As children we were asked, What do you want to be when you grow up? As young people, What do you want to do with your life? As adults, Do you have a plan?. Some of us were not sure of the answers to those questions, and many of us still do not know! Well, lucky for us, God does! God knew you before you were born and even then He had a very special plan and purpose laid out especially for you!

A long time ago, God spoke to a young man named Jeremiah and said, Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart, I appointed you as a prophet to the nations. (Jer. 1:5) God may not speak to us today like He did back then, but His message is still the same. And like Jeremiah, we tend to answer the same way too: Alas, Sovereign Lord, I said, I do not know how to speak, I am too young. (Or too old, or any other excuse we may have!) Throughout the Book of Jeremiah, he continued to wonder if he was really meant to be used by God. In Jeremiah 18, God sent him to the house of a potter. When he arrived, Jeremiah found the potter working and stood and watched as the potter molded a piece of clay into a pot. But the clay was damaged, so the potter began to shape a different pot better suited for the blemished clay. The potter did not throw the clay out because of its imperfections. Instead, he transformed it into a beautiful vessel without any flaws. God then reassured Jeremiah that this is what He does and how He works. When we cannot see or imagine what God can possibly have planned for us, God shows off His handiwork and His perfect plan comes shining through us.

God wants to use us just as we are, rough spots and all. Allow Him to smooth out the damaged area of your life and mold you and fashion you in His way so that you can reflect the Hand of the Potter.

Suggested prayer: Dear Lord, I am comforted knowing that my life is in your hands. Allow me to keep my heart tender and let you work in my life so that I may be all that you designed me to be. In the name of Jesus, Amen.

1.    Isaiah 64:8.

Today’s Encounter was written by: Veronica B.