Challenges Are Not a Punishment, They Are a Source For Improvement

In review of Isaiah 64:8 it says, “Now, O Lord, you are our Father; we are the clay, and you are the potter; and all we are are the work of Your hand.”

Bottom Line:

We are nothing by clay and you are the potter, our Father. You created with your hands.

What this means to me:

You, Lord, are my Father. I am your clay, and you are the potter who created and molded me with your own hands..

Today's verse comes from Isaiah 64. In it Isaiah tells us how God welcomes those who gladly do good and who follow his godly ways. However, we are constant sinners, infected and impure with sin. Anything we do on our own only amounts to the equivalent of a filthy rag. It seems that no one calls on God’s name or pleads with God for mercy. Therefore you (God) turn us over to our sins and sinful ways. And yet, O Lord, you are our Father. We are the clay, and you are the potter. We have all been formed by your hand. So we ask you to not be angry with us, don't remember our sins forever. We see all the destruction around us and we pray that you don't won't be silent and punish us.

In summary, my sin makes me unclean such that I cannot approach God. My own best efforts are still infected by my sin. If I come to him demanding acceptance on the basis of my own "good" conduct, God has the right to point out that my own righteousness is nothing by a filthy rag. Therefore my only hope, is faith in Jesus Christ, who can cleanse me and bring me into God's presence.

I’m reminded today that often while I’m waiting for my circumstance to change, God is waiting for the circumstance to change me.

If I’m faced with challenges I don’t understand, I should embrace them by. Seeking God’s face and asking Him how to tackle the problem. If I I don’t do it God’s way the first time, He will often give me many more laps around the same mountain. It would be so much easier If I would listen to the still, small voice of the Holy Spirit that is guiding me toward my divine destiny.

I don’t think anyone enjoys trials or tribulation. Each person's life is a culmination of good and bad, sweet and sour, heartbreak and elation. Praise the Lord in and out of season, because he is molding me to be the outstanding individual He created before time began. Challenges are not a punishment, they are a potential source of great improvement.