As Art teachers, we are not unfamiliar with the process of firing. In fact it’s part of our daily routine at times.
With ceramic design,there is a process: the planning, the kneading, the making, the drying, THE FIRING and then, most importantly the function.
I’ll never forget standing in the kiln room one day having just lifted a class set of clay mugs from the kiln when the Lord spoke to me and said, “the state of the clay was changed in the fire.” (I for one was just surprised that half of these pots had survived the firing without falling apart or exploding- 13 year olds don’t always have the patience or the care of the trained potter.)
But it was in that moment that I realised that in the fire, the clay transitions in state to allow it to function as a vessel. The clay goes from this soft, totally fragile substance to one which is rock-hard, impervious to water, wind, and time.
It reminded me that we are made for more. The making and the firing are only stepping stones or preparation for the clay: the process is not finished yet.
What we have learnt is that unfortunately the fire isn’t a candle, it’s not a single flame. It is a heat that surrounds you: the flames can represent people, experiences, emotions or thoughts. Do you ever wish your problems took it in turns instead of coming all at once? But so often that’s not the case.
Over the last number of years we have both been through our own ‘fire’ experiences, tests of whether these vessels could withstand the ultimate heat and be able to function on the other side. The thing is, we now know, in our own strength and of our own merits (because we know ourselves well), that we would’ve crumbled in the fire. In fact, before the heat became as unbearable as it did, we would’ve jumped out and ran away, choosing any other reality to the one we were faced with. But it is exactly in that moment of maximum discomfort that the most significant change occurs. For us, that was the moment we recognised our own inability to survive the heat and we cried out for help!! We cried out for help to the one we had failed to recognise was already there. Looking back now, we are reminded of the story from Daniel chapter 3 when another figure appeared in the fire beside Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego: “Then why do I see four men walking around in the fire?...and the fourth one looks like an angel.” (3:25 GNT)
That’s right, there was another in the fire, standing next to us.
So what is the more we are made for? The definition of design is function, it has a purpose; a cup before firing cannot do what it has been designed to do. When we think of ourselves, the Lord is committed to finishing what he started, as Paul says in his letter to the Philippians “I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns” (1:6 NLT). At this point in our lives, we might not know every step of the journey, but as we give ourselves in faith to Him everyday, we know that it is to reflect Him.
The Lord is the master potter and He knows what He is doing. We constantly have to ask ourselves, do we really trust the Potter? Are we willing to let the Lord mould us into the vessels He wants us to be? This we know for sure, whatever the trial is or has been, it is in it that we are changed. For you, whatever your trial, be confident and full of hope, He will stand with you in the fire and at an appointed time He will lift you out carefully because no matter what you might think of yourself, the potter is really proud of His creation! The firing is part of the process and the Lord of all love will extract you when you are ready to be used for His purpose and His glory! A lesson we are learning is that “Our bodies are made of clay, yet we have the treasure of the Good News in them. This shows that the superior power of this treasure belongs to God and doesn't come from us.” (2 Corinthians 4:7 GOD'S WORD® Translation)
Truth is, we weren’t tested in the fire, we were made in the fire. And the one who stood with us, holding us up, is the one to whom the waves bow down and who spoke the stars into being.
Once fired, the vessels can perform their function. We know that as God’s creations we are not finished - it is our prayer that we are filled by His Spirit everyday, filled to overflowing and that “...he will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.”
Another In The Fire (Live) - Hillsong UNITED https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zmNc0L7Ac5c
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