God directed me to study the miracles in the Bible very early in our ministry. Jesus, after all, operated in the most fascinating miracle ministry. The first recorded miracle that Jesus performed communicates many facets of the heart of God. This miracle was the turning of wine into water at the wedding at Cana of Galilee. John 2:11a (KJV) says, “This beginning of miracles did Jesus in Cana of Galilee.”
First, we discover what type of event Jesus is attending. God does everything strategic, and things that happen first set precedence. He is at a wedding to celebrate a marriage. Jesus isn’t too spiritual to rejoice in the union of two souls in matrimony! We often imagine Jesus raising the dead, healing the leper or opening the eyes of the blind, but we see another side of Him as the wedding attendee. He is there to appreciate and celebrate a beautiful moment in the couple’s lives.
Second, in this passage in John 2, Jesus turns water into wine. The fact that God chooses this as Jesus’ first miracle gives us a sneak peek into the mind of God. When He realizes His own mother and the wedding party would lose joy by the absence of the customary wedding libation, He is moved with compassion. God desires that our “joy be made full.” John 16:24 (MEV) reads, “Until now you have asked nothing in My name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full.” God rejoices with us when we have joy over His favor and blessings in our life.
In Luke 10, Jesus directly commands His disciples that He wants them to rejoice. Jesus had sent out 70 of His disciples to share the message of the kingdom of God, to heal the sick and bring deliverance to the captives. Luke 10:17 says, “The seventy returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us through Your name.” Our Lord’s response to them was, “Nevertheless do not rejoice that the spirits are subject to you, but rather rejoice that your names are written in heaven” (Luke 10:20). It isn’t that Jesus is against celebrating their achievements, rather He wants them to celebrate from the correct perspective—a heavenly perspective.
It brings pleasure to the heart of God that we can overcome, achieve, receive answers to prayer and experience breakthrough in our own lives. Because God is intimately connected to us by His Holy Spirit, He celebrates us when we celebrate even the small things He does in our lives. This is one of the reasons the Bible says in Philippians 4:4a, “Rejoice in the Lord always.” Because God celebrates us, we should always celebrate Him. {eoa}
Demontae Edmonds is the founder of Freedom 4 the Nations, host of This Is Freedom on the Charisma Podcast Network and host of Atlanta’s Highways TV program. His heart is to share the reality of Jesus Christ with the world through demonstrations of the Holy Spirit’s power and presence. His books Grab Hold of Your Miracle, Discerning of Spirits: 7 Dimensions of Revelation and The Supernatural Gift of Faith can be found on Amazon, walmart.com and barnesandnobles.com.
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