April 19th

April 19th

Let’s revisit the story from the sermon last night. Just the overview: Jesus is at the wedding, they run out of wine and His mom finds Him and plops the whole situation in His lap. Then He turns water into wine and solves the whole issue.

You can read the whole thing in John 2. Verse 5 is one of the most crucial verses and it is not even Jesus speaking.

John 2:5 His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.”

First, it is easy for us to read this and understand why she said that and think it is no big deal for her to ask the servants to do that. However, we must remember that up to that point Jesus has not performed any miracles yet, so nobody has any reason to believe that He is about to do one. Remember He even told Him mom in the preceding verse that His time has not yet come. So, it is profound that His mother says that. What do you think was going through the mind of the servants as they hauled in big heavy jars of water? They did what they were told because that’s what they do, they are servants…but they had to be thinking to themselves that someone was crazy, whether that was the woman or Jesus, or both. Regardless, they obeyed and their lives were changed forever. They witnessed the first public miracle that the Son of God did while here on earth. Undoubtedly they told everyone they could after the wedding. A year later Jesus would have had a reputation and obeying those directions would not have been as big of an ask, but on that day before anyone knew who Jesus was, it was complete blind obedience. Not only was it blind obedience, it made no sense. They were out of wine, not water.

How many times do we miss out on miracles in our lives because we won’t “do whatever He tells” us to? How many times do we miss out on answered prayer because what He tells us to do makes no sense to our human minds or egos? Let me give you an example:

RaeAnn often prayed that her husband would go to church with her and find Jesus. He was too busy and didn’t have the time (or the desire) to go with her. His excuse was that he worked so hard six days a week and Sunday was his only day to sleep in and get some rest. She protested because he was always awake before she left for church. They would argue about it and it was a frustrating situation for both of them. As a matter of fact, they argued a lot more lately about everything. One day at a small group meeting RaeAnn spoke up, frustrated that God had not answered her prayer for her husband yet. Nearly simultaneously two different people in the group asked her if she had ever made him breakfast in bed on a Sunday morning. She was a bit surprised and replied that she of course had never done that. The group suggested she do it. A month passed and the arguing just got worse. She continued to pray for him but she just couldn’t shake that idea suggested by the small group. So she prayed that God would give her a sign because she just didn’t think it made sense and he certainly didn’t deserve breakfast in bed. Finally after it hit her from all sides that she was supposed to do that, she made a plan. The following Sunday morning, 6 weeks after that small group meeting, RaeAnn made her husband’s favorite breakfast and served it to him in bed. He was quite surprised and asked her to sit with him while he ate. He asked her, “Aren’t you going to church this morning?” She told him she was but she just wanted to do that for him first. He thanked her and kissed her and told her to go ahead so she would not be late and he would see her afterwards. Of course she was disappointed and went without him. She was frustrated and confused. She told herself that it couldn’t have been God telling her to do that because it just didn’t make sense. BUT…the next Sunday when she woke up, her husband was up and dressed and serving her breakfast in bed. He said, “You should hurry up and eat or we will be late for church.”

If you have been praying for a miracle, have you stepped out in faith and done what the Lord has told you to do? Even when it didn’t make sense?

Isaiah 55:8-9 “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.”

Jesus, thank you for being willing to do miracles in my life. Forgive me for doubting, forgive me for not stepping out in faith, forgive me for not obeying when it didn’t make sense. Thank you that your thoughts and ways are higher than mine. Help me to remember that and be obedient. Help me to see my situation through your eyes, not just mine. Thank you for your perfect plan. Help me to set aside my ego, or my “rights” so that you can work in my life. Thank you for your patience with me Jesus.