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God told Jeremiah in Jeremiah 18:2-11 (New King James Version), “Arise and go down to the potter’s house, and there I will cause you to hear my words.” Then I went down to the potter’s house, and there he was, making something at the wheel. And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hands of the potter; so, he made it again into another vessel, as it seemed good to the potter to make. Then the word of the Lord came to me saying, “O house of Israel, can I not do with you as this potter?” Says the lord. “Look, as the clay is in the potter’s hand, so are you in my hand, oh house of Israel.”
Ezekiel 24: 2-6, “Son of man, write down the name of the day, this very day the king of Babylon started his siege against Jerusalem this very day. And utter a parable to the rebellious house, and say to them,” thus says the Lord God. “Put on a pot, set it on, and also pour water into it. Gather pieces of meat in it, every good piece, the thigh, and the shoulder. Fill it with choice cuts; take the choice of the flock. Also pile fuel bones under it, make it boil well, and let the cuts simmer in it.” Therefore, thus says the Lord God, “woe to the bloody city, to the pot whose scum is in it, and whose scum is not gone from it! Bring it out piece by piece, on which no lot has fallen.”
Ezekiel 24:15-23, the word of the Lord came to me saying Son of man, behold, I take away from you the desire of your eyes with one stroke; yet you shall neither mourn nor weep, nor shall your tears run down. Sigh in silence, make no mourning for the dead; bind your turban on your head, and put your sandals on your feet; do not cover your lips, and do not eat man’s bread of sorrow.” So, I spoke to the people in the morning, and at evening my wife died; and the next morning I did as I was commanded. And the people said to me, “Will you not tell us what these things signify to us, that you behave so?” Then I answered them, “The word of the Lord came to me, saying, speak to the house of Israel,” thus says the Lord God, “behold, I will profane my sanctuary, your arrogant boast, the desire of your eyes, the delight of your soul; and your sons and daughters whom you left behind shall fall by the sword. And you should do as I have done; you shall not cover your lips nor eat man’s bread of sorrow. Your turbans shall be on your heads and your sandals on your feet; you shall neither mourn nor weep, but you shall pine away in your iniquities and mourn with one another.”
God uses elements, items, objects, situations, experiences, culture, native languages, and backgrounds to speak to us in ways we can understand. God is contextual. He will not speak to you from a Greek culture if you are an African. God understands the meaning from one person to another, culture to culture, home to home, and family to family. Africans pride themselves in using their natural God given “cutleries” and often lick their fingers when they are enjoying the food. To the English man it is an “eek” moment. God knows these things and He understands what is important to you. God knows us more than we know ourselves.
God knows our customs and beliefs. He understands our uniqueness; after all, He created us. God ministers to us from our level of understanding, background, culture, and by using objects and things that we are familiar with. God knew that Jeremiah understood the purpose of clay and the duties of a potter. God would not have used such allegories to speak to Jeremiah if he was not familiar with them. Therefore, when we speak to God, we should speak to Him with simple prayers. It is not the eloquence or repetition of words that get God’s attention. We don’t have to try to prove that we can pray, or that we are anointed to pray. The Bible condemns this behavior in the book of Matthew 6:7, “And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do. For they think that they will be heard for their many words.”
Use allegories to make your point clear, but only use objects that you are familiar with. God is omniscient, omnipotent, and omnipresent. He is an all knowing, all seeing, all powerful and an all-wise God. He knows you. He knows your language, background, culture and what you are familiar with. Don’t think He does not know your voice, or what you know. He knows everything! He knows your mind. Speak (Pray) to Him in your understanding, allegorically, illustratively, and continually.
