At Home With Jesus
BRD REFLECTION 2026
Matthew 8:23-34 and Psalm 42:7-11 (NIV)
(Lim Cheng Geok, BRD Core Team)
READ:
Matthew 8:23-34 and Psalm 42:7-11 (NIV)
OBSERVE:
Following His earlier miracles, Jesus continues to demonstrate His Messiahship in this passage. He reveals His authority over nature by rebuking the winds and the sea, producing “a great calm” to the wonderment of His disciples (v23-27).
Then in verses 28-34, Jesus reveals His authority over the spirit world. With one word, He casts a legion of demons out of two men and into a herd of pigs, which then rush down a steep bank and drown in the sea. In Luke’s account, which mentions just one demoniac, there is a striking vision of the healed man “sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind” (v8:35).
In Psalm 42:7-11, the psalmist expresses his longing to be in God’s presence. He feels forgotten and abandoned (v9, 10). But he also recalls God’s steadfast love (v8) and reminds himself to “hope in God,” that a time will come when he will again praise Him (v11).
APPLY:
I’m prompted to ask: what fears and spiritual strongholds bind me? A Straits Times headline, “Smartphones Taking Over the Lives of Singapore’s Seniors” (30 March 2026), pricked my conscience. Although I’m an active retiree, I’m also guilty of doomscrolling through endless YouTube videos — “to de-stress,” I tell myself — and then rush through prayer, quiet time, and Bible study because “I’ve got things to do.” Then I wonder why God feels so distant.
Spiritual strongholds are like roaring waterfalls and crashing waves (Psalm 42:7) that drown out the presence of God. They are mindless distractions that hinder my worship of Jesus, Sovereign God who rules over nature, and my loving, personal Saviour.
In John 15:4, Jesus says: “Live in me. Make your home in me just as I do in you” (The Message). C.S. Lewis’s Mere Christianity describes sanctification as letting God rebuild my house. First, He starts with basic repairs, but then knocks the house about in a way that “hurts abominably.” The house He’s building is not a “decent little cottage” but a “palace”, because He intends to dwell there. Being present with Jesus as He works on my home makes the process that much more meaningful and fulfilling.
DO:
I resolve to make my home in Jesus so that He can make His home in me (John 15:4, The Message).
PRAY:
Dear Lord, forgive me for being distracted and faithless. Thank You for Your faithfulness and steadfast love. My hope is in You, the author and perfecter of my faith. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
