Why did God send me to this situation? I’m not the one for the job.
Why am I even doing this? No one will notice.
Why is this what He wants me to do?
Sometimes we feel like we can’t catch a break, and we find ourselves questioning why what we’re doing even matters. The work we’re being asked to do to experience God’s abundance leaves us feeling discouraged. The assignment God has given us feels pointless and it requires a lot of heavy lifting on our part. But what happens when we are simply obedient and fully devote ourselves to the process?
John, one of Jesus’ disciples, wrote the Book of John, which details his eyewitness account of Jesus’ life. One of the stories that John tells is about a wedding in Cana where the hosts run out of wine in the middle of the festivities. Mary, Jesus’ mother, notices that the wine runs out and brings the need to Jesus. Much to our surprise and probably the surprise of Mary, Jesus then asks the servants to get gallons of water.
Imagine the back-breaking work the servants endured to fill the six jars—each holding 20 to 30 gallons. For reference, one gallon of water weighs a little more than eight pounds. Multiply that by 30 and just one stone jar would weigh about 240 pounds! That’s a lot of water—much more than the wedding guests would ever consume.
The jars the servants filled with water were normally used for a ceremonial washing—something the Jews did daily. These ritual washings were a continual reminder of their ongoing need to live a clean and holy life. The trouble was, no amount of washing or good works were ever going to be enough. Jesus knew this. In fact, it’s why He came.
Let’s look back at the workers for a minute. I can imagine the servants wondering if their work was in vain, or maybe feeling like it was a waste of their time and energy.
Have you been where the wedding servants were? You gave everything, did what you were supposed to, and asked, “What’s the point?”
So often we allow our thoughts to become fixated on what we do not understand. We try to make logical sense of something that goes beyond us. Like the filling of the water jars, your current situation is an opportunity for God to work beyond your hopes and needs. God takes our ordinary and, through Christ in us, makes it extraordinary. What God can do with your current situation is beyond your understanding. Trust the process.
Let’s change the way we think. Instead of giving so much thought to what you do not know, reflect on what is true.
Remain faithful to “filling the jars” because it is in the process of obedience that something supernatural can happen. Keep going. Keep showing up. We serve an abundant God who is faithful and able to change what was not into what is!
