Smashing: When God Is Trying to Get Our Attention

   The focus of today's teaching is “Smashing.” While the term “smashing” is sometimes used as slang to describe eating a large amount of food or engaging in intimate relations, that is certainly not the context in which Jeremiah uses the word.

"This is what I will do, says the Lord. I will make this place like the city of Topheth, and I will smash the people who live there like this pot." – Jeremiah 19:12

   God told Jeremiah to go to the potter's house to learn a lesson and receive a message for the children of Israel. Jeremiah observed the potter and the clay. The clay was on the wheel in the master's hands, being shaped and reshaped until a vessel was formed.

   Then God instructed Jeremiah to take that pot and smash it. This dramatic act was meant to show the people what could happen when they continually refused to listen and respond to God. God used Jeremiah as a visual prophet, taking an ordinary experience from Jeremiah's life and turning it into a powerful spiritual message for the children of Israel.

   God was demonstrating why destruction and devastation could occur. The message was not simply about the breaking of a physical pot. It was about what happens when people repeatedly ignore divine instruction, refuse correction, and become unwilling to hear, see, or change.

   People do not need God to smash them. The invitation is to become spiritually sensitive before circumstances become the thing that gets our attention.

1. Ears + Deaf

   Firstly, God has to smash because the people have ears, but they are deaf. God is communicating and sending prophets, but the people are not hearing. God speaks, but they are not listening.

   Therefore, smashing becomes a way of getting their attention. Destruction and devastation become the language they finally recognize because they have ears but are unwilling to listen.

   People must open their spiritual ears so that they can hear what God is saying. We do not want the Word of God to fall on deaf ears. Instead, we must cultivate a genuine desire to hear what God is communicating.

"My sheep know my voice, and a stranger they will not follow." – John 10:27

   God gives warning after warning and sends prophet after prophet, but when people refuse to hear, the consequences can become the very thing that gets their attention. Jeremiah's smashing of the pot became a visual picture of this reality.

"He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches." – Revelation 2:7

   The goal is to remain so close to God that even when God whispers, we can hear the still, small voice. This is one reason practices such as meditation, mindfulness, prayer, and conscious breathing can help us become still enough to recognize what God is communicating within and around us.

2. Eyes + Blind

   Secondly, God has to smash because the people have eyes, but they are blind. People are invited to see whatever God is trying to show them, yet spiritual blindness can prevent them from recognizing what is right in front of them.

   The prayer becomes: “I AM here to hear what is to be heard. Speak, Lord. I AM here to see what is to be seen. Show me.”

   When people cannot see God in a situation, they may be experiencing spiritual blindness. Jesus said:

"Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God." – Matthew 5:8

   This does not only speak about seeing God after this life. It also points toward developing eyes that can recognize the presence and activity of God in the present moment.

   We can learn to see God in every person, every place, and every experience. Sometimes people become so focused on what others have done, what others have said, or how others have treated them that they fail to see how God may be working within the situation.

   Joseph expressed this principle when he said:

"You meant evil against me; but God meant it for good." – Genesis 50:20

   The actions, words, and intentions of others may not always represent the highest and best, but God can still bring good out of what was intended for harm.

   If a person cannot see God, the issue may not always be the person, the place, or the circumstance. It may be the condition of the heart. When the heart becomes pure, the eyes become clearer, and we become more capable of recognizing God in the midst of life.

   God has been showing people through visions, dreams, experiences, and countless visual reminders. Yet even with all these opportunities to see, people can remain blind. When we refuse to see what God is revealing, we remain spiritually unaware.

3. Neck + Stiff

   Thirdly, God has to smash because the people have necks, but their necks are stiff.

   The neck is designed to turn. It can stretch from left to right and move in different directions. A stiff neck, therefore, becomes a powerful picture of being stubborn, inflexible, and unwilling to move.

   A stiff neck can represent pride and arrogance. It can also reflect insecurity, poor self-image, low self-worth, or becoming so fixed in one way of thinking that movement becomes difficult.

   When people become distracted by looking in only one direction, they can lose the flexibility necessary to respond to God's movement. We must not become spiritually stiff. We must remain flexible, pliable, teachable, and willing to turn wherever God is leading.

   The people had become stiff-necked. They were no longer pliable in the hands of God. Instead, they operated in stubbornness, arrogance, and pride. And because of this resistance, the broken pot became a picture of what could happen when a vessel refuses to yield.

Do Not Wait for the Smashing

   People do not need God to smash them. Instead, the posture of the heart should be: “Speak, Lord. Your servant hears.”

   We should be able to say, “I AM here to hear what is to be heard. I AM here to see what is to be seen. Show me. I AM here to experience what is to be experienced.”

   Many individuals feel as though they are being smashed by the circumstances of life. This teaching challenges us to look deeper. Could it be that we have ears but are not hearing? Eyes but are not seeing? A neck but are not willing to turn?

   The answer is not to live in fear of being smashed. The answer is to become spiritually attentive, spiritually perceptive, and spiritually flexible. When we hear God's voice, see God's presence, and remain pliable in God's hands, we can respond before circumstances have to force our attention.

   Let the prayer remain:

"I AM here to see what is to be seen. Show me, Lord.
I AM here to hear what is to be heard. Speak to me, Lord.
I AM here to experience what is to be experienced."

   May our ears be open, our eyes be clear, and our necks be flexible. May we remain like pliable clay in the hands of the Master, willing to be shaped, reshaped, corrected, and transformed.

Smashing – Jeremiah 19:12

   1. Ears + Deaf

   2. Eyes + Blind

   3. Neck + Stiff

   The invitation is simple: Hear what God is saying. See what God is showing. Move where God is leading.

📖 Reflection: What is God asking you to hear, see, or change in your life right now—and are you willing to respond?

💡 Action Step: Spend a few quiet moments today in prayer and stillness. Say, “Speak, Lord. I AM here to hear what is to be heard. Show me what is to be seen.” Then listen without rushing to respond.