“Anyone who listens to my teaching and obeys me is wise, like a person who builds a
house on solid rock.  Though the rain comes in torrents and the flood waters rise and the winds beat
against that house, it won’t collapse, because it is built on rock.  But anyone who hears my teaching and ignores it is foolish, like a person who builds a house on sand.  When the rains and floods come and the winds beat against that house, it will fall with a mighty crash.”After Jesus finished speaking, the crowds were amazed at his teaching, for he taught as one who had real authority—quite unlike the teachers of religious law. 

Matthew 7:24-29

 

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Watching the ocean waves in Hawaii is a picture of what Jesus was teaching in these verses.  On the Waikiki beach you can watch the waves come and go. So many people crowd that beach, even small children play as the gentle waves come on shore.  On other parts of the island, the ocean waves get stronger and the only thing that stands after years of slamming waves are the rocks. Even after the largest of waves hit, the rocks remain solid, unchanged, and unmoved.

 

Because it is hard for us to understand difficult things about life, Jesus told stories about something very familiar to make it easier for us to understand Biblical concepts.  He called these stories parables.  In Matthew 7 the house is us.  Each of us has to choose what our foundation of life will be.  We can be so consumed with everyday life, with making the NFR, raising our kids, or just with paying bills, that we never think about what our lives are built on.

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The weather in this story is life.  Sometimes it is peaceful and calm and beautiful.  But there are times in everyone’s life when it gets rough.  Those are the storms that Jesus is talking about.  All of us have troubles—but if Jesus is our rock, when the storms hit, He will rescue us, He will take us to a safe place, He will shelter us from the storm.

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If we live with Jesus as our foundation, when the storms of life come, we are protected and rescued by Him.  When the storm is over, we can see the waves receding and we are standing, standing securely on the rock of our salvation.

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A verse in Proverbs tells us that

“People ruin their lives by their own foolishness and then are angry at the Lord.”

 

When things go wrong and the big storm hits our life it is so easy to blame God.  It is so easy to say,

“Why would a good God allow that?”

 

God has warned us and told us how to survive, but unfortunately to many of us have been foolish, and have built our lives upon sand. 

Our lives can be so busy just dealing with the present that it is easy for us to be caught unaware and when the storms come, we are in a fix. 

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​Another verse in Proverbs says that the prudent person foresees the danger ahead and takes precautions.  The simpleton goes blindly on and suffers the consequences.  (Proverbs 27:12)

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May we all take some time to consider upon what our life is built.

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May we all be prudent and build our lives on the rock of Jesus and when the storms hit, we will stand strong through them.