From Bishop Jemmott’s Monthly Publication “The Bishop’s Pen”  for April 2017 entitled “You Are God’s Handy-work!”:

The ancient prophet by the name of Isaiah writes the following about our relationship with the Eternal God, the creator of all that is seen and unseen: “Yet you, Lord, are our Father. We are the clay, you are the potter; we are all the work of your hand.” Isaiah 64:8 (NIV) What an amazing declaration. There are two aspects of the relationship between the Creator and man, which we need to explore. First, He is the Father, and secondly, He is the Potter. The word father we know, but the word Potter is from the Hebrew word “yatsar” meaning someone who forms and fashions.

Knowing that God is my Father and Potter should make me want to praise Him with every fiber of my being. But there is something in the verse that should give every believer an unshakable assurance and confidence. The text also says, “We are all the work of your hand.” To show the significance of these eight words I need to take you back to creation.

When God created the universe, He spoke Words, and every created thing came into existence. “Then God said, ‘Let there be light’; and there was light.” Genesis 1:3 (NASB) He also called every living thing except man into being. “Then God said, ‘Let the earth bring forth living creatures after their kind: cattle and creeping things and beasts of the earth after their kind’; and it was so.” Genesis 1:24 (NASB)

But when it came to creating man, the entire God Head – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are involved in the creation and making of man: “Then God said, ‘Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness…’” Genesis 1:26 (NASB) Using His hands, God takes lifeless clay to form, shape and fashion man. Not only does He use His hands, but He kisses man and breathes life into him. However, this life is different from the life of other living things. This life is divine life; this life is God’s life. “Then the Lord God formed man of dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.” Genesis 2:7 (NASB) What does this mean? It means we are God’s handy-work.

The best definition of handy-work is work performed by hands or the product of a person’s effort and action. You need to know that God’s hands are still involved in your life. He did not create you to abandon you. To those of you who suffer from low self-esteem, you need to know that you are God’s handy-work and everything God makes and touches is wonderful.

The Psalmist knew that he was special when he wrote “Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it.” Psalms 139:14 (NLT)

Yes, you are God’s handy-work; you are “wonderfully complex!” And you are “marvelous.” Praise the Lord!

Be Blessed

Bishop Jemmott

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