Whatever he tells you…
“Whatever he tells you, do it.”
Referring to Jesus, this is what Mary says to the servants at the wedding in Galilee. They had run out of wine, and Mary knew Jesus could do something about it. A miracle hung in the balance, but God worked through people to make it happen.
In this instance, Jesus told the servants to fill huge jars with water. Then he told them to scoop out some of the water, and take it to the wedding host. I'm certain this didn't make any sense to them. But, they followed Mary's orders and did whatever Jesus told them to do. And, a miracle happened when they did.
We find something similar happening in another story from 2 Kings 4. A widow finds herself in a desperate situation. Her late husband's creditor is coming to take her sons into slavery because of the outstanding debt. Elisha instructs her to go around asking people for lots of empty containers. He tells her to lock herself in her house with her two sons and begin filling all of the jars using the only thing she has in the house: a small jar of olive oil. She does exactly what he says, and a multiplication miracle happens. Again, the act of taking a small jar of oil and "filling" a bunch of empty containers with it doesn't make sense. But, she did what he told her to do. The widow and her sons were able to sell the multiplied oil, pay off the debt, and live off of the rest of the profit.
The scriptures show that God uses uncommon methods to bring about miracles. They also reveal that God commonly meets both our's and/or other people's needs in partnership with us.
Some of my other favorite examples include:
Cast your net on the other side of the boat after you've toiled all night and come up with nothing. (Do what now?)
Immerse yourself in a murky river seven times. (For real?)
March around the walls once a day for six days, and then 7 times on the seventh day. Oh, and blow the horns daily, and have the people shout on the last day. (Seriously?)
Bring me the food the boy has that is clearly not enough to feed all these people, have everyone sit down, and then begin handing out what I put in your baskets. (You're kidding, right?)
Go lay your hands on the guy who was granted authority to attempt to annihilate all of the followers of Jesus. (Are you sure about this?)
In each of these examples, people did whatever God told them to do. I'm not implying it's easy to do, but I am taking note that some amazing testimonies came from moments where people did exactly what God told them to do… even when it didn’t make sense.
Are you facing any issues that you're unsure how to resolve? I would encourage you to read 2 Kings 4:1-7. Have you called out to God like the widow called out to Elisha? Have you presented your situation to God like she did with Elisha? If not, I hope this encourages you to. If you have, do you have a sense that God is telling you to do something that seems odd or even illogical? If that's you, let us know! We'd love to process and pray with you. In John 2:5 Mary says, "Do whatever he tells you." I am convinced these are wise words from someone who was intimately familiar with God's ability to make the impossible possible. Perhaps when we remember that all things are possible for God, his methods may not necessary make more sense to us, but we may be more likely to willingly embrace them.