Broken in the Potter’s Hands: Stories of Brokenness and Redemption
Book Overview
This was not a book that I ever envisioned myself writing. In fact, if someone had told me that I would one day be the author of a book that required me to depend on the guidance of the Holy Spirit to write, I would perhaps laugh and mumble to myself about how little that person knows about me. I have always valued having control of what I do and how I do it, and I resented any attempt to take that control from my hands. I have since learnt that this independence and control though they can be positive, can limit God’s capacity to use me. It was in a time of brokenness that I realized what God can do when we relinquish control. Through my own journey of brokenness, I got a glimpse of who God is and His love for me even when I could not make sense of it all. In the dark moments of that process, I struggled to trust God, His Word and His character. However, He remained there with me in the mess, waiting patiently on me to realize that His hands were holding the shattered bits and pieces of my life. He waited to mold me again.
The intent of this book is to help you to make sense of experiences of brokenness and share the path to healing and redemption. Part One of the book is an introduction to the key concepts of brokenness and redemption from a faith-based perspective. I explore the concept of God as divine potter juxtaposed against controversial issue of God’s role in brokenness. Then I examine biblical accounts of experiences of different states of brokenness. The section concludes with an examination of the redemption that can emerge in response to brokenness as experienced by the Biblical characters.
Part Two documents the stories of ten (10) participants who were interviewed with a focus on their experience of brokenness as they faced different situations ranging from the loss of a loved one, sickness, church hurt to infidelity. The interviews are presented as narratives of the participants’ reflection on the state of brokenness that propelled them into a deeper relationship with God and how through the experience, the nature of God was reveled to them. The interviews were analyzed using qualitative methods comprising coding, categorizing and theming. Ethical considerations guided the interview and analytic processes. Pseudonyms are used to ensure confidentiality and anonymity of the persons whose stories are shared in this book.
Finally, Part Three presents the themes that emerged from the participants’ reflections on the process and their revelations about who God is and how He uses brokenness to redeem us unto Himself. The common themes are used to pull together the lessons learned about the nature of God in brokenness supported by Biblical references that were discussed in part one. These themes are meant to serve as a guide in learning to embrace a deeper meaning to our experiences of brokenness and place greater faith in God as our source of redemption.
It is hoped that by engaging with each section of this book you will gain insights and revelations that support your understanding and development of faith in God – Yahweh – as the Divine Potter. Developing an openness to a faith-based perspective to navigating different states of brokenness serves not only as a coping mechanism but also creates an opportunity for something far greater which is redemption and healing that are found in Jesus Christ. Faith in God lies in understanding who He is, and that in His everlasting love there is redemption. I consider this an important perspective to understand because faith offers an opportunity to understand brokenness as a gateway to a deeper relationship with God that leads to redemption.
There are many persons today struggling with hurt, loss, disappointment, sickness and grief. You may be asking: why did God allow me to go through this? The book Broken in the Potter’s Hands: Stories of Brokenness and Redemption explores this question from a faith-based perspective, shares with you the ugly process of brokenness as experienced in the Bible and by Believers in the present day. These stories and the discussion presented, reveal the limitless possibilities for mending when you stay in the Potter’s hands.
In this post I will share snippets from chapter one of the book that address three critical issues. For a more in depth discussion of these topics I encourage you to read the sample available online and consider purchasing the book.
A Faith-based Perspective on Brokenness
Faith is more than mere intellectual agreement with facts; rather it is a confident trust in God and His promises (Grace Theological Seminary, 2026). This means that even in our brokenness we embrace that God remains the author of our lives and we hold to unwavering faith in His promises. This reflects transcendent faith which is radical because hope is not placed in obtaining results, and trust does not hinge on a positive response (La Mothe, 2010). My favorite verse of Scripture, Jeremiah 29:11, echoes this sentiment:
“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future” (Jeremiah 29:11).
Even when I am broken and everything around me seems broken, I trust in God with the expectation that somehow, it will ultimately work in my favor because God is the Divine Potter who is in control of my life. I also believe that God’s intentions towards us His children are good and ultimately His plans are designed to redeem us. Romans 8:28 reminds us:
And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose (Romans 8:28).
I deem it important therefore to share the value of having undeniable confidence in God. This confidence in God stands regardless of the outcome of our situation. To embrace this perspective of faith, especially when we navigate brokenness, we must understand the nature and character of God as revealed in Scripture.
On The Potter’s Wheel
The aim of God as the potter is to make a vessel that pleases Him. This is illustrated in Jeremiah’s conversation with God concerning the children of Israel, the clay on His wheel. As God worked with the clay – the children of Israel – the shape displeased Him and so He decided to break and reshape them. The children of Israel had imperfections such as stealing, murdering, committing adultery, idolatry (Jeremiah 7:9) that would disfigure the final product. God chose to reshape them before they became too hard and unworkable.
Many times, we are propelled to reflect on our life choices and actions when we are in a state of brokenness. It is in those moments that we truly see ourselves and decide to change. This was God’s intent when He broke the children of Israel. Think of a person struggling with addiction or who is caught up in a life of crime who changes their ways for the better after they are imprisoned, hospitalized or experience a traumatic event such as the death of a friend in a similar lifestyle. These traumatic experiences are part of reshaping before we become like Pharaoh, too hardened and stubborn.
The experience of brokenness is ugly and difficult. We might even consider it evil. It can take many forms and affects so many aspects of our lives. A state of brokenness can evoke feelings of doubt and confusion that test faith. It is often more challenging when one’s understanding of the nature of God is limited. After all, God is good (Psalm 103:8), thinks good thoughts towards us (Jeremiah 29:11), knows all things – past, present and future – (Proverbs 15:3) and can do all things (Ephesians 3:20). Why then didn’t God prevent this traumatic experience from happening? This is a commonly asked question among persons grappling with traumatic experiences that result in a state of brokenness. This question is explored in the book with a focus on the evil in brokenness and its connection to God as the potter.
The snippet below provides a summary of the central argument related to this issue of evil in brokenness as discussed in the book. This topic is handled in greater detail in the book using several biblical examples.
The Problem of Evil in Brokenness
Central to embracing the concept of God as the potter is the need to reconcile the problem of evil in brokenness. Many have questioned how a good God can stand by and watch those whom He loves suffer brokenness. Sickness, death, imprisonment, betrayal, church hurt, guilt and unfulfilled promises are some of the most painful and traumatic experiences that can break us. In our experience evil things come from brokenness. This begs the question, if brokenness is bad, how can it come from God? Isn’t God all good? I offer this response for us to ponder:
I am the Lord, and there is no other; apart from me there is no God. I will strengthen you, though you have not acknowledged me, so that from the rising of the sun to the place of its setting people may know there is none besides me. I am the Lord, and there is no other. I form the light and create darkness, I bring prosperity and create disaster; I, the Lord, do all these things. (Isaiah 45:5–7).
It is difficult for us to wrap our heads around the idea of a God who makes peace and creates evil. But if we are to examine brokenness from a faith-based perspective and embrace it as a pathway to finding peace, healing and redemption, then this issue cannot be ignored. The statement found in Isaiah 45:5–7 is more about embracing God as the POTTER than as the engineer of evil. The essence of Isaiah 45:5–7 is that God is sovereign over all things good and evil. To be clear there is no evil in God’s character. The Bible teaches us that the nature of God embodies pure good. He is the light and in Him there is no darkness:
This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all (1 John 1:5).
Light represents absolute moral purity, holiness, and truth while darkness represents sin, deceit, and evil. Saying that there is no darkness means God has no hidden flaws, bad motives, or evil sides. God does not lie or make mistakes. He is completely trustworthy and perfect. This is why He has the moral authority to be sovereign lord over us. He is the only one qualified to be the potter over us as clay. A potter creates and molds clay to his liking and is sovereign over the clay in his hands. This is the essence of what is presented in Isaiah 45. God is the divine potter who has authority over good and evil and uses them as He pleases to fulfil His purpose.
While the process of breaking seems bad and evil, faith means accepting that God’s hands are still at work even in our brokenness. If God is the potter, it also means He is never simply standing by and allowing evil to break us. He is actively working on the clay on His wheel to make something pure, good and absolutely beautiful. To further explore this dilemma of the evil in brokenness let us also consider this verse of Scripture:
The LORD has made everything for its purpose, even the wicked for the day of trouble (Proverbs 16:4).
This verse suggests that God has power over all things, including the ultimate end of those who are wicked. He can use evil men to serve His divine plan, which includes a coming day of reckoning. There are men whom God created who are mentioned in the Bible that we would consider evil. For example, Pharaoh, Cyrus, Nebuchadnezzar and Judas. These men, because of their continued evil choices were used in their state of wickedness to accomplish God’s sovereign purpose. The fact that they were by their continued choices evil does not mean that God predestined them to be evil because we all have free will.
Free will from a faith-based perspective means that we have the right to choose whether we obey God’s commandments and become followers of Jesus Christ or do otherwise. The scripture tells us that we can obey God and “choose life” (Deuteronomy 30:19) and “choose to do the will of God” (John 7:17) and you can even “use your freedom to indulge the flesh” (Galatians 5:13). In other words, we have the option of doing what we choose even if it means defying God’s commandments. However, with our free will comes consequences, our choices will determine our end. Those who choose to use their free will to constantly disobey God’s commandments are described as “sinners, evil men” (Proverbs 4:14) who will reap “death” (Romans 6:23). This death is both physical and spiritual and ultimately carries eternal separation from God.
When sin entered the world through Adam in the book of Genesis, these consequences became clear. As human nature became corrupt, physical death entered the world and with this corrupted nature, our relationship with God was fractured. Fractured relationships often lead to selfish and wayward choices with bitter outcomes.
The sovereignty of God that is wrapped up in the problem of the evil and brokenness is difficult to grasp. However, it is foundational to faith that is rooted in accepting God as all mighty with no equal nor rival. God created all things but in His infinite wisdom and justice He gives us free will. We can choose to obey Him completely and experience great blessings in fulfilment of His promise:
All these blessings will come on you and accompany you if you obey the Lord your God: (Deuteronomy 28:2).
Or we can choose to do what seems good in our own eyes and still be used to fulfil His purpose, but not as a vessel for good but for evil. When we walk in our own ways contrary to God’s commandments, we are used not as a vessel to honor but as vessels to dishonor (2 Timothy 2:20). It must also be noted that even when we are totally surrendered to God, we will experience difficulties and really challenging times that will break us. I believe the Psalmist David captures this well:
The righteous person may have many troubles, but the Lord delivers him from them all; he protects all his bones, not one of them will be broken. Evil will slay the wicked; the foes of the righteous will be condemned. (Psalm 34:19–21).
Essentially both Believers and sinners will experience brokenness, but for those that put their trust in God, redemption is sure. Nahum 1:7 gives us the assurance that:
The Lord is good, a refuge in times of trouble. He cares for those who trust in him” (Nahum 1:7).
What is the sum of this problem of evil in brokenness? Brokenness is not a pleasant experience, but God is in control, even of our brokenness. He has the power to use our brokenness for His purpose and redeem us unto Himself. Both the righteous and the unrighteous will experience brokenness, no one is exempt. However, how we make sense of the experience from a faith-based perspective and respond to the state of brokenness hinges on our understanding and acceptance of God as the Potter.
