By Mike Caton

John 4:46, Once more he visited Cana in Galilee, where he had turned the water into wine. And there was a certain royal official whose son lay sick at Capernaum.

When you think of Jesus’ first miracle, it is easy to be underwhelmed. He turned water into wine, and only the servants knew about it. (Word got out about it, obviously.) But why not something more spectacular; why not feed all the wedding guests with a couple of cookies and some cake, why not heal someone, why not bring someone back to life, you know, something dramatic that would gain attention. Maybe it was because Jesus did not come to simply be a miracle worker, maybe he wasn’t interested in the spectacular as much as he was interested in the people behind the needs. Anyway, he is in Cana, where the first miracle occurred, and there is a sick boy in Capernaum.

We are living in a day when there are many sick folks around us and the fear of many more becoming sick. So, what are we going to do? What do you suppose this father had done for his child? Did he consult the doctors? I am sure he did! Did he follow the treatments they prescribed? Certainly. And yet the boy was still sick. In spite of doing all that he could, the boy didn’t get better. Something else is needed.

Let’s take a minute here to consider our situation. To be honest, wouldn’t we like God to step in right now and eradicate this virus? And there is no doubt he could. But maybe we need to do what we can first. Wash your hands, don’t get any closer to folks than you need to, stay home, and wash your hands again. But maybe there is a silver lining in this cloud. We have time to slow down, to spend time with our family, to eat our meals together, maybe to play a game, to catch up on those jobs that we never seem to find time for. But maybe we can do something even more important. Maybe we can spend some time with God that we haven’t been. Maybe we can catch up on our Bible reading, maybe we can spend more time in prayer, maybe we can make a few phone calls to check on folks that we have intended to do for a while now. My point is, even in tough times, there can be good things that come out. I know it is a long way from Jesus’ first miracle to COVID 19, but let’s remember to always trust God.

Father, I’m thankful that nothing is beyond you. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Mike Caton is the preacher at Mount Olive Church of Christ in Belhaven. He volunteers at the Ponzer Fire Department and works part time with Hyde County EMS. If you would like to receive daily devotions in your inbox, email mikecaton@centurylink.net.

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