It is not, I would argue, only those outside the kingdom that are prone to grumble against God over His sovereign exercise of His will. Paul, in Romans 9, suggests that those clay vessels that God has prepared for destruction are tempted to say to their Maker, “Why have You made me thus?” That is, doesn’t it seem unfair for God to ordain my sins and then judge me for them? (Of course the objection itself would never even be raised if the simple answer were, “Well, it’s your free-will that’s to blame.”)
It’s not my intention here to try to answer that question Rather it is to point out that even believers, all clay in the Potter’s hand, grumble against Him say, “Why have You made me thus?” Why would any believer grumble that God has made of them a vessel of mercy? They wouldn’t, and don’t. Our complaint isn’t “Why are You turning me into this?” but “Why are You turning me into this this way?” We love the idea of becoming vessels fit for glory. What we hate is being molded and shaped, squeezed and fired. We want to go where He’s taking us but don’t much care for the route He has chosen.
Imagine, if you will, that God were passive, leaving the decision to be a vessel fit for destruction or for glory with the clay. How many people would choose glory? 0. Now remember that God has determined, through no merit in the clay, which bits of clay will be prepared for destruction and which prepared for glory. Remember that you were chosen for the latter. How many people would reach glory if God were to let us choose the route? 0. Did we not, when we first confessed our sin, cry out for His mercy, acknowledge His Lordship, give up the reins? Did we not vow that we would trust Him, that we wanted Him to have His way rather than give us ours?
We’ve all had our share of hardships. I’m not suggesting they aren’t hard. I am suggesting, however, that such is very much the point. He does not walk with us through the valley of the shadow of death because that’s where He found us. He walks with us because that’s where He led us. All for the purpose of remolding us into the image of His Son. When He takes me, an ugly, dirty lump of clay, and as He begins to apply pressure, squeezing me, as He pours water over me to soften me in His hands, when He forms me and fires me, the whole time He is looking at the ideal, the model, the paradigm, His beloved Son. He isn’t, in short, merely remaking us, but is remaking us into the image of Christ Jesus.
The very glory He is preparing us for came to pass because He pressed and squeezed and fired the model 2000 years ago. Lord, burn out of us that dross that leads us to grumble that You make us through Your means, for Your glory because of Your Son.