Building Your House on the Rock

"And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock."  - Matthew 7:25

No one ever wants to go through hard times.  We all want to go through life with as little resistance as possible.  Speaking for myself, I certainly do everything I can to avoid any sort of hardship.  But the fact is that no matter how hard we try to avoid the hardships of life, they are inevitable.  Eventually, something devastating will happen.  It has been said that if you are not going through a storm, you're heading into one.

In Matthew chapter 7, Jesus is nearing the end of the Beatitudes, a series of teachings to His followers.  In this section, Jesus talks about how those who listen to His words are like wise men who build their houses on a rock.  When the storm came and the winds and rain beat on the house, it did not crumble because it had a solid foundation.  On the other hand, Jesus says those who do not follow His words are like a foolish man who builds his house on sand.  The storm came and the winds and rain beat on the house but because the house was not built on a solid foundation, it crumbled.  There are a couple important points to discuss about these verses.

First, Jesus is attempting to convey just how powerful His words and promises are.  What He is saying in these passages is that if you hold true to the teachings of Christ, when the storms of life hit, you will have a solid foundation to help you through the tough times.  Developing that foundation before the storm hits (and it will hit eventually) prepares you to deal with anything.  No matter how bad the situation gets, there is comfort in knowing that you are a child of God.  He loves you and will see you through the toughest of times.  However, if you are building your foundation on something other than Jesus, the tough times will leave you in its destruction.  Just as a foolish man's house after a storm, you will be left picking up the pieces, trying to patch things together again.  Why not prepare for the storm beforehand rather than dealing with it after?

The second point I want to make is for you to notice that the storm hit both the wise man's house and the foolish man's house.  There is a false belief (coming from false teachers) that being a Christian means you will never go through difficult times, that life is just butterflies and rainbows.  Unfortunately, that is not the case.  Christians go through storms just like everyone else.  The difference is that we have the promises of Jesus to hold us up, to keep us strong.  We know that whatever we are faced with, Jesus is with us every step of the way.

So if you are going through a a tough time right now, I encourage you to hold close to the promises of Jesus.  He is with you at all times.  He loves you so much and He wants to help you through whatever you are experiencing.  But a relationship is a two way street.  He is not going to help anyone that doesn't want to be helped.  So if you haven't already, start building your home on the proper foundation.  Build your house on the Rock.