The Hesitation Barrier
by Pastor Gary R. Hindman
(Voice by Pastor Ron Beckham)
"Do Whatever He tells you” (John 2:5)
Rudyard Kipling wrote: "The gates are always mine to open." Do you believe we can do whatever we make up our mind to do? It’s a great idea but most of the time, you and I are not so confident. It’s like the message last week on “hydrophobia” - fear takes away our boldness. That’s why the statement from Jesus’ mother seems really strong. Turning to the servants at the house in Cana, she says, "Do whatever He tells you." That remark and their obedience initiated Jesus’ first miracle!
Some things have not changed all that much in 2,000 years. A wedding is still a big social event for the family. Guests expect the best, and in this story they were not disappointed. But I have to tell you, there was no small measure of anxiety that day in Cana when the servants realized a major faux pas had occurred: they had run out of wine. Not wanting to concern hosts or bridegroom, they tried to resolve the problem but gave up in frustration. In their confusion a servant mentioned the problem to Mary, who suggested they tell Jesus about it. As they went to Him, she said: "Do whatever He tells you” and apparently they did it without hesitation.
Hesitation can be a big problem. I had a coach who used to say, “Boys, he who hesitates is lost.” It’s true in sports. If you hesitate on a football field you may be injured. If you hesitate as you swing your golf club the ball is liable to go just about anywhere! If you hesitate in life you will have frustration. Hesitation is the number one crippler of potential. We can fall to pieces as a result of it. The sins of omission seem to plague us more than the sins of commission. We are paralyzed by unfulfilled ambitions. Regret fills us and we chastise ourselves with, "Why didn't I do it?" We failed to do whatever it was because of hesitation and we are left muttering to ourselves words like, “Would’a, could’a, should’a!” Right now, somewhere in your life, I suspect there is a gate to be opened and you are standing back and thinking, "I don't know if I can do it!" And what's worse, our hesitations are set in concrete when reinforced by fear of criticism or bad counsel.
The tiny bit of courage and faith shown by the wedding servants was undoubtedly shattered when Jesus told them without explanation to fill earthen jars with water. It was wine, not water that was needed! But for some reason they complied. Time was running out. Perhaps they thought that water would be better than nothing. And expecting the ordinary they probably muttered under their breath, "How ridiculous it is to use water!” but even so, they did as He commanded. They believed just enough to overcome hesitation and thus a miracle was in the making.
Miracles are only miracles when they transcend our human knowledge and defy our security in the sensible, practical approach to life - Some may be asking, “Is it sensible or practical for a small church to keep the doors open? Where is our future? What’s going to happen to us?” A better question to ask is: “What does God want?” And if God is in the miracle business and makes water out of wine, does God want us to continue our witness as a church? Remember, the strength and resources are not going to come from us but from God!
God is constantly doing miracles. In Cana, the water changing into wine is only a symbol of far greater miracles, such as changing sinful people into whole persons. Miracles await us as individuals and as a church. God is ready to act when you are ready to ask. But as gracious and accepting as God actually is, He does not force himself on us. He demonstrates miracles by His presence, not by domination. Forcing us to believe is contrary to the gift of freedom God gave at creation. God can force us, but His spirit is to love us and wait for us to accept His will over ours.
One senses that the servants tried to solve the problem first on their own. In fact, I’ll bet that Jesus was their court of last resort just as He is in our lives. Why do we often put God off? We must believe either that God is not interested in our problems, or else that He is unable to help us.
In Scripture, I see that God usually gets involved after being invited. Jesus used lots of action words to make this point: "Ask and you shall receive," He said. "Seek and you shall find." "Knock and doors shall be open to you." "Come and follow Me." "Lay your burdens upon Me and I will give you rest." The world waits in desperation for better things and wonders why they do not come! Just wanting without a sense of direction is futility. You have nothing because you asked for nothing. You have little because you asked for little. Ask! - and be open to God's answer.
The young boy, born with a crippled leg, struggled through the physical embarrassment and mental anguish of one operation after another, one leg brace followed by more. All his efforts led to depression until his whole personality became bitterness and self-pity. Finding no other relief, the boy turned to God. He prayerfully asked the Lord to help him. Eventually he would testify with great emotion: "God didn't take the brace off my leg, but He did take the brace off of my mind." The same crippled leg, but a new boy.
After World War II a man named George Mueller went into Europe with a great cause - to find food, clothing and shelter for orphaned children. Often he was confronted with the discouraging response that his ideas were too costly and the task too great. Once a friend asked him, "George, why do you keep trying so hard?" To which he responded with a confidence that broke through the hesitation barrier: "Do not limit God with what to you seems an impossible task."
Great miracles have happened many times since the wedding in Cana. They occur whenever a person approaches Christ accepting that whatever He tells us to do, we will do it. The first miracle God works in one's life is the understanding that what He is and what He says deserves our undivided attention. The absence of a miracle is the result of a detached relationship to Christ. When people discover that what God says is important, mighty things begin to happen. We then believe in the rightness of outcomes that are the result of God's design and not our own.
In every life there's a war being waged. On one side of the battle is my pride that wants me to make it on my own. On the other side is the possibility to turn my life over to God. The question is what and whom do you really trust? Our very act of hesitation reveals our lack of faith, and our dependence on self instead of God. We forget the great truth of Scripture that "the flower fades and the grass withers away, but the word of the Lord stands forever."
The common practice was to serve the good wine first and then, when the senses were dulled, bring out the Two-buck Chuck! If you’re out of “wine,” our way says to go to the supplier and buy some more. God may say “fill the jars with water and serve it to the guests.” The result is astonishing: "Why have you saved the best wine until the last?"
In John's Gospel, a nobleman came to Jesus for a cure for his son. He received no medication, no healing touch, not even an assurance that Jesus would physically come and see the child, only a word: "Go, your son will live." (John 4:50). With that they returned home to join in the celebration of life, which happened at the exact hour He spoke the words. What makes the difference? What helps us through the hesitation barrier? The answer is "obedience." It is overcoming hesitation and simply obeying. We will never know that God's ways transcend our ways until we humbly accept with obedience the willingness to try. There are many things you can do on your own. But so many more can be done through Christ who strengthens you. Don’t be afraid to ask. Do whatever He tells you, and in the process, break through the hesitation barrier!
LET US PRAY: God, take our faltering nature and give us courage to speak and live boldly for the Lord Jesus. May He be number one in our lives and give us loving service and direction. Amen.
