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Best of Daily Reflections: Storm Warning

Daily Reflection / Produced by The High Calling
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Everyone then who hears these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on rock.

Matthew 7:24-27

Jesus concludes his Sermon on the Mount with four warnings, the last of which is a storm warning. And it's not about avoiding the storm but rather surviving it.

I live in Houston which took a direct hit from Hurricane Ike in 2008. Similar to the storm Jesus mentions, "the rains fell, the floods came, and the winds blew." We survived in a downstairs bedroom listening to the winds hurl rain like marbles against the walls and windows of our house. Near the coast, a man ignored the warnings. When the storm surge demolished his house, he spent a harrowing night clinging to a floating refrigerator while being tossed across Galveston Bay surrounded by snakes, animal carcasses, and swarms of fire ants. He survived but also regretted that he'd ignored the storm warning.

In Palestine, flash floods posed a big threat. Many desirable building sites were vulnerable to sudden surges of water that often came without warning and sometimes from miles away.

Following Jesus will not insulate us from storms. Like Matt Kearney sings, “We’re all one phone call from our knees.” Like you, I live in dread of those calls. Jesus tells us to be prepared because from time to time those calls will come. Preparation means building in the right place and for the right purpose.

  1. Where you build matters. “Whoever hears these words of mine … ”

Jesus says to build on the rock of his word, and his word includes everything that had been written (the Old Testament—Matt. 5:17-20) and everything that would be written (the New Testament—Luke 10:16).

  1. What you build matters. “Whoever does these words of mine”

Recently it has been popular to distinguish between Jesus’ “fans” and Jesus’ “followers.” Jesus’ fans have a generally positive attitude toward him, but they still trust their natural human reasoning over supernatural revelation when the rains fall, the floods come, and the winds blow. Jesus followers, on the other hand, do not just “hear” his words but “do” them as well.

When John Claypool’s ten-year-old daughter died, Isaiah 40:31 was a rock upon which he wept. At such a time, he discovered that it was impossible to “mount up with wings like eagles,” and it was out of the question to “run and not be weary.” But in the midst of the agony, he was grateful at least to “walk and not faint.” That was enough.

I wish I could tell you that the winds won’t blow, but they will. And I wish I could tell you that we won’t get hurt, but we will. But by building on the rock, we will get through, and the sun will find us again.

READ MATTHEW 7:24-27

Everyone then who hears these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on rock. The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on 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 sand. The rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell—and great was its fall.

QUESTIONS FOR FURTHER REFLECTION: Describe some of the storms you’ve faced in life. How do you usually respond to a crisis? How does your faith guide your response to a crisis?

PRAYER: Merciful God, I pray that I and those I love might never have to face a storm. May all our days be filled with warm sun, gentle showers, and breezes. But when the storms come, then help me to have established my refuge on the rock of your word. Amen.

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