Unknown Need

On the third day there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there; and both Jesus and His disciples were invited to the wedding. When the wine ran out, the mother of Jesus said to Him, “They have no wine.” ... When the headwaiter tasted the water which had become wine, and did not know where it came from (but the servants who had drawn the water knew), the headwaiter called the bridegroom, and said to him, “Every man serves the good wine first, and when the people have drunk freely, then he serves the poorer wine; but you have kept the good wine until now.” -John 2.1-3, 9-10

The wedding in Cana marks the first miracle of Jesus, but it is a miracle that is done on behalf of those who didn't even know they had a need. Jesus is at a wedding when the wine runs out, a situation that would have been greatly humiliating for those giving the feast. Jesus is made aware of the issue, and acts on behalf of those in need.

In light of His mission, this is a seemingly insignificant issue, but it was a problem that would have mattered if it became public knowledge. Jesus cares about the little things, and so He acts on behalf of those who don't even know they have a need.

Reading this passage has reminded me that God is always at work, even when I am not aware of it. The headwaiter has no idea where the wine came from, he is unaware that there was ever a shortage of wine. God is always at work, and there are problems He deals with before I am even aware that they exist. It is easy to get distracted by the big things that are right in front of us, the things that we worry about and get frustrated over when God doesn't act. But what about all of the issues that are avoided because God deals with them before we even know they exist?

I don't know why God deals with some issues before they become big problems, and allows others, that we wish He would have dealt with that way, to hit us, but this passage serves as a reminder that God is always at work. God is meeting needs we didn't even know we had.

TO GOD ALONE BE THE GLORY!