When the wine was gone, Jesus’ mother said to Him, “They have no more wine.” “Dear woman, that’s not our problem,” Jesus replied. “My time has not yet come.” (John 2:3-4)
Mary, the mother of Jesus was at a wedding in which she had a role and responsibility when suddenly the wine ran out. This was a serious issue not just a social embarrassment.
“When the wine was gone, Jesus’ mother said to Him, “They have no more wine.” (John 2:3) She tells Him about the TROUBLE. She talks about it with Him, “They have no more wine.” It is more than just a fact, it is a plea for help.
Listen to Jesus’ response. “Dear woman, that’s not our problem,” Jesus replied. “My time has not yet come.” (John 2:4)
You know, at first this answer sounds discouraging. It doesn’t sound like a lot of help. But Jesus wasn’t saying “Who cares about this problem.” JESUS WAS SAYING, DEAR WOMAN, IT IS ALREADY IN GOD’S HANDS.
SOMETIMES GOD’S ANSWER WILL NOT BE THE ONE WE WOULD CHOOSE NOR DOES IT ALWAYS MAKE SENSE. BUT WHEN IT IS THE LORD’S WORD IT ABSOLUTELY CAN BE TRUSTED TO HELP US.
Reminds me of an old joke. A man named Jim was walking along a steep cliff one day, when he accidentally got too close to the edge and fell. As he was falling, he grabbed a branch which stopped his fall. Holding on to the branch and stuck on the side of this cliff Jim began yelling for help.
“Help! Help me!” but no one heard him. He yelled and yelled until he was ready to give up.
Suddenly he heard a voice, “Jim, Jim, can you hear me?”
“Help me, I’m stuck!” Jim said.
“I am here to help you,” the voice said.
“Great, who do I have to thank for helping me?”
“It’s me Jim. It’s Jesus. Listen carefully to Me. Go ahead and let go of the branch.”
Hearing this answer, Jim started yelling again, “Help! Help me! Is there anyone else up there?”
Mary goes to Jesus, asks for help, and then trusts it to His decision. She leaves it there with Jesus. Let’s LISTEN, and then TRUST that in the Lord’s Hands all is well.
Prayer
Lord Jesus, so often we come to You with our concerns and our cares, and we know that You are the Good Shepherd, and we know that You have promised to provide for everything that we need. Sometimes, Lord, we give our needs and our concerns over to You. But we have a habit of just taking them back and continuing to make them our problem. But You‘ve reminded us today that those problems are all taken care of. They are in Your Hands and You will provide and lead us through that. Would You continue to grant us the faith to trust in You, so that as we give our cares and concerns to You this day, we can live in the freedom and the joy and the security of knowing that Your love will see us through. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
Thank you for reminding me to hand my problems to God and leave it there.