January 31, 2023
Let God Fill You
“Now there were six stone waterpots set there for the Jewish custom of purification, containing twenty or thirty gallons each. Jesus said to them, “Fill the waterpots with water.” So, they filled them up to the brim. And He said to them, “Draw some out now and take it to the headwaiter.” So, they took it to him. When the headwaiter tasted the water which had become wine and did not know where it came from (but the servants who had drawn the water knew), the headwaiter called the bridegroom, and said to him, “Every man serves the good wine first, and when the people have drunk freely, then he serves the poorer wine; but you have kept the good wine until now.” John 2:6-10 (NASB)
I have been to several events where door prizes or raffled items were awarded. These normally came toward the end of the event. When prizes were awarded, the small items came first. They eventually grew to the more substantial. As everyone watched for the big gift, you could sense anticipation rising in the room. When the time came for the big item, you could see people double and triple checking their tickets. They didn’t mind losing to little prizes. They wanted the big one. All eyes were on the bucket of tickets. Then representative was told to, “Draw” the winner.
In the passage above, the opposite was happening. The best wine was served in the beginning. As people at the wedding drank, the poorer quality was served later so that it wouldn’t be noticed. Their pallet had been soiled with the previous wine. As a side note, six stone waterpots were also on scene to provide for ceremonial washing of hands before and after the meal. The pots had other uses in common life, but today these were used at the wedding. As the wine runs out, we see Jesus instruct the servants, ““Fill the waterpots with water…draw some out now…” He meant fill them to the brim (6 pots- totaling about 120 gallons). This amount of wine would have been sufficient for 150 men. That is a lot of wine. After this, Jesus tells them to take a sample to the headwaiter. The headwaiter responds, “Every man serves the good wine first, and when the people have drunk freely, then he serves the poorer wine; but you have kept the good wine until now.” Jesus can conquer any situation, including water. “Draw some out now.”
All things in God’s realm are subject to His control, even water. He created it, and He used it for His purposes throughout history. He used it for life. He used it for judgment. He used it for thirsty Hebrews. He even used it for baptism. He used it as a conversation place at a well. We would be well suited to listen to His words, “Draw some out now…” Let Him do the heavy lifting. Stop trying to do some things that are impossible for you. Ask God and allow Him to say, “Draw some out now.” When the burden is lifted off you, you can begin to operate in faith. Mary experienced this watching the miracle unfold.
God brought ordinary things to manifest a living experience with Himself with the Jews. He used the ordinary things, like water to manifest miraculous events. When things look overwhelming in your life, allow God to settle your worries. Lay those things in His hands. Then wait for Him to tell you to, “Draw some out now.” You will find yourself in the extraordinary world where God operates, and we watch Him do miraculous things.