No Questions Asked

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everal years ago, I was given the privilege of performing my first wedding.  Months of planning, hundreds of decisions, and countless hours of worrying over the details, all came to fruition as the bride and groom said their vows, exchanged rings, and became man and wife.  The untold hours leading up to the event were summed up in a ceremony lasting only a few minutes.  However, without those hours of preparation, those few minutes would have been impossible.

At the rehearsal, we told the bride and groom to do what we told them to do, no questions asked!!  That may seem a little bold, but we had a different perspective than they did.  They were so worried about making it through the actual ceremony that every decision seemed overwhelming and impossible to make.  But the wedding director and the parents did a wonderful job making sure all the little details were covered so that the couple had little to worry about. They did exactly as they were told, no questions asked, and the wedding was a beautiful and worshipful event, just as it should have been.

Jesus understood about weddings and all the stressful decisions that accompany it.  His first miracle was performed at a wedding in Cana and it is there we find the topic for today’s Tidbit.  Next to the wedding itself, the reception is the most important part of the celebrated day.  The food must be just right, the location must be carefully selected, and there must be music and an atmosphere of goodwill.  All these things are important and essential; leave one of them out and instead of a reception, you’ll probably get the cold shoulder!

This was the situation in Cana.  There was no more wine, the guests had consumed it all.  This was the most embarrassing and humiliating moment for the host and the risk of humiliation was all but certain.  So, Jesus’ mother, Mary, asked him to do something about it, to help this family in a desperate time of need. 

After explaining to Mary that his time had not yet come, meaning the time to begin his actual work, Mary gave the house servants one command.  Her statement can be found in John 2:5, “His mother said to the servants, "Do whatever he tells you."  In this brief statement, we find two wonderful lessons to use in our daily walk with the Lord: 

1. God is ready to meet us in our hour of need.  The wine was gone, the situation was desperate, and Jesus was the only one who could help.  He had the servants fill several large stone jars with water which he turned into wine, not just run-of-the-mill wine but the best wine served!  When we are in dire circumstances and are powerless to do anything, that is when God will act!  There will be no doubt that it was he who helped us because we couldn’t help ourselves. 
2. When we ask for God’s help, we must get out of the way and do what he says, no questions asked.  This does not mean we don’t wonder what God is doing and it doesn’t mean we don’t ask questions.  God understands our desire to know and our reluctance to walk by faith.  The essence of this statement is that we are to move forward in faith, never doubting, questioning the situation perhaps, but not the ability of our God to remedy it.  When we trust God without doubting, when we come to him and obey him in faith, when we get out of the way and walk by faith, then God’s power is always demonstrated in a miraculous way.

Wherever you are today in your walk with God, know that he is ready to help you in your situation.  The same power that turned water into wine stands ready to supply all your needs today.  He is the God who provides, the God who protects, the God who saves, and the God who hears our prayers.  If you are wondering today if God loves you or if he cares about your circumstances, look at the cross.  God provided for our salvation and he provides for our daily needs.  Whatever you need today, if you are a Christian, God stands ready to help, no questions asked!