Potter's Hand -- Darlene Zschech

“But the pot he was shaping from the clay was marred in his hands; so the potter formed it into another pot, shaping it as seemed best to him.” (Jeremiah 18:4)

 

Perhaps that is what Darlene Zschech (pronounced ‘Zheck’), a Christian songwriter, was thinking about herself and God when she wrote the song “The Potter’s Hand”, with the mental imagery of a craftsman at work (maybe not unlike the fellow in this 1605 work of art shown here, by an anonymous artist). Darlene has a life today most would say is charmed…she’s a key part of the Hillsong church ‘down-under’ in Australia, a gifted songwriter whose resume has dozens of songs and albums that are familiar to millions of Christians, a mother with 3 daughters, and a husband who is her partner in Christian ministry. If you dig a little deeper, however, you discover that her life at times has been anything but charmed, and might even be characterized as ‘marred’, more like the message Jeremiah heard from the Lord. Darlene’s had bulimia, the eating disorder; she suffered through a miscarriage during a pregnancy; and she endured financial struggles -- not exactly charming life experiences. Does Darlene Zschech’s life sound like yours? Do you feel that your ‘pot’ is misshapen, or even broken apart?

Darlene says “The Potter’s Hand” was a prayer that she made to God one day in 1997. She just felt the need to be submissive to Him, to allow Him, as her song words say, ‘to take me, mold me, use me, fill me’. Her other requests to Him were for His calling, guiding, leading, and walking beside her, all things she didn’t keep to herself, but was brave enough to say aloud to Him and for others to hear also. Darlene had a lot she needed from Him, it seems, ‘a heart’s cry’ as she recalls the day she emotionally called out to Him. She remembers that the melody she accessed was from Him, set to the words she was vocalizing that day as she prayed in earnest. This sounds like Darlene in her most genuine state, a woman who has indeed known struggle, but who is also intimately in touch with the Divine Overcomer.

I know I never welcome adversity. Yet, experiences - good or bad – shape us. The good news is that the Holy Potter doesn’t need a perfectly smooth, beautiful vase, and maybe that’s what Darlene Zschech was reflecting upon when she put together the “The Potter’s Hand” and the album titled “Touching Heaven, Changing Earth”, on which it appears. That album title is a good description of what God does for the believer – He changes us - and that’s a supernatural hope for you and me as we grapple with life. I may begin my walk with God, lamenting or even despising the repulsive parts of myself. But when I realize that I’m not the only strange-looking clay jar, I gain something, and so do we all. I’m unique, and if I own that as a gift from above, I climb above my shrinking, self-doubt, and contact the Divine One. Pray like Darlene Zschech was that day in 1997, and see what might emerge for others to see and appreciate.  

The few details of the song story are told in the book “I Could Sing of Your Love Forever”, by Lindsay Terry, Thomas Nelson Publishers, 2008.     

Information on Darlene Zschech developed from sites:      

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Darlene_Zschech

http://www.christianitytoday.com/tcw/2001/marapr/3.36.html