Rock, Sand, and Storms
Oftentimes what lies beneath is fundamental, for it determines the final outcome of the visible structure standing on top of it. I think of the roots that support the life of plants and trees; I think of the foundation that undergirds the construction of houses and buildings.
Jesus tells a story of two men who built two houses, one upon the rock, and the other upon the sand. One man was wise, the other was foolish. If the teaching we draw from this story is that the difference between these two men and two houses is revealed when the storms of trials come, the lesson would have little value, for it would have been too late to do anything about it.
But Christ’s purpose in telling the story is to enable us to detect the fundamental differences between two principles of living, so that we may be able to safeguard ourselves against the consequences of a false grounding, while there is still time. Hence, the decisions and actions enacted at the very beginning are crucial to eventual outcomes. It is said that at the outset, the wise man dug deep before building his house, whereas the foolish man did not take the trouble to lay a foundation.
Let us consider the particular outlook of the man who built his house upon the sand: (1)
First, he was impatient, in a hurry, compelled to take short cuts to achieve quick results.
Second, because he was impatient, he did not take time to listen to instruction, in this case, to the principles involved in constructing a house. He considered it unnecessary, and deemed his ideas better than established methods.
Third, he possessed a mentality of not thinking things through, of not considering possibilities and eventualities. He wanted a beautiful house in a particular location, and put it up quickly on the sand, without considering the environmental hazards that could topple the house down.
Indeed when the winds and the rains and the floods came, the house built upon the rock stood firm, but the house upon the sand fell, and great was its fall.
Note that this story does not stand by itself: it is sobering to recognize that Christ relates it to how people handle his teachings. A house can be thought of as one’s life structure, and all of its related external outgrowths. Christ claims that putting his teachings into practice is like digging deep and building a sure foundation to enable us to withstand the storms of life.
And Christ likens one who simply hears his words and does not do them, to the man who built his house upon the sand, with a stern prediction of a great fall, when the storms of life arrive.
Scripture Reference:
“Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock. “But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall.” Matthew 7:24-27, New King James Version
***(1) Reference on the characteristics of the foolish man: Martyn Lloyd Jones, Studies in the Sermon on the Mount, Connecticut, Martino Publishing, 2011, pp. 298-299
***Photography by Dmitri Moronov
lilies, sparrows and grass 
A good reminder and M.L.J. always has helpful things to say.
Thank you, John. Nice to know you also find M.L.J’s writings helpful.
It has been a long time since I have read him, and that book in particular, but I recall him being brilliant. Thanks for the reminder.
Thank you, Carroll. Yes, Dr. Lloyd-Jones is quite an expounder on the Word.
I hope I dug deep enough to withstand future challenges…
Knowing you, and by God’s grace, everything will be fine. Thank you for stopping by, Irynn!
I like that story in the Bible very much…It tell us so much if we want to understand!!! 🙂
Yes there are many things to learn and to understand. Thank you, Eva for reading and for stoppingi by! 🙂
My pleasure!!! 🙂
such a strong and powerful testimony ~beautiful and needed. Thank you again & sincerely ~ Deborah
Thank you, Deborah. You are a blessing, and God bless you!
God bless you for this post, Dee.
Thank you, Joseyphina! Love, Dee
O, Dee, as I’ve come to expect, you take the stories we all know best and make them new. I’ve known some difficult things in my life, and yet survived them. In fact, I often tell my students, ‘the worst thing to ever happen to you can be the best thing to ever happen to you’. When storms come, that’s when you find out how well your house is built – that’s when you see who dwells within your house. I’ve often wondered to those without faith. When storms come or sorrows rain down, what comfort do they have? When death visits, what comfort is there of another tomorrow? What good is their foundation? I pray for them and grieve the loss they do not even realize. Storms are part of our life, but their existence provides opportunity for us to dig deeper, to know where our faith lies. Thank you always for the light you reflect to us all. ~ Love, Bobbie
Oh what profound hope and promise while we breathe and still have life, the words you say, Bobbie, that “the worst thing to ever happen to you can be the best thing to ever happen to you.” Thank you for sharing your wisdom on faith that withstands the storms. Thank you for thesep recious nuggets of gold. Love, Dee
Oh what profound hope and promise while we breathe and still have life, the words you say, Bobbie, that “the worst thing to ever happen to you can be the best thing to ever happen to you.” Thank you for sharing your wisdom on faith that withstands the storms. Thank you for thesep recious nuggets of gold. Love, Dee
Another gem Dee.
If I may – I even came across people who build houses by first starting with the roof – (!)
Peace and all good wishes,
Eric
Thank you Eric, and I am deeply amused at what you shared about the people you came across who build houses by first starting with the roof! That demands an altogether unique and separate analogy, apart from building a house upon the sand! LOL! All my best wishes, Dee
Wonderful message Dee, your words always make my heart and spirit smile! God bless and have a wonderful weekend my sister!
Thank you so much, Wendell. Have a blessed weekend, my brother!
Beautiful!
Thanks again so much, Melody. Blessings, Dee