Pray and Obey

They have no more wine.

They were at a family wedding in the town of Cana. Running out of wine at a wedding in those days was quite the embarrassment. The wedding had many guests and went on for days. What was the family to do? The situation seemed impossible. Plus Jesus was not encouraging in His response.

Dear woman, that’s not our problem. My time has not yet come.

And yet Mary was not deterred. She turned to the wedding servers and told them:

Do whatever He tells you.  

So much wisdom is packed into the short dialog they had together. I love how Mary simply brings this need to Jesus. Mary did not tell Jesus how to resolve the problem. She had complete confidence He would take care of it in His perfect way. His seeming reluctance did not deter her. She knew all that was required was obedience.

What if I had complete confidence and peace in Jesus' power, wisdom, and love for me and those who I love like Mary did? 

What if I present my concerns to Jesus in the simple way as Mary did instead of spending energy trying to figuring it out myself? 

What if I understood obedience was required for the Kingdom to come? 

What if I did not see God's delays as His denials and simply continued to trust Him?

What if I truly believed that prayer was doing something?

Beloved, help me to pray as Mary did, with confidence in Your power and Your wisdom and Your love. Help me to obey You as the servants did, even when it seems unreasonable. Help me to trust You because You are worthy.

When the master of ceremonies tasted the water that was now wine, not knowing where it had come from (though, of course, the servants knew), he called the bridegroom over. “A host always serves the best wine first,” he said. “Then, when everyone has had a lot to drink, he brings out the less expensive wine. But you have kept the best until now!” (John 2:1-11)