Life is filled with moments when we find ourselves running on empty. We pour ourselves into our families, our work, our responsibilities, only to wake up one day realizing that the joy, energy, and sense of purpose we once had is gone. Maybe you have felt this way before—like something essential has run out, leaving you dry and depleted.
In John 2:1-11, we find a moment just like this at a wedding in Cana. A joyful celebration was about to be overshadowed by a looming disaster—the wine had run out. In that culture, this wasn’t just an inconvenience; it was a deep embarrassment, a public failure that could bring shame to the family for years to come. But in this moment of lack, Jesus stepped in and revealed His glory.
Bringing Our Emptiness to Jesus
Mary, the mother of Jesus, notices the problem and brings it to Him. She doesn’t demand a specific solution. She doesn’t tell Him what to do. She simply presents the need and trusts that He will handle it in the right way. This is the posture of faith—bringing our emptiness, our disappointments, and our shortcomings to Jesus, not with a list of demands, but with an open heart that says, “Lord, I trust You.”
How often do we try to fix things on our own? We scramble for solutions, trying to refill what has been lost with temporary fixes—busyness, distractions, relationships, achievements. But none of these can truly restore what is missing. Only Jesus can take what is empty and make it full again.
The New Wine of Jesus’ Presence
Jesus instructs the servants to fill six stone jars with water—jars that were traditionally used for ceremonial washing under the old religious system. But He was about to do something new. When the servants draw from the jars, the water has become wine—far superior to anything that had been served before.
This miracle was more than just an act of kindness; it was a sign of what Jesus had come to do. The old ways of trying to be right with God through rituals and rules were being replaced by something better. Jesus Himself was bringing new life, new joy, and a new way to be in relationship with God.
What does this mean for us today? It means that when we come to Jesus, He doesn’t just refill us with the same old things. He transforms us. He takes our emptiness and fills us with His Spirit. He takes our past and gives us a future. He replaces striving with resting in His love. The life He offers is not just a slight improvement—it is something entirely new and better than what we had before.
Trusting Jesus with the Process
Notice that Jesus didn’t immediately produce wine out of nothing. He invited the servants to participate in the miracle by filling the jars with water. They had to act in faith, not knowing exactly what would happen. And yet, their obedience led to an incredible revelation of Jesus’ glory.
Maybe Jesus is calling you to trust Him in a new way today. Maybe He is asking you to step out in faith, even when you don’t fully understand what He is doing. Maybe He is calling you to surrender something old so that He can replace it with something better. Will you trust Him with the process?
A Challenge to See Jesus in a New Way
At the end of the story, John tells us that through this miracle, Jesus “manifested His glory, and His disciples believed in Him” (John 2:11). This was just the beginning of their journey with Jesus, but it was a turning point. They saw Him in a new way, and their faith deepened.
What about you? Are you willing to see Jesus in a new way? Are you open to the possibility that He wants to do something fresh in your life—something beyond what you have expected or imagined? The same Jesus who turned water into wine is still at work today, transforming lives and filling what is empty with His presence.
Bring your needs to Him. Trust His process. Open your heart to the newness He wants to pour into your life. And believe that He is able to do far more than you could ever ask or imagine.
“This, the first of His signs, Jesus did at Cana in Galilee, and manifested His glory. And His disciples believed in Him.” – John 2:11
