I'm a little teapot

I’m a Little Teapot

Written in August 2005

One day, a few weeks ago (summer of 2005), I was bouncing around the house, belting out “I’m a Little Teapot” for all I was worth.I felt unusually joyous at that moment, and I was basically singing to God and worshipping Him, even though I was just singing “I’m a little teapot, short and stout! Here is my handle, here is my spout!”….

That got me, and I paused and said, “Ok, God, this is kinda funny, I’m singing this little kids’ ditty and feeling so goofy-happy, what’s up with that?!?!?”

Almost instantly God gave me understanding as to what was going on in my spirit, and He gave me the ‘translation’ of this little song, which turned out to be, although covertly, a worship song! I had actually been, in my spirit, worshipping Him with all my might. And He took great delight in it, too!

These days, I come to Him quite often, like a child, and sing it to Him, like a child.

Sound weird? A little bananas? That’s ok; God told me a few weeks ago that I am a banana in His kingdom. He uses the foolish things to confound the wise, and I am a teapot that serves banana flavored tea! Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good. Bananas though my message may seem, I pray you will hear God in it. Here it is, line by line…

I’m a little teapot – I am an earthenware vessel.

I am but an easily broken jar of clay, which has the honour to be one that carries and contains the living water inside. I am fallible, but humbled by the fact that my Creator made me, and chooses me, for His work. I am to be a vessel sanctified for the service of the Master; the service of Him, and Him alone.

Short and stout – am I short? Am I fat? How can the clay say to the Potter, “Why have you made me thus?”

I am fearfully and wonderfully made; even though I may, in my flesh, not like things about myself very much, I am exactly who God made me to be, with my positive attributes, and with my challenges, too. Not an eloquent speaker? So what? God will give me the words anyway. Not the brightest light bulb in the factory? So what? It’s His light that shines in us, not our own. We don’t have to be smart to know the truth. Maybe I don’t feel like the right person for the job… but I can say, “God, You knew what your were doing when You made me a lot better than I do!”

Here is my handle - for my Master to hold me firm.

I was formed for the purposes of God. God has a destiny for me, if only I will allow Him to seize me and take control of my life! You predestined my life before the foundation of the world; You chose me, little ol’ me, to come to You, and know You intimately, and serve You, King above all kings, Lord above all lords. I know in whose hands I belong, Lord - better is one day in Your courts than thousands elsewhere, O Lord! My Beloved, I am Yours.

Here is my spout - for my Master to use me as His vessel.

I was created to be His hands, His feet, on this earth: in ministering to the saints; in sharing the Good News with the lost; in exhorting, edifying, and encouraging the downtrodden. I was created to bring the rivers of living water to those who are thirsty. Use me, O Lord. May I be effective at what You have called me to do; may I be fully obedient to Your call on my life; may I be a vessel that serves only noble purposes, and never, ever, the mundane.

When I get all steamed up - when I’ve been in the fire of God and am passionate for Him….

When I have been in His refining fire, and see just how small of a creature I am, and just how big of a God that I serve; when I burn with passionate love for Him, and am willing to lay down my life in service to Him; when the wine of the Holy Spirit is bubbling up within me…. It is my job, Lord, my responsibility, to stir myself up, to maintain my passion for You, to maintain my awe of Your greatness, and to remember the depths of the mire you pulled me from!

Then I shout - then I will declare, earnestly, with all my might….

The Lord goes up, arises, with a shout: I will declare, with passion, my choice to the nations…. I will blow the trumpet and loudly declare His victory over the powers of darkness! I will proclaim the Lordship of God over my life…. I will exalt Him, and say to Him, “You, and You alone, are my King”… ”As for me, I will, will, will serve the Lord!”

“Tip me over” - "take my life, Lord, and shake me!”

Everything that can be shaken will be shaken…. Lord, shake me, shake my life, and see what remains. Show me where my house is built on sand, Lord. Knock me off balance, purify me, bring me to the end of myself, Lord. Bring me into full, total, complete, and uncompromising submission to You! Yes, I will dare say it – and mean it, however much it may hurt my flesh – “Humble me, Lord!”

“And pour me out!” – “may my life be poured out as a drink offering to You!”

Yes Lord, I offer myself a living sacrifice to You, pure, holy, as my reasonable service to You…. “Take my life and let it be, consecrated, Lord, to Thee”…. May I successfully die to myself every day, Lord; You are the one who keeps my faith solid and secure, my own frail attempts could not keep me, Lord. I lay everything in me that I could possibly lay claim to, and lay it at Your feet as Yours. All my glories are Yours, Lord, I cast my crowns at Your feet. “Lay me down, let this place be an altar; Lay me down, let this death be complete”….

And so I sing it, not seeing the base, obvious meaning of it, but seeing with eternal eyes the revealed truth behind it that God had hidden in it for me to find. Hey, God talked through Balaam’s (ahem) donkey, right? God can speak through any woofer or tweeter He wants to - any speaker, any mouthpiece, any melody… including a little kids’ song. And we can respond in kind:

“I’m a little teapot, short and stout!!!

Here is my handle!!! Here is my spout!!!

When I get all steamed up, then I shout!!!

“Tip me over, Lord, and pour me out!!!”

~ Amen!