It is that time of year again. It is hurricane season. If you live anywhere in the Southeastern or Southern United States, you are familiar with hurricanes. Hurricanes are destructive because of the wind and water they can bring to the shore. Even after moving inland, they can be deadly, because of the tornados and storms they spin off. If you live in these areas, there will come a time, when you will be tested. Will you be prepared to withstand the storm, or will it overcome you?
Recently there have been several hurricanes threatening or hitting the United States borders. Some have brought great devastation. I usually don’t remember names or times of hurricanes, but one that I do remember is Hurricane Michael. It hit the coastal area of Mexico, Florida in 2018. It drew my attention because it destroyed everything in its path, except for one home. It stood proud and tall, while everything around it crumbled to mere sticks and trash. Why did this house survive? The same way that we survive the storms that hit our lives.
Long before Michael hit, the homeowners determined they would build a house that could stand the test of a hurricane. First, they needed to build a stable foundation. They drove 40-foot pilings deep in the earth. This allowed the winds to hit, but not knock the house off its foundation. We must prepare our own lives this way. If we wait for the storms of life to come it is too late to prepare. In Matthew 7:24-27, Jesus gives us the pattern for surviving the storm. We are to build on a solid foundation. The solid foundation is the word of God. If a man hears or reads the Bible, and obeys he is building on solid ground.
Matthew 7:24-27 “Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock. And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.”
Those who do not build on solid ground are called foolish. Many people who built in Mexico, Florida built on sand. Foolish? I think so. Everyone knows when you live on southern or eastern coastlines in America, there is a good chance you will encounter a hurricane. To build knowing this, and not prepare is foolish. While those who built on the sand were very foolish, there are those who take a far greater risk with their eternal life. They live for today and never prepare for tomorrow. The storms come, and unprepared, they have been swept away. They did not build on the only true foundation.
I Corinthians 3:11 “For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.”
It is not enough to build on a solid foundation, you must maintain it. Homes that are not maintained get weak structurally and can crumble over time. The same happens to us when we don’t maintain our spiritual lives. The word of God will keep the enemy at bay when it is used correctly. We are to study to know the word of God so that we can apply it properly in our lives. You can have all the right materials to maintain your house, but if you don’t know how to use them, they are of no value to you.
II Timothy 2:15 “Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”
You need to study to have the right tools to combat the storms of life. Knowing where, what, and when to use your tools is the key to structural soundness.
Psalm 119:11 “Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.”
When you study the word, you need to meditate on it and memorize as much as possible. Then, when you don’t have your bible in hand, the Holy Spirit can bring those passages to memory. These verses will guide you when Satan attacks.
Once you have done all that you can possibly do, built on solid ground, and maintained the structure properly, there is only one thing left to do. Trust and wait. The home that withstood the storm in Mexico, Florida was prepared, as well as one could be, but the family still got out of harm’s way. They felt sure it would be okay, but just in case they missed something, they fled the scene. It was no longer up to them whether the home survived. It was out of their hands. They went to a safe place.
Our safe place is in the shelter of God. He is in control, and we will trust Him in the storm, after the storm, and for future storms. His goal is to conform us to the image of His Son, and we will trust the process as he refines us and brings us forth as gold.
Psalm 91:4 “He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler.”
Romans 8:28-29a “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son,”
Job 23:10 “But he knoweth the way that I take: when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold.”
