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Following Jesus as He Leads
by: Tripp Prince

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. When the wine was gone, Jesus’ mother said to him, “They have no more wine.” “Woman, why do you involve me?” Jesus replied. “My hour has not yet come.” His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.” John 2:1-5 (NIV)

Mary, I think, is like many people in my life and perhaps in your life as well. These are people who see a need, and even though they may be powerless to help, they have an inescapable felt need to do something about it! Mary sees the social embarrassment of running out of wine at a feast, and feels the need to act. This, of course, is not the only way one might respond in a situation of this nature. One might say, “They have no more wine so I guess it’s time for everyone to go home!” Or, “They must be so embarrassed that they ran out of wine!” But no, clearly Mary has a deeply empathetic heart that sees when something is broken and longs to fix it.

When you see something that isn’t how it is supposed to be, how do you respond?

Do you turn a blind eye and look the other way? Do you cast judgment upon the person or situation? Do you fail to act because you know you’re helpless to enact the change you want to see? Mary is a compelling and faithful example to us in this story for one clear reason: when she doesn’t know what to do, she still does the one faithful thing that we are always able to do: she tells others to look to Jesus and follow his lead.

Even when you and I don’t understand how Jesus is going to act to show his faithfulness in our lives, are we willing to trust that he is good? Can we humble ourselves and follow his lead? This, if we’re being honest, is one of the hardest things in the world to do!

It is easy for us to want to follow Jesus to the extent that we understand where he is coming from and where he’s going. Yet rarely, if ever, are we given such clarity before we must respond in faith and trust. True Christian discipleship is based upon a life of faithful surrender in which we learn to let go of control, believing that God knows more than us, and that this is in fact a very good thing!

Where do you feel powerless to help or act and need Jesus to intervene in his wisdom and love? How can you take a step of faith and trust, even if you don’t see how every piece of the puzzle fits together?