To be a vessel of honor for God, we must be held by Him.

When God wanted to teach the nation of Judah that He was holding them, He sent the prophet Jeremiah to a potter’s workshop to give him the message for them. “So I went down to the potter’s house, and I saw him working at the wheel. But the pot he was shaping from the clay was marred in his hands; so the potter formed it into another pot, shaping it as seemed best to him. Then the word of the Lord came to me. He said, “Can I not do with you, Israel, as this potter does?” declares the Lord. “Like clay in the hand of the potter, so are you in my hand, Israel” (Jeremiah 18:3-6).

Can you imagine God saying these words today: “O child of God, can I not do with you as this potter?

Look, as the clay is in the potter’s hand, so are you in My hand!” If you are a child of God, you are in His hands. He held you in His hands when He created you. He has held you each and every day of your life. And He will continue to hold you until the day you die and go into eternity.

God held us in His hands when He created us.

In Genesis, God tells us that He formed people from the dust, or clay, of the ground. In creation, everything that God made He spoke into existence except for man. When God made man, He chose to take a more hands-on approach. Genesis 2:7 explains, “Then the Lord God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.”.

The Hebrew word translated as formed is yâtsar which means to mold into a form, through the squeezing into shape, as a potter shapes the clay (Strongs 3335). God molded the clay of the earth into the shape of a man; then He breathed His very own breath into it, and it became a living being.

From the very beginning, God was the Potter shaping the clay of the earth into His special creation. He is still the Potter today every time He forms a new individual. “For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.” (Psalm 139:13-14).

Just as the Potter molded his clay into a vessel, God molded us into the human vessels He desired. He chose your hair color, your eye color, and your skin color. He determined if you would be short or tall, thin or curvy. He also shaped your basic personality: talkative or quiet; scheduled or spontaneous; people-person or a loner; a leader or a follower. He also chose when, where, and to whom we would be born.

None of us are mistakes, and nothing about us is a mistake. God knows what He is doing. We are the work of God’s hands. He is our Potter.

God continues to hold us each and every day.

God’s work in you is not completed at creation. He continues to “works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose” (Philippians 2:13). He holds you daily, and “he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus” (Philippians 1:6).

God has good plans for us which He actively works in our life each day. “The Lord makes firm the steps of the one who delights in him” (Psalm 37:23).

God guides us as we walk in the plans He has for us. “The Lord will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail” (Isaiah 58:11). It is like He is holding us by our hands and leading us in the right direction. When we study His Word, we learn what pleases Him. His Holy Spirit speaks to our spirit about what is right and wrong. He impresses upon us the works that God has planned for us.

He will continue to hold us until the day we die and go into eternity.

God’s ultimate plan is to usher us into heaven to be with Him forever. While God has held every human being as they were formed in their mother’s womb and has plans for each individual who walks on earth, certain blessings are only for those of us who accept Him as our Savior and Lord.

Part of God’s perfect plan for every individual whom He creates is to become His child by receiving the gift of eternal life that Jesus purchased for us with His blood when He died for our sins on the cross. Once a person accepts Him, He begins to unfold and advance the rest of His plans for us. He holds us, walks with us, and leads us through those plans. When we have completed His earthly plan, He will walk us right into glory.

“Nevertheless I am continually with You; You hold me by my right hand. You will guide me with Your counsel, And afterward receive me to glory” (Psalm 73:23-24).

Praise God! He holds us today, every day, and into eternity. If we desire to be a Vessel of Honor, we can pray, “God, Hold Me.”

All Scriptures are quoted from the New International Version.

How have you seen God holding you?

Can you give specific examples of God guiding your path?