Jim Reeves’ song, “HAVE THINE OWN WAY LORD” was once my lullaby. The lyrics were originally written by Adelaide A. Pollard in 1906. Here are the full wordings of the first stanza – “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.” Adelaide must have been inspired by Jeremiah’s encounter with God. God wanted Jeremiah to see how He treats His people, so He instructed him to visit the potter’s house. While there, the potter was making a vessel which by a twist of event got damaged. The potter did not abandon his work; he simply re-mixed the clay and fashioned something better out of it. God then drew the lesson: as the clay is to the potter so are His people to Him. This means that even if we got damaged, God can still turn things around.
“If anyone submits to God without resistance, the same way the clay is in the hand of the potter, there will be redemption.”
God does not handle people the way superstores do their products. When goods are damaged, for instance if the container is compressed, they sell them at a bargain. Sometimes damaged goods are sent to charities; and at other times they are thrown away. Whereas people can sometimes be damaged due to a wide variety of reasons, God does not discard people at will. No one who is still alive is beyond redemption, no one is beyond the reach of God’s mercy and grace. If anyone submits to God without resistance, the same way the clay is in the hand of the potter, there will be redemption.