Isaiah 64:8-9
“Lord...we are the clay, and you are our potter; we are all the work of your hand.”
(Isaiah 64:8)
Growing up in a Baptist pastor’s home in the 1960’s, I can honestly say we were at church almost every time the doors opened…Sunday morning and evening, Wednesday nights, and usually several other times through the week. As I reflect on those days there are some things I remember fondly and others, well…not so much. One cherished memory, however, is the singing of hymns. Every time we gathered, we sang, and over the years, the tunes and texts of those great hymns became ingrained within me to the point I could match hymn titles and numbers by memory long before my tenth birthday.
In reading today’s scripture, those “ancient” memories of singing hymns came quickly to mind, particularly Adelaide Potter’s compelling text, “Have Thine Own Way.” The hymn was often sung as a invitation to faith or recommitment at the close of the service. “Have Thine own way, Lord! Have Thine own way! Thou art the potter, I am the clay. Mold me and make me after Thy will, while I am waiting, yielded and still.”
As I recall, "Have Thine Own Way" was number 355 in the old 1956 Baptist Hymnal. (I may not remember a conversation I had last night, but I can remember hymn numbers from fifty years ago!) They were powerful words back then. The words of the prophet, Isaiah, were powerful when written centuries before the birth of Jesus, and they are still a powerful part of discipleship today. You are the potter, Lord. I am the clay.
Prayer: Mold me and make me, Lord, after your will, while I am waiting, yielded and still. Amen.
Jim Abernathy
No comments:
Post a Comment