Vessels of Honor

“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)

Once a potter shapes a vessel upon his wheel it is up to the potter to decide how he wants to use the work of his hands. A vessel cannot use itself. It takes the hand of the potter to lift the vessel, fill the vessel, and use the vessel in the way he has purposed when he shaped it.

A potter may have a hundred different vessels that he has formed upon his wheel. Each vessel may be a different size and shape. Each may be intended for a different purpose and used at different times. One vessel may be used each day and another used on rare occasions. This does not mean that the one used daily is more significant than the vessel that is rarely used. In the potter’s plan, the one that is rarely used has not been deemed insignificant, but kept for a special purpose.

We are the Lord’s vessels. He is the Potter and we are the clay. He is the One who has made us and shaped us, and He is the One who will use us according to His will. We only frustrate ourselves when we decide how we should be used, when we should be used, or where we should be used. We can also add to our frustration by striving to make things happen.

We must rest in His will and not struggle in our own attempts to be used by God at the time and in the way that seems best to us. In God’s perfect place for us, there will always be God’s all-sufficient grace, His peace, His favor, and His blessing to accomplish His purpose.

Although we are different vessels with different functions, we can all be vessels of honor. A vessel of honor is a vessel that is clean. If we are a clean vessel, we are a vessel that is ready to be used as the Master chooses.

Father, You have formed me and shaped me into the vessel of Your choosing. I ask that You create in me a clean heart and renew a right spirit within me. Wash me by Your word, cleanse me through the blood of Jesus, and set me apart and use me in Your place, in Your way, at Your time. Use me in the way that accomplishes the greatest good, that pleases You the most, and that brings You the highest honor.

By Roy Lessin
Used by Permission

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