Hurricanes, Floods, and Rock
(Re-posted from Comfort-Cafe.net, January 2018)
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.” (Matthew 7:24-27)
Headlines from Hurricane News: 2017 Atlantic Hurricane Season Among Top 10 Most Active in History as of Oct. 2. This certainly seems true. Last year we saw Hurricane Ophelia and Maria; Hurricane Harvey to hit Houston, Texas; and Hurricane Irma hitting Puerto Rico, the Caribbean and Florida. New headlines in 2018 announce: Winter storm Grayson brought icy conditions, snow, and coastal flooding to the East Coast last week followed by record cold temperatures.
Spiritual Preparedness
All these headlines about storms makes me think about figurative hurricanes and floods. Most people have to face a shattering event at some point in their lives. It begs the question. Is your spiritual house built on rock or sand? As the New Year begins, it’s a good time to take spiritual inventory.
Are we prioritizing Christ above all? Time with Him, reading His Word? Are we praying? Are we alert to the spiritual battles raging? If so, we are building on solid rock.
However, the relentless pursuit of money and possessions, the chase after more and more enticing entertainment, or the constant running after success is built on shifting sands that cannot hold against a storm.
Simple Lesson
The Sunday School Song below is a good lesson to adults as well:
The wise man built his house upon the rock The wise man built his house upon the rock The wise man built his house upon the rock And the rain came tumbling down
Oh, the rain came down And the floods came up The rain came down And the floods came up The rain came down And the floods came up And the wise man’s house stood firm.
The foolish man built his house upon the sand The foolish man built his house upon the sand The foolish man built his house upon the sand And the rain came tumbling down
Oh, the rain came down And the floods came up The rain came down And the floods came up The rain came down And the floods came up And the foolish man’s house went “splat!” [clap hands once]
So, build your house on the Lord Jesus Christ Build your house on the Lord Jesus Christ Build your house on the Lord Jesus Christ And the blessings will come down
Oh, the blessings come down As your prayers go up The blessings come down As your prayers go up The blessings come down As your prayer go up So build your house on the Lord Jesus Christ. This New Year, let’s make sure we build on rock. Keep the main thing, Jesus, the main thing.