The foundation of a house is what supports the entire structure. If the foundation isn’t built correctly, then the structure will eventually be destroyed by the forces of nature which constantly work against it. As rain and wind, earth and sky batter the structure of a home, the foundation is what keeps it firmly planted, immovable, and secure. Our individual lives are much like the structure of a house; if we are not firmly founded on solid ground and built up correctly, we can be devastated by the forces of nature that work against us. So, when the storms of life come our way, much like we are experiencing right now with the COVID 19 pandemic, our lives either stay firmly planted, or we completely buckle under the pressure and fail altogether.
In the Gospel of Matthew 7:24-27, Jesus outlines the importance of having our lives firmly built on something, or more accurately Someone, that is secure. He admonishes us to build our lives upon solid rock rather than shifting sand. You see, Jesus knew in advance that there would be storms in life that would constantly beat against us, wearing us down, and wearing us out until we finally give up and collapse. But he makes the argument that in building our lives upon Him and His Word, we can mitigate the damage that is inflicted by the storms of life. We may be hurt, damaged, and worn out, but we won’t collapse because we are secure in Him. We have a firm foundation from which to rebuild.

What have you built your life upon friend? Is it the shifting sands of money? The markets? Self-reliance? The government? In the end, these all eventually let us down because they are limited in their ability to secure us. Money is only temporary, here today and gone tomorrow. The markets are clearly not the security blanket that many believed them to be. Even the government, despite genuine effort and concern for the welfare of people, has been limited in its ability to secure the lives of individual citizens. And our own self-reliance even fails us as we are subjected to the ravages of disease. We need something upon which to build our lives that is eternally secure, never failing, and unlimited in ability.

The Bible speaks of just such a person. His name is Jesus. The Bible speaks of him as the creator of all things (John 1:1-3), and the one who is holding all things together making them continue as they do (Col. 1:17; Heb. 1:3). His power is unlimited, and he is in control of all things (Matt. 28:19), even the diseases that ravage our world. Nothing escapes his power and every one of his creatures are important to him (Matt. 10:29-31). And he secures us eternally through our faith and trust in him (John 6:39-40).

Will Jesus prevent every bad thing from happening to us? NO! But he will give us a firm foundation to stand upon and from which to rebuild when we are battered and broken. Friends, these are troubled times in which we live. We are confronting issues that many of us never thought possible. And, like a house that is beaten by a storm of nature, we too are being beaten by this storm of life, but being founded on the person and work of Jesus Christ secures us and gives us the ability to persevere through any storm that