something from nothing

"Standing nearby were six stone water jars, used for Jewish ceremonial washing. Each could hold twenty to thirty gallons. Jesus told the servants, 'Fill the jars with water.' When the jars had been filled, he said, 'Now dip some out, and take it to the master of ceremonies.'

“So the servants followed his instructions. When the master of ceremonies tasted the water that was now wine, not knowing where it had come from (though, of course, the servants knew), he called the bridegroom over. 'A host always serves the best wine first,' he said. 'Then, when everyone has had a lot to drink, he brings out the less expensive wine. But you have kept the best until now!' This miraculous sign at Cana in Galilee was the first time Jesus revealed his glory. And his disciples believed in him." John 2:6-11

My child,

I am all about creating something from nothing. I can take the dying embers of your life and fan the flame into something powerful and magnificent. Don’t be discouraged by what you see. I am the God of the unseen. I don’t need the right intellect, talent, strength, and resources to accomplish my plans and purposes.

 Give yourself to me each day and I will create beauty from your lack. You have heard it said I don’t give you more than you can handle. That isn’t always true. If your life never brings you more than you can handle, why would you ever need me? Sometimes, I do give you much more than you can handle on your own. But it is never more than I can handle. I can provide you with everything you need to thrive in all your circumstances by the power of my Spirit.

Ask me into your deepest place of need today. I breathed galaxies into being. I can carry your pain. Exhale your disappointment.  Inhale my comfort. Let my joy be your strength.

I love you,

Abba

My Abba,

At times I feel trapped in the flesh of this temporal tent, a weary vagabond wandering aimlessly from sunrise to sunset. But then you break into my earth-bound routine and bring your glorious, delightful, miraculous presence. You transform my unremarkable trek into something nascent and full of wonder. You bring joy into my despair. You bring plenty into my lack. You bring your glory to the ceremony of life. You turn my water into wine!

Sometimes I listen for your voice and follow you. Other times, I remain fettered in daily duty, struggle, and the tyranny of the urgent. But you go before me, and come behind me, to create something luminous from the dust of this journey. Circumstances that seem so dark are transformed by your supernatural touch.

As I get older, I love the phrase, “But you have kept the best until now!” When I meditate on this truth, it seems much deeper than a reference to good wine at a party. It seems like a principle to live by that keeps me from pining at the rearview mirror of my past. I am encouraged to celebrate your beautiful “now.” Enjoying you in this moment is the pinnacle of what you have for me on this earth. If I walk in that reality, the shadows of my past and the fantasies of my future are dethroned.

I long to be increasingly sensitized to your Spirit, to partner with you in some small way each day. That is when I truly feel alive.

I love you,

Mollie

photo: g.andrushko