"O house of Israel, cannot I do with you as this potter? saith the Lord. Behold, as the clay is in the potter’s hand, so are ye in mine hand, O house of Israel.
At what instant I shall speak concerning a nation, and concerning a kingdom, to pluck up, and to pull down, and to destroy it;
If that nation, against whom I have pronounced, turn from their evil, I will repent of the evil that I thought to do unto them.
And at what instant I shall speak concerning a nation, and concerning a kingdom, to build and to plant it;
If it do evil in my sight, that it obey not my voice, then I will repent of the good, wherewith I said I would benefit them."
Jeremiah 18:6-10
I think God is saying here that all is malleable (at least with God's power). One one side, that means that even in the worst condemnation or circumstance that we shouldn't give up hope. Repentance and going before the Lord in meekness and humility and asking him to turn aside his anger can still work, if we're committed and sincere. On the other side, he is telling us not to be smug about our situation. Even if the Lord has promised us all and pronounced blessings upon us, we can still easily lose all of that through sin and disobedience if we play the part of the rebellious pottery. :)
We deal with God in a relationship, and not one that is a one-sided wish-->genie or slave-->master deal either. It is child-->Father. Also, this is a father that has the best interests of his child at the forefront of his mind at all times, and who isn't going to easily give in when asked for things that will harm us. He is going to try to teach us to stand up for ourselves and to walk on our own even if we would rather not. He'll never force us, but he will keep encouraging us to do the right and to improve. He's also smart, and isn't going to let us get away with fakery.
Today, let's do our part in our relationship with the Lord. Let's be his true people so that he can be our true God. Let's follow his path so that he can lead us to safety and peace.
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