When the water turns to wine

Some Biblical stories we don’t relate to experientially as much as others. But then God moves in a way that makes them so alive for us.

This past week I had a front row seat to the working out of the story in the second chapter of John when Jesus turned water into wine. You may remember in these verses that Jesus, his mother, Mary, and his disciples were attending a wedding. The wine was gone, and Mary approached him with the problem.

Jesus protested saying, “My hour has not yet come.”

But as mothers can do, Mary refused to take no for an answer. She said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.”

Jesus had them fill large stone jars with water and then dip from one for the host of the banquet. When he tasted the water now turned to wine, he said, “Everyone brings the choice wine first and then the cheaper wine after the guests have had too much to drink; but you have saved the best till now.”

Turning the water into wine was Jesus’s first miracle.

When you ponder this miracle, he not only turned water into something else, entirely, but he turned it into what normally took one to three years to make in the first century. Aging it longer was optimal, but most people did not have the luxury to do so.

What should have taken years only took a moment.

That is the power of God.

I’ve been writing books for around fifteen years. Six of them are in print, but others sit idling on my computer. For one reason or another these never found a home in the publishing world. I’ve waited months and even years to learn the outcome of some of these manuscripts. And really, it’s a blessing to get a no, because then you can move on. Many times, there’s just a cyber silence. It’s hard to keep your hope up sometimes. I have a dear writer friend who advises that if you can do anything but write, you’d better do it, because it’s a hard life. I can do other things, but I feel called to write.

I finished writing a book earlier this year that I had worked on periodically for years. The story was and is close to my heart—a middle grade historical. I made one contact which didn’t require a proposal, but I didn’t expect to progress with this publisher. I felt I owed them this courtesy because of past alliances, but I wasn’t sure they were moving forward in that genre. When I learned they weren’t, I set to work writing the proposal which is a tedious process. When I finished, I prayed about how to proceed.

The Lord kept bringing the name to mind of my former agent who is now involved in publishing acquisitions. After this had weighed on my heart for some time, I reached out to him this past week in a query letter.

So, here’s the water into wine—I went from query letter to contract in about twenty-four hours.

That, too, is the power of God.

It could have taken years or months, but it only took one day. I’m still walking around with feet hardly touching the ground.

Please don’t hear me bragging. I did my due diligence, but this had nothing to do with me. This was all God, all the time.

So, if you’re staring down a situation that has burdened you for years, and you’re wondering if anything can happen. I’m here to tell you that seven days ago, when I last posted, I was sitting in my chair wondering if I’d ever get this recent book in print. Today, I’m looking forward to its release.

Be encouraged. God is still in the miracle working, wine-making business.

Beverly Varnado is the author of several small town romances from Anaiah Press including her latest, A Season for Everything. All are available at Amazon. A memoir, Faith in the Fashion District,  from Crosslink Publishing  is also available as well as her other books, Give My Love to the Chestnut Trees and Home to Currahee. She also has an Etsy Shop, Beverly Varnado Art. 

To explore the web version of One Ringing Bell, please visit bev-oneringingbell.blogspot.com

Beverly Varnado copyright 2022