The Storms of Life

Matthew 7: 24 - 27

24"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. 25The 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. 26But 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. 27The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash."


The headlines have it today. This past weekend was a weekend of destruction. From the Hurricane wiping out entire neighborhoods, to financial giants falling on Wall Street. It was a weekend of awaking for many. In today’s world so many are searching for a solid foundation. We want to invest our money in a “sure thing”, we want to have as much if not more than they fella living next to us, we want the house with a view, and the beach at our doorstep.

This weekend showed us all that even when those things are achieved, they could be taken away in a matter of hours. The house that we saved and struggled for can be wiped away as if it was never there, the bank account can go from black to red in the blink of an eye.

How we recover from these things all depends on our foundation for our lives, and the only foundation that is worth building on is the foundation of Christ. Psalm 57 verse 1 reads: Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me, for in you my soul takes refuge. I will take refuge in the shadow of your wings until the disaster has passed. There is little doubt that we all have storms in our life. Some are nothing more than the brief summer storms that pass quickly, others bring rains that swamp the soul, and submerge the spirit. There is only one place that we can find true refuge, there is only one place that offers the peace, and faith needed to weather that storm, that place is in the shadow of the Lord’s wing.

People who have put their faith in the natural world are assured of failure. They will always be found wanting, no matter their success. All that they acquire is dependant on the lives of others, or their own life. We all face death, and life, just like all of the “toys” that they toil so hard to acquire, will be gone before they are ready. The comforts that we acquire in the natural pale in comparison to the comfort of Christ.

A person of faith understands that all things in this life are temporary; the only lasting venture is our partnership with Christ. When we build our life of the foundation of the Lord, we find our life on solid footing. It is an unshakable foundation that can handle all of the stress and all of our life’s storms. It will not crack, it will not erode, and it will not fail. The foundation of Christ gives assurance and direction in times of struggle, it will call you home like a beacon in the night when you are lost, and feeling overwhelmed.

The Lord will bless and protect you in and through all of life’s storms. He will clear the path and show the way to safety. It is by his grace that we are saved, and it is in his wisdom that we will be sustained. Do not bemoan the loss of things created by man; they are only baubles and trinkets.


Peace,
Rev. Thetford