When I was a child, my Sunday School class would sing a song about wise and foolish builders. It came with actions. Perhaps you know it.
It goes like this:
“The wise man built his house upon the rock” — arms spread wide
“and the rains came tumbling down” — hands raised high above the head, fingers wiggling down towards the knees.
“The rains came down, and the floods came up” — crouch on the floor, palms up, and slowly rise up
“and the house on the rock stood firm” — hit fists on top of each other firmly, so they hurt.
Then came the second verse:
“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 actions were the same until we came to the climax of the song:
“…and the house on the sand fell flat!”
My classmates and I would fall dramatically to the floor, deliberately landing on top of each other. We laughed and squirmed while our teacher shouted our names, desperate to regain our attention and control.
Jesus told a parable of the wise and foolish builders to a large crowd.
He said:
These words I speak to you are not incidental additions to your life, homeowner improvements to your standard of living. They are foundational words, words to build a life on. If you work these words into your life, you are like a smart carpenter who built his house on solid rock. Rain poured down, the river flooded, a tornado hit—but nothing moved that house. It was fixed to the rock.
Matthew 7:24-25 MSG
Our Reactions
Sometimes we only pay lip service to Jesus’ words. Other times we ignore him. When we do this, Jesus said we are like those people who build their houses on sand. However, when we take Jesus’ words to heart and put them into practice, we establish a solid basis, like a strong foundation for a house, from which we can weather the storms of life.
A firm foundation is key for both physical and spiritual construction.
For our day-to-day lives, we need a rock-solid foundation. So, when difficult times come, although we will struggle and be shaken, we will not be completely devastated.
What is also important, is when we build our foundation.
Builders do not lay foundations or construct houses during bad weather. Instead, they make the most of fair weather and work hard when the sun is shining.
It is the same for us. When life is going well, we should spend time strengthening our faith—learning from God’s Word, and spending time with our heavenly Father in prayer.
Just as builders are not complacent during good weather, let’s not be the same.
How can you strengthen the foundation of your faith in Jesus today?
Your response
Heavenly Father
Life can get so busy.
I want to commit to finding time
to read your scriptures,
learn from your words and
spend time talking to you.
Give me the wisdom and
the fortitude to make
these actions a priority,
so that, when storms hit and
crises come in my life,
I had a solid foundation
of trust in you,
and strength you have given me
to withstand trouble in my life.
Amen
Photo by Mauricio Muñoz on Unsplash