Yet, O Lord, you are our Father; we are the clay, and you are our potter; we are all the work of your hand.” vs. 8
Isaiah 64:1-9
The prophet was no fool. He knew that the people of Israel had not been living up to divine standards. In fact, no one was even praying anymore and even good deeds were no more than filthy rags. So he recognizes that the Lord has a right to indignation, and may be inclined to punish the people. But in his prayer he asks the Lord to remember who they are, and concludes, “we are all the work of your hand.” And indeed, that’s who we all are. We are all a part of God’s family, and we include the bad and the ugly. We have been called “good” in our creation, but we are also broken. To use the language of the prophet, the Lord is our potter, and we are all cracked pots. And since Jesus has called us the light of the world, it’s a blessing to be cracked, because if it weren’t for the cracks, no light could escape and the world would be dark. It’s in our brokenness that we make connections and find unity with others in our suffering. It’s interesting, isn’t it, that the basic goodness of our creation remains even through the worst of times, and can regularly be seen and experienced in spite of our flaws and cracks. God’s handiwork can never be erased.
Thought for the Day: How do I know that I’m a cracked pot?
0 Comments