(The following is the April 7 devotional from my Next Step Devotions book. Before reading it, I suggest you read John 2 and pay close attention to verses 1-11.)
Do you prefer to have more than enough to meet your needs, or would you rather lack in some areas? Most would choose abundance over scarcity. However, there is great value in not always having what we need, as we see in the story of Jesus’ first miracle.
It would have been highly embarrassing for the wedding hosts to run out of wine at the multi-day marriage celebration in Cana. Jesus intervened and turned the jars of water into fine wine. In doing this, “He revealed his glory, and his disciples believed in him” (v. 11).
We may not consider wine a basic human necessity (although some may disagree). Still, this miracle allowed Jesus to meet a perceived need and bring glory to himself. It contributed to others believing in him and following him. By stepping in where humans failed to provide adequately, Jesus showed compassion for others, the ability to meet our needs, and authority over the natural world.
Spurgeon wrote: “If there had been sufficient wine for the feast, Jesus would not have worked this miracle, and they would not have tasted this purest and best of wine. It is a blessed need that makes room for Jesus to come in with miracles of love. It is good to run short that we may be driven to the Lord by our necessity, for he will more than supply it. If we have no need, Christ will not come to us.” *
We are responsible for doing our part to provide for ourselves and our families. We can never excuse laziness, expecting God to do for us what we can do ourselves. At the same time, we must walk daily with confidence in the risen Christ as the One we ultimately rely on to meet our most essential needs, now and for eternity.
Next Step:
Have you ever lacked something crucial and had Christ intervene to supply what you needed? Do you currently have such a need? Are you trusting Christ to meet it?
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* CSB Spurgeon Study Bible, ed. Alistair Begg (Nashville: Holman Bible Publishers, 2017), 1423.
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