Jesus Makes Everything Better

The school year is ending for our family. One day as my children and I were driving from one after school activity to the other, we reflected on how the school year was for them. My son mentioned how he started the school year disappointed because he wanted a particular teacher and ended up getting a different one. But as we talked about the year, he was so happy with the teacher he did receive. I immediately saw a teaching moment for all our family. Anything Jesus does is far greater than anything we can do.

We’ve all seen circumstances in our lives where we had a dream and couldn’t wait to see it fulfilled, but when the time came it didn’t happen the way we wanted it to. Our first reaction may be fear, anxiety, disappointment, or even anger. We immediately see the circumstance as negative. Sometimes we sit in these feelings for a day and then we see that everything is going to be alright, and other times we may sit in them for years before the positive is revealed to us.

Jesus’s ministry had just begun, and He was not quite ready to show the world who He truly was just yet. Remember, His human form might have been hesitant to get going knowing what all was to come. Jesus, His mother, and brand-new disciples were at a wedding and a catastrophe happened. The bridegroom ran out of wine and with the unwritten laws of hospitality the family showed the town during this weeklong wedding celebration, this was extremely embarrassing. Mary, Jesus’s mother, saw what had happened to her friends and knew who could help.

Mary went to Jesus and asked if He could help with the situation. She might have not necessarily been asking Jesus to perform a miracle that day, she was simply asking for His help. We see here that anything Jesus touches is better than anything we could imagine. Instead of just helping by going to find wine to serve to the guests, Jesus saw six stone jars and asked the servants to fill them with water. He then told them to draw some of the water out and take it to the master of the banquet to taste. The servants were shocked when wine poured out of those jars. The master of the banquet was surprised and said that most bridegrooms bring out the cheaper wine towards the end of the wedding celebration, but he saved the best for last. What looked like a circumstance that could have ruined the bride and bridegroom’s wedding celebration actually turned into a circumstance that was better than they could imagine.

What circumstance in your life looks like a catastrophe?

In Isaiah 55:9, we read God saying, “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.” God sees the whole picture; He knows the entire plan. The people of Israel acted as if they knew what God was thinking and planning. We cannot put God into a mold that we create, we must try to adapt to His plan.

Every individual that witnessed Jesus’s miracle at the wedding was amazed. He not only broke the mold they had put Him in, but He also far exceeded their expectations. Mary knew He was capable of anything and she placed the problem directly into His hands. She had faith in Jesus’s power and authority. As we place our circumstance into Jesus’s hands, can we have faith that His plan will be greater than ours, and that He has our best interest in the center of His plan while also advancing His Kingdom?

Look for this evidence in your circumstances and thank Jesus each time He makes something greater than you could ever imagine.

“For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11

“He is the Rock, his works are perfect, and all his ways are just. A faithful God who does no wrong, upright and just is he.” Deuteronomy 32:4

“As for God, his way is perfect: The Lord’s word is flawless; he shields all who take refuge in him.” 2 Samuel 22:31

Digging Deeper:

What circumstance are you grasping onto instead of allowing God to do amazing work in it?

How have you seen God do great things in your life?

Where is God leading you to trust in Him?