Weathering the Storm

Dear friends,

Floods can be devastating. Many of us watched in horror as New Orleans filled with water a few years ago. Just last March, Fargo, North Dakota (where my brother Matthew lives) was threatened with the same fate. While the people in Fargo were piling up sandbags, there was a flash flood south of our home city that unexpectedly claimed over 100 lives. Of course nothing in my memory compares to the incredible devastation of the tsunami that hit Ache in 2004.

As Jesus finished his great “Sermon on the Mount,” he tells a story about a man whose house survived a flood. It is an interesting illustration. Sometimes floods are predictable, even expected. At other times they come without any warning at all. At all times they are disruptive. This makes flooding a good illustration for what happens when life throws its storms our way, metaphorically speaking.

All of us face hardships. We lose loved ones, we are tempted to sin, we get sick, we suffer in broken relationships, and we face an uncertain future. Often we can see trouble coming for a long time. Sometimes, however, it falls on us suddenly. The Lord Jesus wants us to know how to survive the problems of life. This is why he tells the story of the man who built his house on the rock. Jesus said, “And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock” (Mt. 7:25).

What was that rock? The words of Jesus! “Everyone who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock” (Mt. 7:24). If you want to be ready to weather the storms and survive the flood of trouble that is sure to come upon every life sooner or later, then you must take heed of the message of Christ. He can cause you to stand firm!

Your servant,

Stephen

Rev. Stephen St. John
Pastor/Elder