“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.”1
In 1992, Hurricane Andrew destroyed thousands of homes in South Florida. Yet in an area where the wreckage looked like a war zone, one house remained standing, still firmly anchored to its foundation. When a reporter asked the homeowner why his house had not been blown away, he replied, “I built this house myself. I also built it according to the Florida state building code. When the code called for 2″x6″ roof trusses, I used 2″x6″ roof trusses. I was told that a house built according to the code could withstand a hurricane—and it did.”2
I can identify with this builder because in former years I was a builder by trade and built my own home at the top of the Adelaide hills in Australia where the winds blow furiously. I not only built according to the local building codes, but went the second mile. Instead of using 2″x8″ rafters I used 3″x8″ and instead of using large nails to secure these, I used large coach screw/bolts, and so on. I lost a few roofing tiles on one occasion in a wild storm, but never was there any other damage.
As Jesus reminds us, it pays to build solidly on a solid foundation. He was referring to building our lives according to his code as found in his Word, The Bible. Those who do will not be swept away by the storms of life and adverse circumstances that threaten to destroy us.
Suggested prayer: “Dear God, please help me to build my life on ‘Christ, the Solid Rock’ and live according to your instructions as found in the Bible. I thank you that, if I do this, you have guaranteed that I will be able to stand firm in all of life’s storms. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”
1. Matthew 7:25 (NASB).
2. Tom Moore, preacher@hsnp.com cited in KneEmail, http://www.oakhillcoc.org.
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