Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. Matthew 7:24 (NIV)
We o en think that God sends us the storms of life—pain, tragedy and heartache—to make us stronger. But is it true?
In Matthew 7, Jesus told a parable about two houses: one built on the rock and one on the sand. When a storm hit, the one on the sand was destroyed, but the one on the rock remained.
Let me ask you a question. What built strength into that house on the rock to cause it to stand? Did the storm strengthen the house? Did the sky rain down concrete to secure the foundation? Did the wind drive the nails in deeper?
No, the storm didn’t do one thing to strengthen that house. The house was strong because the carpenter built strength into it intentionally. He used wisdom and built it on solid ground.
The truth is, God is not sending storms into your life to strengthen you. He expects you to build strength into your own life, and He’s given you the tools and the power to do it.
You build strength into your life by getting the Word of God and His teaching inside you.
The more you study God’s Word and practice walking by the leading of God’s Spirit inside you, the more likely you’ll know what to do in the storm. The storm still may not be easy to get through, but you can determine how to respond to it. Strength will come up from inside you, and you will weather the storm.
It’s not the storm that strengthens you; it’s the Word of God you’ve applied before the storm.