Rest and Reset: A 30-Day Devotional to Revive JoySample

Clay in the Potter’s hand

Our times are in the Lord’s hands, so He shapes and molds us anew. If you reflect on your life experiences up to now, does your heart show a posture of gratitude? Can you identify key moments in your journey where the Lord may have directed you somewhere—a move, a career change, a new group of friends, or the letting go of old ways—and when you obeyed and made the change, hoping for good, instead encountered heartbreak that crushed your spirit and made you wonder if you truly heard from God? Or have you been called to walk alongside someone you love deeply as they face the shadows of grief, depression, divorce, illness, or death?

Your proximity exposed you to the pain, and the residue from what you’ve seen is now influencing you. These pivotal moments can change your entire perspective, and if you're not careful, they can weaken your faith and confidence in God’s character and the way he chooses to refine us.

So, we are introduced to the parable of the Potter (God) and the clay (us). In Jeremiah chapter 18, God uses imagery to describe what a believer’s life involves when they are on His holy wheel of sanctification. There is a call that invites us into a deeper, more fulfilling life in Christ, which is often met with spiritual warfare and events that can change our lives forever.

God gave Jeremiah a comprehensive lesson on how involved He is in our lives. In verse 1, the word came to Jeremiah instructing him to rise and go down to the Potter’s house, and once he arrived, God would give him more guidance. When Jeremiah reached the house, he saw the Potter working on a vessel. As the clay spun on the wheel, the Potter worked carefully. But when he finished, the jar wasn’t what he intended. The Potter realized he needed to fix it; he couldn’t leave it in its flawed state. So, he crushed it and started over.

This is how the Lord works in our lives. He may call you somewhere or ask you to give up something so He can show you a biblical principle that will strengthen your faith. The Lord might also give you a glimpse into someone else’s suffering so you can see what faith looks like under pressure. If that person is tired, like Aaron and Hur, He may put you in a position to support them during this dark season. Change can be hard, but that doesn’t mean God isn’t in it. Obedience always brings its reward, whether you see it now or in eternity.

The process of sanctification involves a series of events that lead to repeated crushing. It’s about daily surrendering our flesh and renewing our minds in Christ. It’s monotonous but essential. Crushing is often avoided and resisted, but it is through this process that God fulfills His purposes in our lives and in those whose faith we influence. Adversity acts as a bridge to a deeper relationship with Christ, and our faith is what sustains us.

You can rely on God’s purpose to prevail in your circumstances when you surrender to Him. Rest in God’s authority and His wisdom for your loved one. Just as clay is in the Potter’s hands, so is your life. God is working in you as He sees fit and good. No matter what season you’re in, choose gratitude and watch as the peace of God washes over your mind and spirit, providing a sustaining peace that surpasses all understanding.

Be Encouraged.