In The Potter’s Hands

INTRODUCTION

God saved us not to abandon us but to transform us into the image of His Son, Jesus Christ. Most people do not realize that God is constantly working in their lives. God has a destiny and purpose for every one of us and He trains us in various ways to bring us to that maturity.

See what God spoke to Jeremiah:

Jeremiah 18:5-6 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.

God is constantly in the process of molding us in His skillful hands.

Today we are going to see how God trains us to be the person He wants us to be, based on the life of David.

Brief History

King Saul was the first king of Israel. At one point, King Saul had been used by the Lord to accomplish great things. However, due to Saul’s rebellion, God rejected him as king and anointed David as his successor. Although David had already been anointed as the next king of Israel, Saul was permitted to remain on the throne until David was fully prepared. Nevertheless, as a result of Saul’s persistent rebellion, God eventually withdrew His Spirit from him and allowed an evil spirit to torment him.

1 Samuel 16:14 Now the Spirit of the Lord had left Saul, and the Lord sent a tormenting spirit that filled him with depression and fear.     

There are many places in the OT where it says the evil spirit came from the Lord and we find this pattern more in the case of Saul. Now how can God send an evil spirit?

What we observe regarding the arrival of evil spirits upon individuals follows a discernible pattern. It is natural that when the Holy Spirit departs from a person, evil spirits may emerge. In the case of the disobedient Saul, God removed His Spirit, which subsequently opened the door for an evil spirit to torment him. However, it is important to note that this does not imply that God actively sends evil spirits. Rather, the evil spirit originated from Satan, but God allowed its presence. God, in His divine plan, can utilize even the wicked for His purposes.

Look at the problems created by the evil spirit upon Saul:

1 Samuel 16:14 Now the Spirit of the Lord had left Saul, and the Lord sent a tormenting spirit that filled him with depression and fear.

1 Samuel 18:10-11 10 The very next day a tormenting spirit from God overwhelmed Saul, and he began to rave in his house like a madman. David was playing the harp, as he did each day. But Saul had a spear in his hand, 11 and he suddenly hurled it at David, intending to pin him to the wall. But David escaped him twice.

As the evil spirit came upon Saul, was he depressed, he was filled with fear, Saul had violent mood swings on a regular basis, he acted like a mad person. Sometimes, looking at the behavior of believers, I wonder what kind of spirit we are operating in. In an effort to help their master, Saul’s servants suggested that he find someone who was skilled on the harp.

1 Samuel 16:15-18 15 Saul’s attendants said to him, “See, an evil spirit from God is tormenting you. 16 Let our lord command his servants here to search for someone who can play the lyre. He will play when the evil spirit from God comes on you, and you will feel better.” 17 So Saul said to his attendants, “Find someone who plays well and bring him to me.” 18 One of the servants answered, “I have seen a son of Jesse of Bethlehem who knows how to play the lyre. He is a brave man and a warrior. He speaks well and is a fine-looking man. And the Lord is with him.”

In the midst of Saul’s depression, madness, and spiritual tragedy, David emerges as a prominent figure. Summoned to the palace, David is tasked with playing the harp to soothe King Saul.

God employed various methods to train David, equipping him for the forthcoming responsibilities. Remarkably, even King Saul’s madness was utilized by God to aid in the development of the young shepherd boy, preparing him for his future role as the king of Israel. By closely examining the ways in which God trained David, we can discern striking similarities to how He trains us for the destiny He has ordained for each of us.

HOW DOES GOD TRAIN US?

Let’s get back to the time when David was tending his father’s sheep.

1. God trains a person in secret

When Samuel went to the house of Jesse and asked for the sons to be the anointed king of Israel, all the sons were in the house except David. David was out in the fields watching the sheep. When King Saul wanted a musician, David was again in the fields watching the sheep.

1 Samuel 16:19 Then Saul sent messengers to Jesse and said, “Send me your son David, who is with the sheep.” See how he addressed David, David – the shepherd. David was always with the sheep. It was in the secret place of taking care of his father’s sheep that God first trained young David.

David would spend countless hours alone, unacknowledged and unappreciated. Day after day, David spent his time with the sheep on the hills of Judea. He learned lessons in the secret places that he could have never learned in the places of prominence.

Psalm 23 is one of the psalms written by David as a shepherd.

Psalm 23:1-3 A psalm of David.  1 The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing. 2 He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, 3 he refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake.

David was molded in the obscure corridors of life. God consistently prepares His people in private before unveiling them to the public eye. Prior to Elijah’s awe-inspiring display of power on Mount Carmel, God privately trained him in the ravine of Kerith. Before Elisha assumed his prophetic ministry, he faithfully served in the background while following Elijah. Moses, before becoming Israel’s leader, spent four decades tending Jethro’s sheep in the hiddenness of Midian. Even Jesus, the Messiah and Savior, was raised in obscurity for thirty years prior to revealing Himself to Israel. It was during this period of seclusion that God prepared Jesus for His greatest work.

Beloved child of God, take note that the Almighty trains us in secrecy. Whether you realize it or not, I sense in my spirit that many of you are presently undergoing hidden training. You may be working under someone or engaged in various activities, but in the eyes of God, you are a work in progress. While others may not witness your endeavors in that concealed place, rest assured that God will never forget you. He is diligently training you, and a day of reckoning will arrive. God will elevate you to the public sphere once He has completed your training in the secret place.

2. God trains a person in solitude

During the time when David tended to his father’s sheep, he experienced a season of personal solitude. Amidst the solitary hills of Judea, with only a flock of sheep as his companions, the starry sky as his cathedral, and the vast expanses of nature as his classroom, David gleaned some of life’s most valuable and fundamental lessons. He discovered the art of being alone with God and with himself. Removed from the distractions and clamor of others, David acquired the ability to discern the voice of God. He became skilled in communing with God, in worshipping the Lord, and in finding inner peace. In that desolate setting, there was no one to relate to, no one to offer assistance. David had no friends or family present; he was utterly alone. It was in this isolation that he learned to place his trust and dependence wholly upon God.

Psalm 139 is another Psalm written by David as a shepherd. This Psalm is a one sided conversation from David to God; with no one around seeing how David is relating to God in his solitude.

Psalm 139:7-14 7 Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? 8 If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. 9 If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, 10 even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast. 11 If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me,” 12 even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you. 13 For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. 14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.

There is no value that can be placed on these kinds of lessons. They are priceless! David was lonely in the fields but in his loneliness he found God as his companion.

Many of us fail to comprehend the experience of loneliness. People often struggle to be alone, constantly occupied with various tasks and activities, leaving little room for God to communicate with us. At times, when we become overly preoccupied, God deliberately isolates us from the outside world to have intimate moments with Him. Perhaps everything was going smoothly in your life when suddenly an accident occurred, you fell ill, lost your job, faced significant business losses, or someone dear to you passed away. God is trying to capture your attention. You might currently be going through a phase of loneliness in your life. Even if things were going well before, you now find yourself in solitude. Never underestimate such periods, as God longs to be your friend and guide you towards your future.

3. God trains us in sameness

You know for a big part of his life, David had only one job, to take care of his father’s sheep. Especially in 1 Samuel 16, 99% of the time you see the mention of David, he is taking care of the sheep. Even when David was appointed in the palace place to play harp for King Saul for 7 years, he was working part-time for King Saul and part-time tending his father’s sheep.

1 Samuel 17:15 – but David went back and forth from Saul to tend his father’s sheep at Bethlehem.

David had a monotonous lifestyle as he tended to his father’s sheep. Countless days passed by with endless routines and the repetition of the same tasks day in and day out. This monotonous existence defined David’s life. However, it was within this monotonous routine that David developed into a man of God. It was in those solitary moments on the mountains, engaging in the same tasks repeatedly, that David acquired invaluable lessons on faithfulness in his work. Consequently, when God elevated him to a higher position, David did not need to learn faithfulness anew; he already possessed that virtue. Responsibility was not a foreign concept to him either; he had already grasped its significance. God utilized the unending monotony of David’s daily routine to mold him for greater accomplishments.

This is the same for us. Our days blend into another day and we see our lives as nothing but a boring, monotonous routine. We often complain of the same job, bad traffic, parenting stress and so on. What we fail to see is that God is working, even during the routine times of our lives. As life unfolds in the same routine, we learn to be faithful in the little things; we in turn learn to be faithful to God.

Do you remember the parable of the bags of God? A wealthy man entrusted each of his servants with five, two, and one bag of God. The man who got five gained five more, the man who got 2 gained 2 more, and the one who got one just returned the one. See what master said to the servant who was faithful.

Matthew 25:21 “His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’

When life seems like drudgery, just keep walking faithfully with God; He is preparing you for greater things. Be faithful in your sameness. Keep praying, even when it appears that your prayers are not answered. Keep going to church, even when it seems nothing much is happening. Keep living for Jesus, day in and day out, refuse to turn back or waiver from following Him. In His time, He will bless you and reward you for being faithful during the routine times of life.

4. God trains us in battles

David’s life was not all about shepherding and the fields. We also find him go through different kinds of struggles and battles. It was also through these battles that God prepared him to be the king.

In 1 Samuel 17:34-37, the Bible talks about the encounters he had with a lion and bear as he was tending his father’s sheep. Later we see that he walks alone into a valley to face a giant named Goliath,

1 Samuel 17:40-51. In the process we can find David being severely criticized and underestimated by his brothers for the battle. However God gave David victory over Goliath. The victory over Goliath made Saul jealous over David. The 7 years David stayed in Saul’s palace, he was hated and pursued for his life by King Saul. David sensing threat to his life fled from Saul and spent another 8 years in the wilderness hunted by Saul.

For more than 15 years, David faced battles one after the other. God used the classroom of adversity as a valuable tool designed to teach David about the power, provision and providence of God. Remember God protected him all the way; no one could lay a hand upon David.

There are times when the monotony of our lives is shattered by the harsh blows of adversity. God’s purpose in those times is not to hurt us.

2 Corinthians 4:16-17  16 Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. 17 For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.

God desires to teach us patience, faith, and dependence upon Him. In order to do that, He leads us through trials and adversity.

David said in Psalm 23:4-6 4 Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. 5You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.6 Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. 

God allowed David to walk through some hard places so that He might use him in the future in a greater fashion. God hones us on the rough stone of affliction, so that we might be used in a greater way by Him.

Many get upset and give up when faced with trials. Have the right attitude and response to your struggles. God is faithful to lead you out of your struggles.

CONCLUSION

Romans 8:28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

Paul never says all things are going to be good but Paul says in all things whether good or bad, it will turn out to be good for those who love Him.

Like David, God is training us. God trains us in secrecy, solitude, sameness, and battles. I do not know which phase you are going through now but God is in the process of molding something beautiful out of you for this world and in the world to come. Amen.