Psalm 1

A psalm of praise for guidance and comfort

I trust you Lord, with all my life,
Yahweh is my God, my salvation, my guide.
My God is whom I go to in times of trouble.
He is my comforter, always giving a listening and attentive ear.
I cried out to Yahweh in my distress, in uncertain times,
I called out where I was, asking for guidance and help
Asking why this had happened and what it meant,
I felt lost and confused.
I did not know where to go or what had happened,
I felt that I had been following the wrong path.
Yahweh visited me in my need and carried me
He provided for me when I thought hope was gone
The doubts in my mind, he expelled, hope was returned.
He has enabled me to know where to aim
He has refreshed and renewed my desire,
Opened the door that seemed once to be closed.
I know there will be times when these doubts will come again
But I will praise you, Yahweh, with my every breath,
I will give thanks for the works you have done
I will tell of your loving-kindness
You are the Holy One, my saviour.

The Potter

Abba, Father, You are the potter.

We are the clay, the work of your hands.

Mould us and fashion us into the image of Jesus your Son.

An image familiar to many people, and one holding so much meaning, looking at this image found in Isaiah 64 reading:

⁴ Since ancient times no one has heard,
no ear has perceived,
no eye has seen any God besides you,
who acts on behalf of those who wait for him.

⁵ You come to the help of those who gladly do right,
who remember your ways.
But when we continued to sin against them,
you were angry.
How then can we be saved?

⁶ All of us have become like one who is unclean,
and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags;
we all shrivel up like a leaf,
and like the wind our sins sweep us away.

⁷ No one calls on your name
or strives to lay hold of you;
for you have hidden your face from us
and made us waste away because of our sins.

⁸ Yet, O LORD, you are our Father.
We are the clay, you are the potter;
we are all the work of your hand.

God is intimately involved in our lives knowing every one of our thoughts and actions, good and bad. The potter’s role is to work the clay, exposing the flaws and faults giving an opportunity for them to be corrected. Even though the faults can be exposed, if the clay dries up it cannot be corrected and reshaped. As we are the clay we should be willing to be molded once our imperfections are exposed, realising the opportunity we are given. Allowing God to work with us personally, molding us into the image of God, that of Jesus Christ. Allowing ourselves to be corrected and opening our lives for reshaping we prepare ourselves for the refining fire, in which those who have allowed Christ into their lives will be perfected fully. Those who kept to their own way will be broken in the fire, with those imperfections being uncovered once again.