Issue 39 Steadfast PrayerBlog | Vision: turning water into wine
Vision: turning water into wine
Author: Andy PeckPost Date: 01.03.24
At the end of last year, I found myself, as usual, making an inventory of what had gone well, and establishing areas for improvement. This led to a meditation on the first miracle of Jesus found in John 2.
It documents the extraordinary moment in which Jesus turned water into wine, no doubt to the astonishment of onlookers. The Gospel of John, right from the outset, combines the natural with the supernatural. John confirms both the divinity and the humanity of Jesus with his proclamation; ‘The Word was with God, and the Word was God.’ John begins to join the seen with the unseen. For many of us workers for the Lord in any capacity, this is a tension we grapple with daily; the seen with the unseen. We attempt to lead, encourage, and take stock (as I mentioned), both aware of what is before us, yet filled with faith in what we hope for, but do not yet see. It is the tension of vision.
The minor prophet Habakkuk appeared to experience the same tension. He cried out to the Lord, ‘How long must I call for help, but you do not listen?’ (Habakkuk 1:2). It seems that Habakkuk, at the start of the book, had an issue that could be seen and felt. The hosts at the wedding in John 2 also had an issue that required urgent attention. No doubt, for many, we have at one time or another been faced with our own predicaments. We may have even cried out with a similar prayer to Habakkuk. We are all clearly called to exercise the muscle of vision in the face of hardship.
