Signs & WondersSample

Enjoying God’s Extravagant Love I think we can all agree that we serve a God who is able to do amazing things. But I wonder how often we hold ourselves back from asking Him to intervene in those situations in our lives that just don’t seem important enough. Maybe we tell ourselves, “No, I won’t ask God for any favors. I’ll save up my faith until I really need something, and then I’ll ask Him for a miracle.” And maybe we tell ourselves that the more spiritually mature thing to do is to never ask for what we want, because we trust God to provide for what we need. That sounds right...right? In John 2:1-12, we read about Jesus turning water into wine at a special wedding feast. It seems that initially he was not planning to do this until Mary, his mother, came to him in great faith and placed the outcome of the wine shortage in his hands. “Do whatever he tells you to do,” she ordered the servants, wholeheartedly expecting Jesus to act on their behalf. And act he did! When the person in charge of the feast tasted the wine, he was blown away with its quality; it surpassed the best wine at the party! How did Mary know that Jesus would care about a trivial matter like this? It’s one thing to doubt God’s ability, but what about doubting his desire to bless? Throughout Scripture, God reveals again and again that his love is extravagant and does not stop at ordinary measures. He loves to amaze us! Ephesians 3:20-21 says, “Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all we ask or think, according to the power that is at work within us. To him be glory...” What would it look like if we believed this truth and allowed it to shape our prayers? What if we viewed God as interested in our cares and desiring to show up in our daily lives? Turning water into wine was Jesus’ first earthly miracle and a big turning point in his ministry. No wonder the story concludes by saying that his glory was revealed and his disciples believed in him. Throughout Scripture, we see stories of God receiving glory as He increases people’s faith through amazing signs or miracles. One way God receives glory is when we experience and revel in all he has done and is able to do for us. Another way he receives glory is when we ask big things of him! He can handle it and loves when we count on him in faith. Though this does not mean that we will always get our “miracle” or the very thing we pray for, we can hold big and expectant views of God as our loving Father who is able to do far more than we ask or think. Questions to Ask Yourself 1. Does anything about the story of Jesus’ first miracle surprise you? 2. When was the last time you came boldly to God about a specific situation and he showed up in an amazing way? What’s Next? 1. Today, pray for God to surprise you with his extravagant love. When you encounter situations that trouble or perplex you (no matter how big or small), approach God with expectant faith, believing that he can do anything! 2. When God answers prayers, write them down! Keeping a record of God’s faithfulness is a habit that builds our faith and brings him glory. 3. Build a habit of thinking and speaking highly of God. Even when he doesn’t answer our prayers in the way or time we desire, we can know for certain that he is always working on our behalf in the way he knows is best!