7-28-12. John 2:1-12. What Can We Do Next?-my devotional
7-27-12. John 2:1-12. What Can We Do Next?-my devotional
John 2:1-12 Kevin E. Jesmer
Key verse 2:3-5 7-27-13
“When the wine was gone, Jesus’ mother said to him, “They have no more wine.” 4 “Woman,why do you involve me?” Jesus replied. “My hour has not yet come.” 5 His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.”
What do we do when we feel that we have done all we can in regards to a mission? In the account of the wedding banquet, I believe we can find our answers. In John 2:1-12, Jesus and his disciples and his mother Mary were at a wedding banquet. There was a joyous of the couples’ new life. But during the banquet they ran out of wine. Wine was essential at this wedding. It contributed to the joy of the participants. Mary is the one who discovered that they had no more wine. Maybe she was working in the kitchen. This was a problem. What could she do to bless the wedding? Where would a senior woman get 120 gallons of fine wine? On her own she could do nothing. But she knew the one who could solve this problem and bless the wedding. She came to her son, Jesus. “They have no more wine.” This was basically her prayer to Jesus to do something to bless the wedding. Jesus said to her, “Dear woman, why do you involve me?” He wanted to bless the wedding and he had a plan, but Mary had to wait on Jesus’ timing and trust in Jesus’ way in doing things. The important thing here is what Mary did after Jesus basically told her to wait? She did not just sit in the corner and do nothing. She prepared the environment for Jesus to work. She went to the servants and told them to do whatever Jesus told them. The servants did what they could do. They took the stone water jars and filled them to the brim and took it to the Master of the Banquet. They all worked together as a team. Their cooperative obedience created an environment of faith through which God could work. And Jesus did work. When the Master of the Banquet tasted the water that was served to him, we discover that the water was changed into the finest wine. The wedding feast could continue. All the attendants could continue to celebrate the couple’s new life. There were great memories created and the most important thing is that Jesus revealed his glory. He is the Creator God who changes water into wine and who gives great joy and who hears our prayer, blesses our lives and works through his people.
At this time I liken Native ministry in NW Ontario to a great wedding banquet. There is a lot of work going on already. There is a lot of godly joy. But Jesus wants to continue to bless the “wedding banquet”. Christians also want the joy of the wedding feast to continue and increase. They want to see Jesus glorified among the people. They see the need for more Gospel ministry and they come to Jesus with a prayer to bless. As they wait they do what they can do to make an environment though which God can work, knowing that Jesus will indeed answer their prayer in his time and in his way.
God has been leading us closer and closer to getting involved in Native ministry. There a spiritual banquet already going on there. Jesus wants to work through us to increase the joy of the spiritual feast. But Jesus has basically been telling us to wait. What does waiting mean to us? What can we do as we wait on the Lord? How can we create, among ourselves, an environment of faith through which the Lord Jesus can work through us to increase his blessings in his time and in his way? This is very unique for each person and for each mission and situation. But I believe that there are ways that we can practically work as we wait. We can be like Mary who prepared the servants. We can be like the servants who filled the stone water jars to the brim and serve it to the Master of the Banquet. We can wait on Jesus, trusting that he knows what he is doing. I need to find out what God wants me to do at this time of waiting.
In conclusion, God really wants to bring joy and blessing to the spiritual feast of the Kingdom of God in NW Ontario. He wants us to be part of the feast and contribute to the joy. He wants to reveal his glory. But right now we are called to pray and trust the Lord. We are called to be like Mary, who told the servants to do everything Jesus tells them to do. We are call to be like the servants who filled the stone water jars to the brim with water. May we prepare our hearts and other servants of God as we wait on Jesus.
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