When Trust Gets Real 👑 ⚖️💰 | Matthew 8 Devotional (7-Step QT)
7-Step QT Notes
1. 🙏 Quiet Time
Pause.
Take a slow, steady breath.
Ask Jesus to quiet the storms in your heart and open your eyes to what true trust looks like.
2. 📅 January 31, 2026
Today’s passage reminds us:
Jesus doesn’t just calm the storms around us—He confronts the things we cling to more than Him.
3. ✝️ Matthew 8:23–34
Jesus calms a violent storm, rebuking His disciples for their fear and commanding the winds and sea into stillness. In the region of the Gadarenes, He delivers two demon-possessed men by sending the demons into a herd of pigs. The townspeople, alarmed by the loss, beg Jesus to leave their region.
4. 📖 Key Verse
And behold, all the city came out to meet Jesus, and when they saw him, they begged him to leave their region (v. 34).
5. 📝 Reflection
In today’s passage, Jesus intentionally crosses the stormy Sea of Galilee to reach the Gentile region of Gadara. There He meets two demon-possessed men, shows them compassion, and drives out the demons. Yet this remarkable miracle provokes strong opposition from the local people. Instead of welcoming Him, they urgently ask Jesus to leave their region.
Why did they want Jesus to depart? Because they suffered a major economic loss when the demons entered their herd of pigs. Jesus brought them the good news of salvation and displayed divine power, yet they valued their pigs more than the salvation of their souls. Interestingly, this kind of choice was not limited to two thousand years ago; it still happens in our lives today.
Dear friends, what is more important to you—salvation of the soul or the herd of pigs? If your answer is the salvation of the soul, that is good, and I bless you to continue choosing that path today. But if the “herd of pigs” still feels more important, remember Jesus’ words: “You cannot serve God and money.” (Matt 6:24) And may you shift the weight of your life from temporary earthly possessions to the gift of eternal life, starting today.
6. 💬 What does this passage speak to you today?
- What “storm” are you trying to calm on your own instead of asking Jesus for help?
- What is the “herd of pigs” in your life—something you fear losing more than you trust God?
- Is there an area where Jesus’ presence feels uncomfortable because it requires surrender?
7. 🙏 Prayer
Jesus, calm the storms inside me and help me trust You more than my own security. Show me what I cling to more than You, and give me the courage to surrender it. Teach me to follow You with faith, not fear, and lead me into the freedom only You can give. Amen.
Scriptures
📖 23 And when he got into the boat, his disciples followed him. 24 And behold, there arose a great storm on the sea, so that the boat was being swamped by the waves; but he was asleep. 25 And they went and woke him, saying, “Save us, Lord; we are perishing.” 26 And he said to them, “Why are you afraid, O you of little faith?” Then he rose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm. 27 And the men marveled, saying, “What sort of man is this, that even winds and sea obey him?”
28 And when he came to the other side, to the country of the Gadarenes, two demon-possessed men met him, coming out of the tombs, so fierce that no one could pass that way. 29 And behold, they cried out, “What have you to do with us, O Son of God? Have you come here to torment us before the time?” 30 Now a herd of many pigs was feeding at some distance from them. 31 And the demons begged him, saying, “If you cast us out, send us away into the herd of pigs.” 32 And he said to them, “Go.” So they came out and went into the pigs, and behold, the whole herd rushed down the steep bank into the sea and drowned in the waters. 33 The herdsmen fled, and going into the city they told everything, especially what had happened to the demon-possessed men. 34 And behold, all the city came out to meet Jesus, and when they saw him, they begged him to leave their region (Matthew 8:23-34, ESV).
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