Matthew 7:24-27 | Rooted Through the Storm

It is easy to feel secure when the everything is good. Life is moving along, the family is well, and nothing seems to be shaking beneath our feet. But Jesus warns us that good times do not equate to proof that we have a good foundation.

In Matthew 7:24–27, Jesus describes two men who built houses. Both heard His words. Both were exposed to the same truth.  The difference was what they did with what they heard. One obeyed Jesus and built on the rock. The other heard Him but built on sand.

The storm revealed what had been beneath each house all along.

We can attend church, know the right answers, and agree with Scripture, yet still resist the very thing Jesus is calling us to do. Hearing the Word is not the same as building our lives upon it.

The thing about developing those roots of faith that withstand the storms is that it is often done in seasons that aren’t very glorious.  Nobody cheers when you read the word and meditate on it when you are alone in you private space. Nobody speaks on your faith when it is being honed in seasons of prayer in your closet.  Just like the footings of a home though- if we don’t develop those roots that aren’t often seen the rest of the structure will crumble.  

One of the places when the foundation of our lives is tested the strongest is in the storms. We often pray to be moved out of the storms, but the reality is that the storm is where we our faith is refined and we are prepared for the next season of obedience to the Father.

That is a question worth asking before the next storm comes: Where am I hearing Jesus clearly but refusing to obey Him? Is there a relationship I need to make right? A sin I keep excusing? A step of faith I keep putting off?

We do not know when hardship will come, but we can build today. Open His Word. Bring your cares to Him in prayer. Obey what He has said, even when it is difficult. And when the wind rises, remember that our hope is not in how strong we are. Our hope is in Jesus Christ, the Rock who holds us.  If our foundation is established in anything but Jesus- we build on shaky ground.  

Our faith begins with Jesus, grows through his word, strengthens in our Prayer, and is displayed in the Storms.  Let us be a people who are Rooted- with deep faith in a shallow world.

Watch "Rooted Through the Storm" HERE