He’s Still Turning Water into Wine

If I asked you where Jesus did His first miracle, what would you say? Many people would assume the first miracle happened in a synagogue or other religious gathering, or perhaps at one of Jesus’ open-air teachings.

But if you think miracles only happen at religious gatherings—perhaps where there’s a choir singing or a keyboard setting the atmosphere—you’ve got it all wrong. In fact, when Jesus performed His first miracle, there’s no evidence He even read a Scripture verse.

You see, Jesus’ first miracle was at a party. It was a wedding feast, to be exact (John 2:1-11). Jesus wasn’t even the preacher at the wedding. The Son of God came just as one of the guests, bringing His miracle-working power into a party others had thrown.

Stories like this show Jesus reaching out as the friend of sinners (Luke 7:34). In the same way, He wants believers today to bring the power of His heavenly kingdom into our neighborhoods, our workplace, or social occasions like the wedding at Cana.

At this wedding, Jesus miraculously turned ordinary water into extraordinary wine. Still today, our Lord asks us for the ordinary things in OUR hand, so He can give us the extraordinary things in HIS hand.

Like the people in this story, we all face needs of one kind or another—situations that require a supernatural turnaround. At various times, we may need a transformation of our finances…our health…our emotions…or our families. And sometimes we struggle with feelings of boredom and drudgery—needing a transformation that brings back the joy of living.

Also, perhaps you have friends or loved ones who are living in bondage to some area of sin or addiction, and they need a transformation that sets them free to experience God’s best for their life. Although the devil delights in snaring people with temptations and addictions, the power of God can deliver anyone who cries out to Him!

Restoring the Joy

Water is an essential, elemental part of life. But in the story of the wedding feast in Cana, water also stands for the plain, the ordinary, and the bland.

Wine, in contrast, has flavor and texture. Jesus said this kind of new wine must be put into “new wineskins,” because it needs room to expand and grow (Mark 2:22).

Take a moment and ask yourself whether you need the Lord to put the flavor, texture, and joy back into your life. He can turn ordinary things into something extraordinary.

Jesus’ mother told the servants at the wedding feast, “Whatever He says to you, do it” (John 2:5). What profound and timeless advice! When you do this, your water will be turned into wine, and your lack will be transformed into overflowing abundance.

But Mary’s statement was pretty radical, wasn’t it? Are you willing to follow the Lord’s instructions and do WHATEVER He tells you to do? That’s the price for transforming your circumstances and your life—you must set your heart to follow the Lord’s instructions.

When Your Wine is Gone

The wedding feast “ran out of wine” (verse 2), and perhaps that’s how you’re feeling today as well. You had money…but it ran out. You had love…but now it seems to be gone. You had dreams…but somehow they evaporated or turned into nightmares.

At such times, it’s easy to feel frustrated or disillusioned. “I never thought it would be this way,” you moan. That’s exactly how the people at the wedding feast must have felt when they ran out of wine.

But the story isn’t over yet…nor is your story over.

No wine? No problem! All you have to do is find out what Jesus is telling you to do. More often than not, He will tell you to give Him something you HAVE (like water) in order to get something you NEED (like wine).

So what do you have today, and what do you need? Like exchanging water for wine, I promise you it will be a great exchange indeed.

Those who taste the newly made “wine” in your life may well react like the master of the feast, who “did not know where it came from” (verse 9). They’ll wonder where you got such peace, joy, and zest for life, even amid difficult times. What a great chance to tell them about Jesus, the one who can turn their water into wine too.

If you’re ever tempted to feel that life has passed you by and your best years are now behind you, you need to remember how this story ends. In verse 10, we’re told that Jesus didn’t just replace the old wine with something new: He saved the BEST for LAST!

When you do what He says and give Him what you have, God will do the same for you, giving you “a future and a hope” (Jeremiah 29:11).

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Do you want to know you have eternal life?