Recognizing our need can be obvious; other times, it can be a blind spot. Mary quickly recognized a need at a wedding she was attending when the wine ran out. John 2:1 The next day there was a wedding celebration in the village of Cana in Galilee. Jesus’ mother was there, 2 and Jesus and his disciples were also invited to the celebration. 3 The wine supply ran out during the festivities, so Jesus’ mother told him, “They have no more wine.”[1] It was easy for Mary to identify the problem, but it may be more challenging to identify the problem in our lives. In addition, Mary knew who could help her.
Left to our abilities and resources, we, too, will run dry. Life can be perplexing, and our own strength is too shallow to allow us to manage without help. As we go through life, the Lord uses difficulties to make us aware of our need for Him. We often get into problems when we push through issues without asking for help and find ourselves discouraged and defeated. Feeling defeated by our situation can be humbling and make us more open to the Lord, who can help us.
Recognizing Our Emptiness Before Jesus
What do you do when you run dry in life? Running out of wine would have been shameful for the couple being married in their culture, but running dry in other parts of our lives is a different story. Sometimes, we might not recognize a blind spot until we run dry and hit bottom. Others may easily recognize we are operating on fumes, but we are blind to the obvious.
As we listen to the voice of the Holy Spirit, the Lord will make us aware of our needs long before we run dry. Mary knew the married couple had run out of wine as they celebrated and went to her Son Jesus. We, too, can go to Jesus when we run dry; He is only a prayer away. Have you expressed a need to the Lord that you are struggling with?
Jesus Desires to Fill Our Need
Have you ever struggled to seek help because you think the other person is too busy? Or perhaps you don’t seek help because you don’t want to admit your struggle. We don’t realize that when we genuinely have a problem, most people are willing to help us. It is often our pride that keeps us from going for assistance. Jesus always desires to help us when we go to Him, no matter the situation.
The writer of Hebrews makes it clear that we don’t have to be shy when coming to the Lord but can go to him confidently. Hebrews 4:16 So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There, we will receive his mercy and find grace to help us when we need it most. [2] When Jesus died on the cross for our sins, He fulfilled our greatest need even before we were born. When we place our faith in Jesus, He fills our empty life with the Holy Spirit.
To learn more about recognizing our need, listen here:
https://podpoint.com/light-of-christ-church-podcast/from-water-to-wine
[1-2] Tyndale House Publishers. (2015). Holy Bible: New Living Translation . Tyndale House Publishers.