And yet, O Lord, you are our Father. We are the clay, and you are the potter. We all are formed by your hand.”

‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭64‬:‭8‬ ‭NLT‬‬

When I picture the potter at the wheel, I’m reminded of something I often forget—I am not random. I am not an accident. I am not a product of chance. I am in the hands of a Master.

God, because of who He is, has intention. He has design. He has purpose.

And just like clay cannot shape itself, I can’t become who I was created to be apart from Him. 

Believe me, I’ve tried. I’ve taken control, attempted to define my own life, and every time, I end up with something distorted. BUT, when I surrender to His hands, everything changes. Listen to this amazing declaration about God’s design in YOU!

Isaiah does not simply say, “Do good.”

He says: “Learn to do right.”

This means that doing good does not always come naturally. We must learn to listen, to discern, to step out of our habits, and sometimes to recognize our prejudices.

We can have good intentions and still misunderstand what someone truly needs. Doing good also requires humility.

The prophet Micah summarizes what God desires:

“To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.” (Micah 6:8 - NIV)

Who am I that God is mindful of me?

"What is mankind that you are mindful of them, human beings that you care for them?" Psalm 8:4 (NIV)

When we think about who God is - His Splendor, His Sovereignty, His Power, His Strength - we can often wonder how He finds time to pursue us through His Love. Think about it. He set the heavens and earth in place - such magnificence. Yet, in the end He considered that you and I needed to exist. Our existence was not merely casual - God made us in His own Image.

Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.” Genesis 1:26…

Going through a painful season of difficulty does not mean your story is over; God can use your quiet faithfulness in the middle of your tough circumstances to lead you into a beautiful new beginning.

Ruth was a young woman from Moab whose life had been completely turned upside down by unfortunate circumstances. She was broke, childless, and grieving the sudden death of her husband. When her mother-in-law, Naomi, decided to return to her hometown of Bethlehem, Ruth had to make a tough choice. Instead of staying in her comfortable homeland, she chose to stay by Naomi’s side and trust in the God of Israel. Ruth had every reason to feel defeated by her sad situation, but she did not let her hardships make her proud or bitter. Instead, she willingly did the most ordinary work available—gathering leftover grain scraps in the fields to feed them both.

To anyone watching,…