April 8: By Submission or by Force

 •  2 min. read  •  grade level: 7
Listen from:
And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter: so he made it again another vessel, as seemed good to the potter to make it. Jeremiah 18:44And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter: so he made it again another vessel, as seemed good to the potter to make it. (Jeremiah 18:4)
ER 18:4{Just let Him do what seemeth Him good, and tell Him so! It may be you have been actually hindering deliverance and thwarting help, by not "letting" Him. Do not say, "But what difference can that make? He will do what He pleases, of course, whether I am willing or not." Not exactly that. Does it make no difference if the patient quietly lets the surgeon do what he thinks best? A remedy applied by force, or submitted to unwillingly, may be quite counteracted by fidget, or by feverishness induced or increased through setting one's self against what is prescribed or advised. The Lord's remedies do not have fair play, when we set ourselves against them. Even Omnipotence waits for the faith that will let it act. If the "vessel made of clay," that was marred in the hand of the potter, could have resisted that skillful hand, how would he have been able to make it again another vessel, as it seemed good to him to make it? The unresisting clay could not help letting the potter remold it, into a better and permanent form; but we can hinder, simply by not "letting." But will you do this? For "now, O Lord, Thou art our Father, we are the clay, and Thou our Potter." Whatever may be our Potter's mysterious moldings, or our Father's mysterious dealings (I do not mean abstract, or possible, or future; but real, and present, and pressing), let us give the one sweet answer which meets everything: "Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in Thy sight.”
Hush! oh, hush! for the Father portioneth as He will,
To all His beloved children, and shall they not be still?
Is not His will the wisest, Is not His choice the best?
And in perfect acquiescence is there not perfect rest?