You are our Father

But now, O Lord, You are our Father; We are the clay, and You our potter; And all we are the work of Your hand.

Isaiah 64:8 NKJV

The people of Israel had just returned from two exiles and were in a state of deep desolation and in need of divine intervention when the prophet paused to highlight certain aspects. First of all, he is sadly aware that no one calls on the name of the Eternal One, and so he takes it upon himself to pray. When one is at the mercy of wickedness, one can no longer hear the voice of God, overwhelmed by the state of affairs and unable to find the way back to justice. From the depths of our ruins, a faint voice rises to God: “Come down, do not remember our iniquities!” (v. 9). The prophet appeals to divine fatherhood, presenting the entire people as many children in a single prayer. In fact, in his plea for divine intervention, he affirms: “Nevertheless, Lord, you are our father...,” presenting God as a Father and all of us as children. In this, Isaiah becomes a precursor of Christ, drawing God's help not from works accomplished but from the love He has as a father for His children, like the loving father in Luke's parable (chap. 15). That simple adverb “nevertheless” encapsulates the revelation already given to the prophets that it is God, as Father, who draws near and not vice versa. We are the clay and He is the potter; despite the fragility of our being, we are earth in His hands.

He is the one who can shape our lives, perfecting them and improving them with new possibilities. The prophet Jeremiah (18:1-6) recounts witnessing the potter's work, observing the clay cracking and breaking in his hands and how the craftsman does not throw it away, but places it back on the wheel and makes a new pot out of it. That scene opens Jeremiah's heart to the vision of the Eternal One doing with his children just as the potter does with his work. While Isaiah's cry was a call for intervention by God, who seemed distant and disenchanted with his people, in Jeremiah the same message comes from the other side. It is God Himself who declares that He is a potter and we are clay in His hands, aware that the work He sets out to do does not always come to fruition quickly and without breaks and cracks. Even if there are cracks, the Lord does not throw away the clay, partly because the cracks are often caused by others, not by Him. However, with patience and love, He moistens the clay with the Spirit, softening it, and then puts it back on the wheel to create a new work, another vessel in which He deposits His Spirit and His word. You and I are that vessel!

In His actions, the Lord applies “variables”: if there is repentance, He may leave that broken pot or make a new work. Other times, even though He has decided to build or plant, He may suddenly stop the work. When faced with His actions, it is natural to ask questions, but since God has the last word, we remain clay in His hands. Who are we to demand that He act differently? What we can do is have the same awareness as Isaiah when he said that He who has His hands upon us is our Father and is great in kindness and mercy. We are urged to mature in the faith that connects us to God, so that in situations of desolation we may be able to take responsibility for our actions, which are such because they are the fruit of our sin. If we can no longer see Him or hear Him, it is not because He has distanced Himself from us; He could not and would never do so. He is the Father! Whether God decides to demolish, tear down, or destroy, or whether He intends to build and plant, all actions have His hand in common. If the Father's hands are on the clay even in the act of destruction or demolition, we can be sure that no one will be lost! Our only task will be to say, “Lord, I am like clay in Your hands, mold me because You know what is good for my life.” Let Him work on you with confidence.

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Weekly Bible Reading Plan #29

July 14, Psalms 10-12; Acts 19:1-20

July 15, Psalms 13-15; Acts 19:21-41

July 16, Psalms 16-17; Acts 20:1-16

July 17, Psalms 18-19; Acts 20:17-38

July 18, Psalms 20-22; Acts 21:1-17

July 19, Psalms 23-25; Acts 21:18-40

July 20, Psalms 26-28; Acts 22