Having faith like Mary means taking our problems to God and saying “I will do what He says.” It’s letting go of our desire to fix it ourselves and letting our Heavenly Father handle things in His way and His time. We need to have faith like Mary in all situations!
Table of Contents
The first miracle performed by Jesus wasn’t anything spectacular. He didn’t raise someone from the dead, He didn’t drive out demons or heal someone who was crippled.
No, His first miracle was changing water into wine.
John 2:1-11
Jesus was at a wedding with His family. The wine ran out, which was a big deal!
Mary approaches Jesus and says “They’ve run out of wine.” And Jesus shrugs His shoulders and replies: “Woman, what does this have to do with me? My hour has not yet come.”
In other words, Jesus hadn’t stepped into the light as being the lamb of God, the King who would save the world, He hadn’t performed any miracles yet.
Mary persists and turns to the servants in the room, telling them “Do what He says,” and left it at that.
Mary had faith that Jesus could solve the wine issue at the wedding, she knew she didn’t need to worry about it because He could take care of it!
We know the rest of the story, Jesus tells them to fill jugs right to the brim with water and then take a scoopful to the master of the feast to taste. It miraculously is wine and they are in awe of Jesus.
Share “Do What He Says” with someone who could use some encouragement!
Want more about how to love like Jesus? Check out this blog post HERE.
What We Learn From Mary
My focus isn’t on water to wine though. I’m not talking about the miracle Jesus performed but rather the faith His mother had in who He was.
She Knew Her Son
Mary knew who her son was. Not that she could explain to the world what He was going to do, but she must have known Him only as a mother could.
As moms we have a sixth sense about our children. We pray over them, we speak truth over them, we seek God’s guidance over them and through this we see them as God sees them. We know them intimately (just as God knows us).
So when Mary says to the men “do what He says,” she was saying it out of the deep-rooted understanding that He would be able to handle the problem. She didn’t need to give any more detail or explanation because somehow, she knew He would take care of it…enough said!
To have faith in our children is to trust that God has blessed them, to know that they can accomplish tasks, even impossible tasks. It is to say “you can do this,” and leave it at that. It is to stand behind them, praying, offering words of encouragement but pushing them forward in the faith that they can do what they are called to do.
Was Jesus hesitant about performing a miracle in front of people? Likely not. Mary didn’t pull Him aside and give Him a pep talk, she didn’t have to. She was making a simple statement that she knew who her child was and she had the faith He could handle it. Which leads to part 2
Trusting the Greater Plan
This is the key to her statement. While she knew who Jesus was as a mother, she had a deeper faith in her Heavenly Father. What she really was saying was “Do what God says.”
She didn’t step up and start giving directions herself. She didn’t start making preparations for where they could get more wine and take control of the situation. She didn’t need to.
She was handing the problem over to the One who could handle it, trusting that He would take on the challenge and accomplish it in whatever way suited Him.
She didn’t provide an explanation or details about how He would do it. She didn’t break it down for them step by step how things would get done.
She turned to the servants and said “Do whatever He tells you.” (John 2:5)
This was after Jesus said to her “What do you want me to do about it?” (John 2:4). And like a good mother, she didn’t back down but put her faith in something greater than herself.
Doing what God wants sometimes means giving up things that are not ours to carry!
Do What He Says
How often do we turn to a problem and say “Let’s do this God’s way?” Or WWJD (What Would Jesus Do)?
Hopefully it is our go-to phrase! When we face situations of emptiness, loneliness, big decisions or hopeless situations, we need to turn to God and say “I will do what you tell me.”
Sometimes handing it over to Him may be a relief, letting His power take over and solve the problem. But there are other times when we feel we should master the situation on our own. We struggle to hand it to God because we have drawn it so close to our hearts we can’t detach it.
These are the times when doing what God says means letting Him break us free from the bondage of holding onto something that isn’t ours. And it can leave a sore spot, a wound that has to be healed. But if God knows what to do with the problem, He also will know what to do with the wound the problem left.
Faith Like Mary
This story may not be one of Jesus’ shining moments, but it is a wonderful reminder of the faith we should have in Him.
It illustrates His ability to take care of everything, big or small and create something better than people could have imagined or expected.
All we have to do is have faith like Mary and do what He says!
For more about Jesus, read Ann Voskamp’s devotional “Loved to Life,” which will take you on a pilgrimage through Jesus life and the love He has for you. Get your copy on Amazon!
Disclaimer: As an Amazon Associate I may receive commissions on items purchased through links on my website at no additional cost to you. Thank you for your support!
Leave a Reply