She’d lost her husband years before and was now wearing a title she’d never imagined – “widow.” They had married at a young age and under some unusually challenging circumstances. As adversity tends to do, they quickly became a very tight-knit couple – living on the love of the Father and of each other. Losing him had been tough.

Yet even in her sorrow, God had been gracious. She had her children to comfort and care for her, and she was ever so grateful. Particularly, her eldest son had been most attentive to her needs. She knew she could depend on Him. He had never married, and as He had grown up, He was trained in the trade of His earthly father. He had used His skill as a carpenter to provide for His mother’s financial needs. He had used His skill as the Son of God to provide for her emotional and spiritual needs.

You see, this oldest son and His mother shared a long history and a deep love for His heavenly Father. That history reached before His birth to a visit from an angel – with the news that the Son of God would also be her son as well as her Lord.

Now, they found themselves at a wedding in Cana. Amid the festivities and celebration, Mary discreetly shared with Jesus the fact that the host family had run out of wine. Such a social offense could lead to catastrophic damage to the family’s reputation if word got out to the guests. Mary wasn’t expecting a miracle. She’d never seen Jesus perform a miracle, and she honestly may not have known what to expect. But she knew her boy. She knew that He would do whatever He could to bless and help because for years now, He had blessed and helped her.

She simply turned to the servants attending the guests and said, “Do whatever He tells you.” She had absolute faith – not in a specific resolution to the problem, but in the heart of her son – the Son of God. In response to her faith-filled request, Jesus turned the water in six stone jars into the best wine served over the entirety of the celebration. An unconventional answer to a desperate need. A family with its back against the wall was saved from shame and humiliation because of a mother’s request and the perfectly timed, God-ordained moment for Jesus’ first miracle.

Have you been there? Are you there now? Back against the wall?

Mary didn’t know Jesus’ plan, but she trusted His heart. So can you. Mary knew that Jesus had only ever loved her, cared for her, provided for her, and helped her. That solid history was enough for her to tell the servants, “Do whatever He tells you.”

Friend, come to Jesus with your desperation. Place your faith-filled request at His feet – even if that faith is as small as a mustard seed. His answer may be unconventional, but “do whatever He tells you.” Then wait and trust that your perfectly timed, God-ordained answer will come when you realize that what you desperately need is the miracle of Jesus Himself.

(You can read this amazing story about Jesus in John 2:1-11.)