Are You Running on Empty? - The Christian Online Magazine

The Christian Online Magazine -

There are few things in life that really annoy me or make me anxious, but when my automobile fuel light comes on and I hear the dong that says you are low on gasoline, I am ready to find the nearest gas station and pump gas into it. I do not like to run my car when the gauge gets near empty. My husband will say, “Oh, we have enough gas to go a long ways yet”. I am a realist; I want the gas in my tank. I don’t want to take a chance on running out. I am the same way with the money in the checking account. I meticulously go over my checking account, leaving no room for error. “I don’t like running on empty”.

I read about a girl who was getting married one time and she was very nervous, so the Minister thought that it would be good if he had the best man read a scripture that would calm her. He told him to read 1 John 4:18 – Which says “There is no fear in love, but perfect love casteth out fear”. The poor unlearned best man read John 4:18 – which read “You have five husbands and the one you now have is not your husband”.

There is no such thing as a perfect wedding. There are always going to be problems. In John 2: 1-11 we find Jesus attending just such a wedding. He was about three days late getting to the wedding, which was not a problem as the Israelite weddings lasted about a week. Can you imagine having to wait a week to be with your new spouse without having family and friends around? In our day, we leave the crowd immediately after the reception and tell no one the direction we are going for our honeymoon or wedding night.

The first thing Mary said when she saw him was the wine is about to run out. Well, the wine symbolized joy to the Jewish people and without it the party would crash and the wedding would be a disaster. Mary knew however, that the Master was in the house. She instructed the servants to do anything he told them to do. Of course we find in these scriptures Jesus instructed them to fill 6 stone pots with water. Now, he didn’t tell them how full, but scripture tells us they did a great job, they filled them to the brim. Now the jars held between 20-30 gallon of water. They were used for an outward show of purification that was required under the Jewish law. They would walk by and run their hands under the water. The water did nothing physically to cleanse them, but was necessary for them to be obedient to the law.

After the stone jars were filled, he instructed the servants in verse 8 to draw up and bear the water to the governor of the feast. The word draw up here meant they were to go to the place where the water settles, so they went once again to the well and carried the water. That was what the obedient servants thought they were carrying to the honored guest. The Governor drank the wine and then remarked the best wine had been saved until last. “The wedding party was running on empty”, but due to obedient servants and a loving master, their cups were refueled and the wedding was successful.

Maybe it didn’t seem fair of Jesus to send these servants to labor and carry all that water but Jesus wanted them to receive something from this too. So therefore He let them see the miracle. They had been willing to accept his authority without question. Jesus didn’t need their physical labor to do a miracle but he did need their obedience.

Sometimes folks, we run on empty because we fail to admit we have a problem.

1. We find Mary recognizing there is a great problem here. This wedding is going to be disastrous if we don’t have a miracle.

2. We find it required the presence of Jesus.

3. It required the obedience of the servants.

Mary’s initial request was fulfilled because of her faith. The servant’s obedience was the greatest of all as condemned sinners became forgiven children.

How are we going to respond when we find our spiritual tanks on empty? Are we going to stand in faith in the presence of Jesus or are we going to admit that we are “running on empty” and don’t know what to do? How are we going to respond when our cup is empty and our back is to the wall and it seems like Heaven is shut up? Are we going to know to reach out for the Master to refill our cup or are we going to cry out to the world “My cup is empty”.

If we want the God kind of joy today which will bring our tanks to full and running over, then we have to admit that we don’t have it right now. Then, we have to take the need to Jesus and do whatever He tells us to do. We must be completely committed to Him. We must admit we are “running on empty”.

I don’t know about you, but I like things to be right. I like my gasoline tank full when I am traveling. I like my spiritual tank full all the time. When it gets a little low, I get concerned. Are you running out of spiritual gas? Are you running on empty? Do you need a miracle?

The Master is passing by right now. Grab hold and refuse to let go of Him until you get your answer and you empty tank is filled to the brim and running over. Remember turning the water into wine was only the first of many miracles Jesus did and He is still in the Miracle working business today.