² Go down to the potter’s house, and I’ll give you instructions about what to do there. ³ So I went down to the potter’s house; he was working on the potter’s wheel. ⁴ But the piece he was making was flawed while still in his hands, so the potter started on another, as seemed best to him. ⁵ Then the Lord’s word came to me: ⁶ House of Israel, can’t I deal with you like this potter, declares the Lord? Like clay in the potter’s hand, so are you in mine, house of Israel! (Jer. 18:2-7, CEB)

Too often our definition of “good” is terribly insufficient. What God ultimately does with us has the longer view in mind. We may not like what he is doing at the moment, but too often it’s just our aversion to pain that makes us whine. We don’t always see the flaws.

Check that.

We rarely see the flaws in our own lives. Then, when God has to crush the flaws out of us we complain.

Maybe we gripe about the “pain” and think it isn’t “good” only because it doesn’t meet our very narrow definition of “good.”

We are so caught up in ourselves these days, we need to pay attention to the Potter once again. We are deeply flawed as a church in America and there may be a “pounding” coming ahead. It’s not for our ill. It is for our good. 

The Potter is the One who sees what needs to be done. We need to let his work be done in us. His work is good.