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A couple of months ago, I had the opportunity to view a pottery demonstration at a JC Cares event in Easley. Other than a questionable-looking “fish” I’d made out of clay in elementary school, I knew little to nothing about pottery or “throwing a pot,” as they say. While worship music played in the background, the potter threw her clay down onto the wheel, and I found myself completely captivated. The scriptural potter-and-clay metaphor came to life. I began meditating on God’s omniscience—how our God knows all things perfectly and exhaustively. He never learns, discovers, forgets, or becomes surprised. I haven’t stopped thinking about it since. Here’s what stayed with me.

God knows what we need. The amount of water that the potter used during her demonstration surprised me. I learned that the water acts as a protective barrier between the potter’s hands and the clay. Using too little (or too much) water can compromise the vessel's integrity. Just the right amount of water allows the vessel to be more easily shaped and molded into what the potter wants it to become.

I don’t know about you, but I often think I know better than God about what I need in this life. I just need him to get on board, right? God alone knows what we need in order to form us into the likeness of his Son. He knows our capacities, limitations, weaknesses, and strengths intimately. My job as the clay is to be receptive to what he provides.

God knows our circumstances. A few times during the demonstration, I wondered if perhaps the potter had made a mistake. There was a lot of shifting before any obvious shape emerged. Looking back, I can see that nothing was wasted. Every step had a purpose—even the ones I didn’t anticipate or understand.

By the end, I found myself saying, “Oh, that makes sense now!” I’ve found myself saying the same when looking back on some of the most challenging seasons in my life. When I’ve cried out, “How long, O Lord?” or “Why is this my life?” I haven’t received full answers in the moment. However, I’ve come to realize that not knowing the “why” draws me into a deeper dependence—the very thing I need more than knowledge. God is not surprised by our circumstances, and he uses them to draw us to himself.

God knows who he is forming. The potter knew what she was creating before she threw down the clay ball. And so it is with the Lord, our good and perfect Potter. He knows who we are becoming. He knows every surprising twist and turn—including the refining pressures we would never have chosen. Even when we experience suffering due to the brokenness of the world, the actions of others, or our own missteps, it is never beyond his knowledge or his ability to redeem it and use it for good. He knows the plan.

If I’m being honest, I don’t always rest easy in that truth. You may struggle with it, too—it’s in our nature to want to know why. But as the clay, we do not need to know when, why, or how. We need to know the One who does!

Courtney Vaughn

For the Women at Grace Newsletter Team

Consider how Scripture addresses God’s omniscience as he relates to people across the ages:

Read John 4:1–30 >> In a culturally awkward scenario for that time and place, Jesus asks a woman at the well for a drink, and then offers her “living water.”

• Consider what Jesus already knows about the woman—her past relational circumstances and present physical need.
• Notice how Christ meets her in the midst of her situation.
• Think about her response—starting with leaving her water jar behind.

Read Psalm 139:1–24 >> David recalls the Lord’s omniscient work in his life.

• Annotate references to God’s omniscience and compare them with our limited human knowledge. To get started, look for places where “know” and “knowledge” appear.
• Circle other verbs that describe God’s omniscient actions.
• Mark patterns of repeated words or phrases. What might those repetitions emphasize? (For example, notice repeated key words in verses 1 and 23.)

Dawn Tietz

For the Women at Grace Newsletter Team

In light of the Lord’s omniscience demonstrated in John 4 and Psalm 139, consider how we might confess our unbelief, autonomy, anxieties, and frustrations; reframe our expectations; and trust our omniscient God with even the messy, hard things. Through his Spirit, he has “given us everything we need for living a godly life.” (2 Peter 1:3)

Spend some time personalizing and praying back Psalm 139 (particularly verses 23–24) as worship and gratitude. Name and confess any weaknesses in your trust.

1. When have you found yourself wrestling with the desire to know “why”?
2. Are you receptive to the ways that God is molding and shaping you?
3. In a season of refining pressure, what confusion or unmet longing are you being invited to lay down?

Pray that you would be satisfied with what God has in store for you—even if it seems to be something less than what you hope for. He will never fail you!

Allie Black

For the Women at Grace Newsletter Team