Hearing God’s Voice from His Word
James 4:8 says, “Come near to God and he will come near to you.”
Take a moment and turn your attention to God. Tell God that you desire to trust and obey Him. Ask God to speak to you from His word.
Psalm of the Day
Psalm 10:12-15
Rise up, Lord God! Lift up your hand.
Do not forget the oppressed.
13 Why has the wicked person despised God?
He says to himself, “You will not demand an account.”
14 But you yourself have seen trouble and grief,
observing it in order to take the matter into your hands.
The helpless one entrusts himself to you;
you are a helper of the fatherless.
15 Break the arm of the wicked, evil person,
until you look for his wickedness, but it can’t be found.
Read the Entire Psalm
The helpless one entrusts himself to you. Meditate on this phrase. Who is the helpless one? When it comes to sin and separation from God, all are essentially helpless on their own. What does the helpless one do? He entrusts himself to God. Those who desire help, can find it in God. He is called a helper in the next line of verse 14. In a sense, everyone is helpless and no one is without help, because God is present everywhere and he is attentive to every detail of life. He is a ready helper. Turn to him. Thank him. Praise Him.
SCRIPTURE READING:
John 2:1-12 – New Living Translation
The Wedding at Cana
2 The next day there was a wedding celebration in the village of Cana in Galilee. Jesus’ mother was there, 2 and Jesus and his disciples were also invited to the celebration. 3 The wine supply ran out during the festivities, so Jesus’ mother told him, “They have no more wine.”
4 “Dear woman, that’s not our problem,” Jesus replied. “My time has not yet come.”
5 But his mother told the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.”
6 Standing nearby were six stone water jars, used for Jewish ceremonial washing. Each could hold twenty to thirty gallons. 7 Jesus told the servants, “Fill the jars with water.” When the jars had been filled, 8 he said, “Now dip some out, and take it to the master of ceremonies.” So the servants followed his instructions.
9 When the master of ceremonies tasted the water that was now wine, not knowing where it had come from (though, of course, the servants knew), he called the bridegroom over. 10 “A host always serves the best wine first,” he said. “Then, when everyone has had a lot to drink, he brings out the less expensive wine. But you have kept the best until now!”
11 This miraculous sign at Cana in Galilee was the first time Jesus revealed his glory. And his disciples believed in him.
12 After the wedding he went to Capernaum for a few days with his mother, his brothers, and his disciples.
Having God’s Ear through Prayer
- Express thanksgiving to God.
- Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal sin to you.
- Confess your sin to Him and receive forgiveness.
(1 John 1:9 “If we confess our sin He is faithful and just and will forgive our sins.”) - Bring your personal requests to God.
(Psalm 62:8 “Pour out your heart before God”) - Pray for someone in your small group.
- Join with others from River and pray for those who do not know God. Ask God to help you see the lost people around you and have compassion for them. Ask God for opportunities to build trust. Ask God to give you opportunities to have gospel conversations.
Living as God’s People by applying the Bible
Scripture Reflection from the Sermon
The only instruction recorded in the Bible from Mary, the mother of Jesus, is “Do whatever he tells you.” This is very good advice. Try to imagine what Mary’s life would have been like. She was a normal human, but she was in many ways an exceptional person. To raise a son who will require you to surrender to his Lordship is a task that is hard to get your mind around. Jesus had to gently correct his mom’s thinking. He was not operating on a purely human timeline. He could not change his direction, even at the request of his own mother. He was operating on his Father’s schedule and in his Father’s will. One day it would be “time.” That time would be the time of his death. His death would lead to resurrection and then glorification. This is why he came into the world, and this was where his entire life was pointing. Luke wrote that one day a “sword would pierce Mary’s soul.” This was clearly speaking of the crucifixion, but it was probably much more than that. It was the entire process of moving from mother of Jesus to follower of the Lord. So, when Mary said, “Do whatever he tells you,” we can probably correctly imagine that Mary herself was ready and willing to live this way herself. The question for us is, are we?