Day 21 Bible Reading

Genesis 41 & 42, Matthew 14: 22-36, Matthew 15: 1-9, Psalm 12

Matthew 14: 29-31

“He said, “Come.” So Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water and came to Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink he cried out, “Lord, save me.” Jesus immediately reached out his hand and took hold of him, saying to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?”’

These verses from Matthew 14 remind me so much of my own journey with Christ. There have been so many times where I feel like God has asked me to trust him as a demonstration of my faith. And I have tried to do that, and so many, many times, I felt afraid and it felt like I was sinking. And then something happened which saved me, and it felt like Christ was reaching out his hand to me and saying the exact words he said to Peter. Except unlike Peter, my experience wasn’t as dramatic as his out on the sea of Galilee. Peter had to experience it once, whereas I’ve had this experience many, many times. And after all these years, I still have doubts even though I have so much evidence that God never breaks his promises to me. And maybe it’s because when God did fulfill his promise, it didn’t happen in exactly the way I wanted it to happen, didn’t happen like the picture I had in my head. But God always came through with his promise, and it was much later in hindsight that I realized his way was the best way for the thing to happen.

Day 20 Bible Reading

Genesis 40, Matthew 14: 1-21, Proverbs 2: 12-22

Matthew 14: 17-21 (ESV)

“They said to him, “We have only five loaves here and two fish.” And he said, “Bring them here to me.” Then he ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass, and taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven and said a blessing. Then he broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds. And they all ate and were satisfied. And they took up twelve baskets full of the broken pieces left over. And those who ate were about five thousand men, besides women and children.”

I love this story from Matthew 14 where Jesus feeds the crowd with five loaves and two fish. This miracle shows his power, and I think also shows his compassion for the crowd that had gathered to hear and see him. When we think of Christ we remember his miracles, but we should also think about how much he cared for the wellbeing of the people who were so eager to hear his words. Christ will do miraculous things in our lives, but he will also make sure that all our basic needs are met for food and shelter. God is a miracle worker for everything in our lives.