Earlier this week we had a severe thunderstorm pass through our area. Rain poured down in sheets, the wind howled, and even hail pinged on our windows. After the skies cleared, the damage the storm wrought was evident everywhere you looked. Massive tree branches, entire fences, and debris lay all around. Seemingly indestructible structures were now lying in ruins.
It got me thinking that it is the storms in this life that reveal where our strength lies. It can be easy to appear strong on the outside, just like a billboard standing tall on the side of the road, but when storms rip through our lives, we find out what we are made of. That same billboard that once stood so strong has now fallen, and its weak interior is exposed for all to see.
Jesus told a parable regarding this same principle in Matthew 7:24-29:
“Therefore, everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.”
I’m sure the neighbors of the fool thought his house looked sturdy and even beautiful. But all it took was one storm to bring that house crashing down. What about you? Have you built your life on the solid Rock or sinking sand?
It makes me think of a praise song we sing at my church based on this parable of Jesus:
Rain came and wind blew
But my house was built on You
I’m safe with You
I’m going to make it through
...
Christ is my firm foundation
The rock on which I stand
When everything around me is shaken
I’ve never been more glad
That I put my faith in Jesus
‘Cause He’s never let me down
He’s faithful through generations
So why would He fail now?
He won’t!
He knows the end from the beginning, and your personal storms are no surprise to Him. He has the power to calm the wind and waves with a mere word. Sometimes, though, He doesn’t call the storm to cease—instead, He calls us to weather the storm while clinging to Him. No matter where you find yourself today, I pray that you cling to the Savior. Put your faith in the only one in this universe that can never be shaken, no matter what storms life may bring.
Lord, remind us to hold fast to You whether we are going through a storm, or it has been smooth sailing.