A Rock Foundation

Can you imagine the horror of the residents of these waterfront dwellings at Colloroy, a Northern beach suburb of Sydney, when they woke up to find that their beach had gone, along with their back yards, boat ramps and swimming pools?  After a day of severe storms and rough seas accompanied by a King Tide.

The caption in the top right of the photo says it all: it was “an accident waiting to happen”. Actually though it really wasn’t an accident, was it? It was a disaster that should have been anticipated, and avoided, after all, if you build a building on a foundation of sand right near the seashore you would have to be blind not to see the dangers. There have been so many precedents for this: year after year we hear about this happening somewhere in the world. In every generation there are those who have to learn the hard way it seems, but I’m pleased to say that some do learn from instruction and the experience of others.

Two thousand years ago the same thing was happening, and in the New Testament, Matthew, in Chapter 7 and verse 26, of his gospel quotes Jesus as describing the problem and drawing a parallel to the way we live with the following words: “Every one who hears these sayings of mine, and doesn’t do them shall be likened unto a foolish man, who built his house upon the sand: and the rain descended, and the floods came, and the wind blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.” So we see that to build on an insecure foundation like sand has always been looked on as “foolish”. However, although Jesus was brought up in a carpenter’s home and would have heard Joseph discussing this subject with Mary, He wasn’t just lecturing on building foundations at this time, but was advising His hearers (which includes us) to make sure that we build our lives on a rock foundation as He went on to say: “Whoever hears these sayings of mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man, who 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”. Actually houses are quite fragile, it is their foundations that give them strength and we are fragile too, as this little pillow (that a kind nurse gave Audrey) states: so even though we may consider ourselves capable and not in need of outside help, Jesus points out that we must build our lives on His word or when the inevitable “Storms of Life” buffet us we will not stand the pressure either. Did you say “what storms of life”? Well they are things like ill health, loss of your job, family problems, marriage difficulties, financial problems and the list goes on. There is no way we can dodge them and if we have made no insurance provision by building our life on Jesus words, then they can make our lives collapse.  If on the other hand, we have made that provision by asking His forgiveness for past sin and keep referring to, and living by, His instructions, then when something like that happens we can claim His promise where He says: “I will be with you in trouble, I will deliver you and honour you, with long life I will satisfy you and show you my salvation”.  This “rock foundation” is absolutely essential and is absolutely reliable; believe me, I know!

Jesus knows what He is talking about, and as with any insurance policy it is a good idea to talk to your “Insurer” and get Him to “cover you” before the storms eventuate. However, if you have neglected to do that and your life is therefore already in trouble, then you need to read Luke Chapter 15 Verses 11 to 31, in the New Testament, and you will see how your Heavenly Father understands your situation and is waiting to welcome you back with open arms as the Prodigal son was welcomed back by his father.  

Best wishes, Tom.