By Michele Degarmo
“But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay, some for honor and some for dishonor. Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from the latter, he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified and useful for the Master, prepared for every good work. Flee also youthful lusts; but pursue righteousness, faith, love, peace with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.” 2 Timothy 2:20-22
As we continue in our dedicated fasting and praying together, asking God to show us His glory, I wonder in what ways God has done this for you so far. Has He increased your dreams and visions? Has He brought to you more divine encounters? Has He increased your awareness of the supernatural happenings around you and/or others? Has He revealed Himself to you in ways He hasn’t before? Has He let you know that He is with you, loving you, and growing you into a deeper knowledge and awareness of Himself?
God gave me a vision last Saturday at our Encounter night at church. As we were singing and praising, I saw His hands, big, strong and gentle, picking up shards of broken pottery. Pieces of a clay pot vessel that had been shattered were being carefully chosen, handled, and sealed back in their rightful places. He was rebuilding this vessel, slowly and carefully, skillfully fitting the pieces back together and cementing them into place to create a stronger, more useful vessel. He made it clear to me that He was rebuilding this vessel stronger and more useful to Him, with the capacity to hold whatever He desired to fill it with.
Then on Sunday in church, our pastor started a new sermon series on the book of Nehemiah, rebuilding the wall and the gates to the city of Jerusalem. His focus was on the gates, and this impacted me. Having 10 gates, all with a specific purpose, it was important to have guards at these gates 24/7 to protect the city from intruders. These gates had been burnt down with fire from the last invasion, and Nehemiah wanted to come and rebuild them. If the gates are burned, transactions of any and all kinds have the liberty to take place. If they are fortified, only those transactions permissible by the guards of the gates can be allowed.
But wait, there’s more! On Monday, 1/13/25, Autumn Nims’ post regarding 2 Chronicles 7 asked the Lord to “fill us, consume us, reveal Your Glory in our lives.” Please re-read that post as it was so well-written, AND it ties in all these things that had been happening in the days since this fasting and praying time began! Can you see how in 2 Chronicles 7, by asking Him to fill us, we first need to be vessels ready for His use? Broken shards don’t hold anything, but broken shards that have been carefully and lovingly put back together into a new creation by His mighty hands can be used for anything that He wants to pour into that new vessel!
Moving into this week’s focus, 2 Timothy 2:20-22, we are called to be vessels worthy of God’s use. By asking God to cleanse us and consume anything that is not of Him, by rebuilding our gates and fortifying them with His power and might, we find that we are then able to be the “vessels for honor, sanctified and useful for the Master, prepared for every good work.” (2 Tim 2:21)
In this time of fasting and prayer, let’s ask the Lord to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Let’s ask him to mold us into the vessels He can use for His purposes. And let’s ask Him to pour His Spirit into our vessels to overflowing so that we can have a powerful effect on our families, communities, and the world as we go out and reflect His glory.
To our God be all glory, honor and praise!
