The Making of a Miracle

We use the word "miracle" a lot, and it can mean many things. A miracle cleaning solution implies that it does a great job. A miracle weight loss program promises you can expect results if you follow the rules. The other day I saw a business sign that invited, "Do you need a miracle? Let us help you." The goods and services offered there were intended to change my life, I'm sure! But in a life of personal faith, miracle means "an extraordinary event manifesting Divine intervention in human affairs." But not just any old human affairs, my own, if you will.

There are some things that simply are not going to happen without that Divine intervention. But that does not mean we have no part at all in the process. (You do know that many miracles are a process?) Many of the miracles Jesus performed during His earthly ministry were life-and-death matters. People were suffering, dying, or even already dead. But His very first miracle, at the Cana wedding, was not of that crucial sort. The groom's family simply ran out of wine. Mary observed this social disaster and said to her Son, "They have no wine." His answer was something like, "Am I supposed to do something about this?" Nevertheless, Mary turned to the servants nearby and told them, "Do whatever He tells you to do."

And they did. Against all reason, they filled six great twenty- or thirty-gallon waterpots with water, and then began to pour it out into the serving vessels. Lo! It had become wine. It was a miracle!

There are several amazing things about this miracle in addition to the obvious water-into-wine one. First, the stage was set for a miracle when the servants were ready to obey whatever Jesus said. We foolishly ask God to intervene in our lives and then refuse to take the action that His Spirit prompts. For example, I have known homes where the "breadwinner" refuses to go to work, claiming, "God will provide for us; the Bible says 'the sinner’s wealth passes to the godly.' " Another might say, "God's angels have charge over me to keep me from harm," but he/she drives recklessly, does not buckle up, and may add to both of those an animated phone conversation. We cannot execute a miracle, speak one into existence, or engineer a command performance. What we can do is cooperate with God's intent, setting the stage for Him to work.

The second surprising thing is that Jesus did not consider it a waste of Divine energy to perform the miracle that salvaged a happy occasion and a man's reputation as a good host. How did we ever come by our ideas that God is against good times and that He is not concerned about our personal well-being? This miracle reveals His nature to be very different from that.

And the third wonderful thing: When the master of ceremonies tasted the excellent new wine, he called the bridegroom over and said to him, "The hosts I've known always serve the finest wine first, and then when everyone has had plenty to drink, he brings out the cheaper stuff. But you saved the best until now!” The Scripture explains, "He didn't know what had just happened but the servants, of course, knew." When God reaches into our situation and changes it, some people may look at us and say, "How lucky!" But we ourselves know that, by our obedience, we have been involved in the smallest way. We can enjoy a special secret delight in what God has accomplished by the making of a miracle!

MaryMartha
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Email: mrymrtha@gmail.com