John 2:6–9 (NIV) ~ “Nearby stood six stone water jars, the kind used by the Jews for ceremonial washing, each holding from twenty to thirty gallons. Jesus said to the servants, ‘Fill the jars with water’; so they filled them to the brim. Then He told them, ‘Now draw some out and take it to the master of the banquet.’ They did so, and the master of the banquet tasted the water that had been turned into wine. He did not realize where it had come from, though the servants who had drawn the water knew. Then he called the bridegroom aside.”
God specializes in taking what seems small, simple, or insignificant and transforming it into something extraordinary for His Glory. A shepherd’s staff in Moses’ hand parted the Red Sea. A sling and five smooth stones in David’s hand brought down a giant. A little boy’s lunch of five loaves and two fish fed thousands when placed in Jesus’ hands. The ordinary becomes extraordinary when surrendered to God.
This is your reminder that what you carry may not look like much, but when offered to the Lord, it becomes more than enough. Your talents, resources, time, and even your weaknesses can be instruments of miracles when you yield them to Him.
Think of a simple glass of water. Most of you drink it without a second thought. It seems plain, ordinary, and unimpressive compared to juice, milk, or wine. Yet, water is essential for life. Now imagine that very ordinary glass of water being transformed into something extraordinary, something celebrated, valued, and life-giving in a new way. This is the power of God: He takes what feels plain, common, and ordinary in our lives and transforms it into something extraordinary when it is surrendered to Him.
The miracle at Cana was Jesus’ first recorded miracle. At a wedding feast, the hosts ran out of wine, a shameful problem in that culture. Mary, Jesus’ mother, urged Him to intervene. Though His “time had not yet fully come,” Jesus instructed the servants to fill the ceremonial jars with water. These jars were not for drinking; they were for ritual washing, a symbol of tradition and cleansing. Yet Jesus used the ordinary water placed inside them to perform a supernatural transformation. The water became wine, the best wine, and the celebration continued. The principle is clear: God works when we give Him something to work with, even if it feels common or insignificant.
The servants had to obey a simple but strange instruction, (take heed, you need to obey) fill the jars with water. They could have refused, thinking, what good is water when wine is needed? But their obedience gave Jesus something to work with. The lesson for you is the same, God can turn the ordinary into extraordinary, but He asks for your obedience to give Him what you have. This miracle at Cana is to remind you that what you deem too ordinary can become miraculous in God’s hands. The water placed in jars did not look like wine, did not smell like wine, and did not taste like wine, until Jesus touched it. Transformation happens when your obedience meets His power.
The servants’ obedience was the turning point of the story. Jesus did not ask them to produce wine; He asked them to bring water. It was within their means, something simple they could give. Many times, God does not ask you to produce the miracle; He only asks u you s to provide the obedience. What you bring, He transforms. Notice that Jesus told them to fill the jars “to the brim.” This was no halfway effort, (it’s all or nothing). Partial obedience produces partial results, but full obedience invites full transformation. The measure you give determines the measure He fills. Luke 6:38, “Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”
Water, in this story, represents the ordinary aspects of your life, your routines, your daily work, your hidden sacrifices, your overlooked faithfulness. These things may not seem impressive to you or to others, but when surrendered to Jesus, they become the very material for miracles. Wine, in contrast, represents joy, celebration, and abundance. The transformation of water into wine reveals how God takes the common and infuses it with His glory. What seems mundane in your hands becomes miraculous in His.
The master of the banquet remarked that the bridegroom had saved the best wine until last. This reveals a deeper truth, when God works, He does not produce something average, He produces the best. He saves the finest for those who are willing to surrender the ordinary to Him.
What you deem too little or too plain is abundance in God’s hands. He just wants your obedience. The servants could have doubted or delayed, but instead, they gave Him what they had. Their obedience became the trigger for transformation. This story teaches you that miracles don’t always begin with dramatic gestures, they often begin with ordinary acts of obedience. Filling jars with water may not look like a setup for a miracle, but in God’s hands, it became fuel for His glory. Romans 12:1 reminds you to present your bodies as living sacrifices. Sometimes presenting yourself means offering your ordinary schedules, routines, and responsibilities. When you give these to Him, He can turn them into something extraordinary. Your job, your prayer life, your service, your unseen sacrifices, these may feel like water in jars. But in God’s hands, they can become wine that refreshes, revives, and blesses others. Never underestimate the ordinary when it is surrendered to Him.
Perhaps you have been waiting for God to move while overlooking the simple instructions He has already given. Fill your jars with water. Obey what He has asked you to do. Trust Him to do the transforming work. The truth is simple but powerful, God doesn’t need you to perform miracles, He needs you to obey. What you place in His hands, He will transform. What you deem common, He will make extraordinary. What you surrender, He will multiply. The miracle at Cana was not just about wine; it was about revelation. It was a sign pointing to Jesus as the One who transforms. The servants saw it first because they obeyed. In the same way, when you give God something to work with, you will see His glory revealed in ways others cannot.
And notice this, the transformation didn’t happen in public before everyone’s eyes, it happened in the act of obedience. The servants knew what they poured into the jars was water, but when it was drawn out, it had already changed. Sometimes God works in the secret place of surrender, and only later do others taste the evidence of His transformation. This miracle also foreshadows the greater work of the cross. Just as ordinary water became extraordinary wine, Jesus takes your broken, sinful lives and transforms them into vessels of grace and glory. What was once empty becomes filled. What was once common became holy. Today, the question remains, are you willing to pour water into the jars, even when it doesn’t make sense? Are you willing to give God your ordinary, trusting Him to do the extraordinary? If you will, He Will and your life can become a living testimony that the best is yet to come.
Father, I thank You that You are the God who transforms. You take what is ordinary and breathe upon it until it becomes extraordinary. You take water and make it wine, and You take my life and fill it with Your glory. Forgive me, Lord, for the times I have withheld what seemed too small or too plain to matter. Forgive me for despising the ordinary, forgetting that You specialize in turning the common into the miraculous. Teach me to obey quickly and fully. Help me to fill the jars You have set before me with faithfulness, prayer, worship, and service. Let my obedience become the starting point for Your transforming power. Lord, remind me that You are not asking me to produce miracles but to provide obedience. What I cannot change, You can. What I cannot multiply, You will. Father, I thank You that when You work, You always produce the best. You never leave me with the leftovers of life, you save the finest for those who trust You with their ordinary. Take my routines, my work, my relationships, my talents, and even my struggles. Place Your hand upon them, Lord, and turn them into something beautiful for Your glory. Let my life testify that water can still become wine when surrendered to You. Let others taste and see that You are good because I obeyed and placed the ordinary into Your hands. Give me faith to see that nothing surrendered to You is wasted. Every drop of water poured in obedience becomes wine of testimony. Every act of service becomes a seed of glory. Strengthen me, Father, to be faithful in the small things. Help me to realize that even hidden obedience matters to You and becomes fuel for Your glory. When I feel overlooked or unseen, remind me that You see the water I pour and that You are able to transform it in Your timing. Encourage me to remain steadfast, knowing my labor in You is never in vain. Break the spirit of doubt that whispers, “This is not enough.” Silence the voice of fear that says, “This is too plain.” Let me see the value of placing my ordinary into Your extraordinary hands. Lord, create in me a heart that trusts You in the unseen places. Even if no one else notices the water I pour, let me remember that You are the One who turns it into wine. Let my obedience inspire faith in others. Just as the servants at Cana witnessed the miracle firsthand, let those who walk closely with me see how You transform the ordinary into something extraordinary. Today, I surrender my jars. I give You my ordinary. Transform it, use it, and let it point others to You. May my obedience create space for Your power, and may my life overflow with Your abundance. In the Name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
Nugget:
God doesn’t need wine; He just needs water. What you deem ordinary, He makes extraordinary when surrendered in obedience.
Blessings…
Love, Dr. Jean
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