Building for the Storms of Life

Luke 6:46-49

46 “Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I tell you? 47 I will show you what someone is like who comes to me, hears my words, and acts on them. 48 That one is like a man building a house, who dug deeply and laid the foundation on rock; when a flood arose, the river burst against that house but could not shake it, because it had been well built. 49 But the one who hears and does not act is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. When the river burst against it, immediately it fell, and great was the ruin of that house.”

Life is full of storms, storms will happen. The question is: how will we survive the storms? Jesus says there is only one way to survive the storms: being built on a foundation of rock. Notice in verse 48 that building on a rock foundation is hard work – the builder dug deeply – digging with pick and shovel. This hard work which is essential to surviving the storm is almost never praised or thanked. People don’t say, “Look at the beautiful foundation of that house, much care and work went into making that foundation.” The foundation is usually hidden by everything else – the ground, the rest of the house, we even put shrubs around to hide the foundation. But the foundation is essential the house’s being able to survive the storms that come.

How do we dig a foundation that is rooted in the rock? First, we need to recognize the need for a foundation. That means recognizing that we cannot withstand the challenges of life without help. We can not do this alone. Second, we need to spend the time connecting to the rock – the foundation of Jesus. That means more than just knowing his name, it means starting to walk the path he describes as the way to life. In another place Jesus says, “narrow the way and hard the path that leads to life.” Following Jesus is the road to life, hard as the road is. Third, when a storm hits, we are called to look to Jesus, so we can live with hope. The storms of life often steal our attention, we see only the storm. Trusting in the foundation of Jesus, looking to him, the storm seems smaller and is less frightening.

PRAYER:

Lord God, remind us that the hard work of foundation building is worth the work. Remind us also of your promise to see us through the storms of life. Be with us now in the storms we presently face. In Jesus’ name. Amen.