Sun.’s Devo - The Great Reveal

Read: Genesis 44:1-45:28; Matthew 14:13-36; Psalm 18:37-50; Proverbs 4;11-13
It was time for the brother’s last test. Would they lay down their lives for Benjamin? Yes, they would. When Joseph saw their hearts had changed and heard their remorse about what had happened to him, he revealed himself to them. Zechariah 12 says that when God pours the spirit of grace on the house of David, that the will look upon the one they pierced and be mournful and feel bitterness about what they have done. This is how Joseph’s brothers felt. This is the picture of Jesus revealing himself to Israel and the nation being saved in a day. Benjamin is a picture of all the Jews that have been born after Jesus died. Joseph told them that God sent him ahead of them to save them and keep them from extinction. Jesus went to heaven to prepare a place for us but he also left his seed on earth and it is the church that will preserve Israel. We are seeing this play out in our own lives. Seventy nations in the UN have voted to split Jerusalem in half and not allow Jewish settlements around Jerusalem. We are one of those seventy nations but, through prayer, we are seeing the outcry of our nation to not be a part of that. We need to continue to be praying for the peace of Israel. As Jerusalem goes, so goes America. Do you realize that God put our name in the middle of Jerusalem? JER - USA - LEM. If you put a long needle through Jerusalem on a globe you would end up in Arizona. We are connected to them in heart, spirit and mind. They are our older brothers. We need to pray that their eyes are opened to see their Messiah.
Today, in Matthew we have Jesus miraculously feeding the 5,000 with five loaves of read and two fish. There were 12 baskets left over. This was a Jewish crowd. Jesus immediately went away to pray. He sent the disciples to the other side of the sea. A storm rose and Jesus was on his way to the other side of the sea, walking on the water when he saw the disciples. They cried out for help and Peter was so excited to see Jesus walking on the water that he thought, if Jesus could do it, he could. That lasted till he got his eyes off Jesus and looked at the storm. Jesus had to rescue him because he lost his faith.
They landed at Gennesaret, the same place that Jesus had delivered the demoniac and was thrown out of town by the people. This time, as soon as they recognized him they swarmed him with their sick and demon possessed so he could heal them. Gennesaret was a Gentile town.
Lord, thank you that you guide us in the way of wisdom and lead us along straight paths. When we run, we will not stumble because we hold to your instruction and guard it as our life.