On the third day a wedding took place at Cana in Galilee. Jesus’ mother was there, and Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding (John 2:1-3).
Until this morning’s quiet time, my single correlation with the wedding that took place at Cana was that it was the location of Jesus’ first miracle: He turned water into wine. What joy to discover that it’s also a place packed with lessons on prayer.
Put yourself in the shoes of the servants who were the first to know that they ran out of wine for the wedding guests. I don’t know about you, but I’d be in the kitchen pacing and panicking. Now what? Are the local wineries still open? Does anyone have some sparkling grape juice available? Then the lessons on prayer begin . . .
1. When you’ve run out of what you need, go to Jesus. When Mary discovered the wine was gone, she went to Jesus, knowing He could change the situation (John 2:3). When love runs out of your marriage, go to Jesus. When joy runs out of your heart, peace runs out of your family, or patience runs out of your parenting, take the need to Jesus. He makes change possible!
2. Pray that He opens your eyes to the resources nearest you. Nearby stood six stone water jars (John 2:6). When needs are deep we can miss the obvious or think that every solution is an arm’s length or more away. Pray that He opens your eyes so you can clearly see His plans, and don’t be surprised if the answer is nearby.
3. Pray that you readily obey Jesus no matter what His command. His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you” (Luke 2:5). Was this whatever- command a stretch for the servants? They needed stone jars filled with wine, not water! Their thoughts are not recorded, only their wholehearted obedience. They filled them [the stone jars] to the brim (John 2:7). For Jesus to do miracles we must readily cooperate with full, up-to-the-brim obedience (John 2:7)!
4. Pray for people to see Jesus’ glory. This, the first of his miraculous signs, Jesus performed at Cana in Galilee. He thus revealed his glory, and his disciples put their faith in him (John 2:11). Do you have loved ones who closed their hearts to Jesus? Pray that He opens their eyes to see His glory! It was being eyewitnesses to Jesus’ glory that initiated the disciples’ faith.
Prayer Step: Make one of these prayer lessons your heart’s cry for yourself or a friend today.
