The Storm Cometh

During my time with the Lord this morning, I read this passage from Matthew’s gospel:

“Therefore, everyone who hears these words of Mine, and acts on them, will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 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. And everyone who hears these words of Mine, and does not act on them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. And the rain fell and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and it fell—and its collapse was great.” Matthew 7:24-27

Context, of course, is always a critical factor in our interpretation of Scripture, and the context of this section includes everything the Lord Jesus taught in the so-called ‘Sermon on the Mount.’ The sermon covers the entire 5th, 6th, and 7th chapters of Matthew.  If it has been a while since you’ve read it, I urge you to do so today or tomorrow. It won’t take long. Maybe ten minutes if you take your time.

When I got to the end of chapter seven – the text I cite at the beginning of this post – I thought of an old Sunday School song Nancy and I taught our 2nd grade class many years ago. Some of you might know the simple, but profound, lyrics:

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 rains came tumbling down.
The rains came down and the floods came up,
The rains came down and the floods came up,
The rains came down and the floods came up,
But the house on the Rock 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 rains came tumbling down.
The rains came down and the floods came up,
The rains came down and the floods came up,
The rains came down and the floods came up,
And the house on the sand fell flat.

Listen, please.

Every person reading this post will yet face multiple storms in life. Some of those storms may be like tornados that rip apart everything you hold dear.

On what is your house built?

If you do not have a consistent and frequent habit of reading your Bible – I urge you to please start. I’ve offered my annual Bible reading plan before, and I do it now again: https://thecontemplativecatholicconvert.blogspot.com/2016/09/bible-reading-plan-revised-sept-2016.html

And if mine does not work for you, then find one online. Search the internet for “Annual Bible Reading Plans.” Several options will pop up on your screen.

It is only the wise who build their house on a rock-solid foundation. All other ground is sinking sand.

Beware. The storm cometh.