pray you are well and I hope that you are seeking the Lord in your every day life. Which reminds me of one of my favorite verses in all of Scripture. It is a promise from the Lord to His people: “You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.” – Jeremiah 29:13
The 40 Days of Scripture Challenge is kicking off on Wednesday, November 15, 2023 and will conclude on Christmas Eve, December 24, 2023. This free 40-day challenge is an opportunity for you to kickstart a daily, diligent and disciplined study of God’s Word. Maybe you’ve always wanted to study the Bible, but haven’t known where […]
filed in:
Memorizing scripture has been a conviction of my heart from the Holy Spirit lately. I don’t know about you, but these last few days since the brutal attack on Israel by Hamas on the morning of October 7, 2023, my heart has been heavy. The stories of what is happening in Israel are nothing short […]
filed in:
It makes me feel uncomfortable inside, but recently, when I find myself without anyone to talk to at a gathering (like after church or at a social event), I walk over and just join another group. It might seem silly, but for me, it’s always a little scary. Joining groups I haven’t been invited to […]
filed in:
So this guy pulls out a Bible on a plane… It sounds like the start of a joke right? Except, it wasn’t a joke. In late September I headed out on an adventure from the mountains of far Northern California to the mountains of East Tennessee for a Christian women’s retreat for writers, podcasters and […]
filed in:
Encouragement for the Day Ahead
Words of encouragement, inspiration and biblical truth to move you closer to Jesus
JOIN LIZ'S EMAIL LIST
OPT OUT AT ANY TIME
EMAIL FREQUENCY IS TYPICALLY ONCE PER WEEK, DELIVERED ON WEDNESDAY MORNINGS