“Everyone brings out the choice wine first and then the cheaper wine after the guests have had too much to drink; but you saved the best till now.” (John 2:10 NIV)
The wedding at Canaan has me thinking about marriage this morning. We read of Jesus’ attendance and realize Jesus goes where he’s invited. Every marriage needs His presence at the center of their union.
Maybe we start out on solid footing. We do the premarital counseling with the pastor. We get married in church surrounded by family and friends. We commit to love, honor and obey. We ask Jesus to be preeminent in our home. But then life gets in the way. Children and careers and choices pile up and push Jesus to the sidelines. There He waits. Until we run out of wine.
Rob and I have hit the bottom of the barrel before. We have come to a place where we had no more grace for each other. But thankfully, Jesus was standing on the edge of our story, waiting for our outcry, for our recognition of the crisis. And then He came in, speaking to our sweat-equity effort (filling the ceremonial jars) and turning it into something precious. Something miraculous. Something far better than we had before. He brought us the best wine out of nothing at all.
Friend, you don’t have to wait until the dregs of your marriage to ask for Jesus’ intervention. He comes where He is invited. Don’t just bid Him to the wedding, include Him in the marriage. Keep Him at the center of your union by praying with and for your spouse every day.
Prayer proved to be the tipping point in our marriage. We had begun with prayer. I still remember asking Rob nervously at the end of our first date; “Do you want to pray goodnight?” We began with that habit but somewhere along the way it it disintegrated. Praying together again has been the impetus for new wine in our marriage. Every evening, we end it together sharing our highs and lows and praying for our joys and concerns. Jesus is in the middle of RobNanna again, where He always belonged. And the best wine has begun to flow.
“‘The glory of this present house will be greater than the glory of the former house’ says the Lord Almighty. ‘And in this place I will grant peace,’ declares the Lord Almighty.” (Haggai 2:9 NIV)
Lord, today we realize that marriages dry up apart from You. Re-energize us with prayer. Help us see our spouses as You do. Grant divine perspective on our relationship. Redeem and restore as only You can. There are no miracles apart from You. Come dwell in the center of our union. Amen.