“Therefore, everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them, may be compared to a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded on the rock. Everyone who hears these words of Mine and does not act on them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. The rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and it fell – and great was its fall.”
Matthew 7:24-27 NASB
As a visual learner, the above Scripture passage has been one of my favorites due to the clear image my mind creates when I read it. The destruction that storms bring can be devastating, but a structure built on a firm foundation has a much better chance of surviving.
Last year, while vacationing in the panhandle of Florida, the boardwalk pictured here caught my eye. It literally was out in the middle of the sand dunes with no beach in sight. Over time, and I’m sure many windy and wet storms, the entire topography had changed. The sands had shifted leaving the boardwalk tattered, abandoned, and useless.
As I thought of how out of place the boardwalk looked, the above Scripture passage came to my mind. Jesus is speaking these words to the crowds. They begin in chapter 5 of Matthew with the sermon on the mount and continue to the end of chapter 7. His teaching covers everything from personal relationships to false prophets and everything in between. His instructions are clear and simple – act on/do/follow/obey – my words, and you will stand. Disobey and you will fall; and great will be the fall.
To withstand the storms of time, one must have a sure foundation. That base is Jesus Christ. In my experience, it’s the consistent, less severe trials of life that chip away at our foundation leaving us vulnerable and unprotected. Like the boardwalk, one day we find ourselves ragged, vacant, and ineffective for the kingdom of God.
But praise God, all is not hopeless. There is forgiveness and cleansing with Jesus. He can bring transformation like no other. Return to Him and let Him rebuild and renew you for His glory. Make it a priority to spend time with Him, to learn His ways from the Bible, and to put them into practice. Those shifting sands will be replaced with a firm foundation that will cause you to stand!
[Digging deeper – Luke 6:47-49;1 Corinthians 15:1-2; James 1:22-25]
Standing firm because of Him,
Beverly <><
Photo Credit: photo by Beverly Lussi
I remember one summer night when I couldn’t sleep. Everyone else was in bed and I was looking out my bedroom window because a spectacular storm was going on outside. The lightning was flashing across the sky and rain was falling in sheets. What was keeping me awake though wasn’t what was going on outside but was within me. I was struggling with a deep and challenging storm in my life that felt hopeless and unending. I had spent a lot of time in prayer asking God to deliver me, but I had not heard a response yet and felt alone. As I stared out the window at a tree in my front yard with its branches blowing in the wind, I desperately asked God to strike the tree with lightning to show me that he was there with me and could see my struggle. It was a question asked out of weakness, from being overcome with emotion.
A big shout-out to a very kind lady named Sharon from AAA in Greensboro, N.C. I shared with you how she made me feel special during a rainstorm last year… a day I was filled with stress and angst over locking my keys in the car during a time crunch. She encouraged me and offered mercy right when I needed it most. Her kindness hit straight to my heart in a way that brought healing tears to my soul that day. I have no doubt the Lord brought her voice to my ears at the exact moment I really needed someone to care, and not to judge.