Monday, May 16, 2011

John 2:1-5


1) Silence, Stillness and Centering before God (2 minutes)

2) Scripture Reading - John 2:1-5
On the third day a wedding took place at Cana in Galilee. Jesus’ mother was there, and Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding.  When the wine was gone, Jesus’ mother said to him, “They have no more wine.”   “Dear woman, why do you involve me?” Jesus replied. “My time has not yet come.”  His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.”


3) Devotional Thought
In this, his first observation of Jesus and his mother, John records for us how:
1)       Mary approached Jesus fully expecting him to do something to help this young couple out of their embarrassing situation
2)       Mary persevered in her request, even in the face of a mild rebuke from Jesus
3)       Rather than prescribing a solution, Mary opened the door for Jesus to do whatever He thought best in the situation with her instructions to the servants to “do whatever he tells you”

Now, whether Mary expected Jesus to do a miracle, or simply to go get more wine, is difficult to know for sure.  Even so, her approach to Him is educational in how we can approach God with our requests and needs. Too often we don't take all of our needs to God...especially our everyday needs that we can usually handle on our own.  And in our hurry up world, we are not typically patient enough to persevere when we don't get an immediate answer to our problem.

So, learn from Mary and consider these questions...


4) Questions:

1)       Do you approach God with all of your needs, no matter how minor, or everyday?
“Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.” 1 Peter 5:7
2)       Do you persevere in prayer, and requests?
Or do you give up in the face of waiting for an answer, or after receiving an answer that is not what you expected?
3)       Are you ready to let God define what, if anything, needs to be done?
Maybe what you’ve been asking for isn’t what is really needed… and only through perseverance in prayer, spending time with God, can you see what really is.
4)       Are you ready to obediently “do whatever he tells you?”


5) Prayer:
Father God, help me to trust you in all of my needs and desires no matter how big, or small.  And help me to accept your answer no matter how different from my preference it may be.  And forgive me when I am not ready to obediently do whatever you may ask me to do in answering it.  In Christ’s name, amen.

Conclude with Silence (2 minutes)