This month I’ve been sharing about Mary’s response to the events surrounding the birth of Jesus. The Bible tells us that Mary “treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart” (Luke 2:19, NIV). I’ve shared how Mary treasured God’s word and what He had done for her. Today, I’d like to share about how Mary treasured the power of God.
When the angel Gabriel announced to Mary that she would give birth to a son, she initially questioned, “How can this be, since I do not know a man?” (Luke 1:34, NKJV). The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you and the power of the Highest will overshadow you” (v. 35). He continued, “For with God nothing will be impossible” (v. 37).
Mary had to choose whether to believe those words or not, but thankfully she chose to believe. However, to do so, she had to believe in God’s ability to perform things beyond human capabilities; she had to believe in the supernatural power of God.
After experiencing the miraculous birth of Jesus, Mary continued to cherish the power of God as she grew older. In fact, some thirty years after Jesus’ birth, it was Mary who called on Him to perform His first miracle. The two of them were attending a wedding when the hosts ran out of wine to serve. Mary directed the matter to Jesus and commanded the servants, “Whatever He says to you, do it” (John 2:5). She may not have known how Jesus would address the issue, but she had faith that He would solve the problem.
Interestingly, Jesus told the servants to fill some water pots with water. Then, when they dipped the water out to give to the host, the water was made wine. Once again, Mary saw the miraculous power of God at hand, because she believed in His ability.
In the same way, we need to believe in the supernatural power of God to take care of our needs today. When we face situations in which we don’t know what to do, we should turn to Jesus. We don’t have to understand how He will take care of our needs; we just need to know that He is well able to handle them.
While Jesus is a supernatural God, this account of Him turning water to wine also shows that He is a very practical God. He cares about the practical things that are important to us. Our needs may not always be matters of life and death, but Jesus still cares about them. You see, we don’t have to wait until we face a crisis to cry out to Him; we can call on Him to take care of everyday practical needs.
So, what needs do you have today? You may be facing challenges in your finances, health, family, or workplace. Whether the obstacles are big or small, Jesus can handle them. When we encounter a need, we must realize like Mary that the situation is better in His hands than in ours! When we understand that only God has the ability to truly meet our needs, we can trust Him with all of them.
Jesus said, “Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28, NIV). If you are troubled by the situation you face, enter the rest of God by handing your need over to Jesus. Treasure the power of God, and let Him overshadow you today.
Reflections 