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.
In NASA imagery of Mexico Beach, Florida following Hurricane Florence, one home can clearly be seen standing nearly alone, surrounded by debris from other buildings that were less fortunate — or less solidly constructed.
The home, called the “Sand Palace” by owners Russell King and his nephew Lebron Lackey, was built in 2017 to withstand winds as high as 250 miles per hour. “We wanted to build it for the big one,” Lackey told the Times. “We just never knew we’d find the big one so fast.”
The walls are made of poured concrete reinforced with steel and rebar. The Sand Palace also sits high above the ground on concrete pilings that keep it safe from floodwater and storm surge. The concrete extends deep into the ground to anchor the building in place, and the roof is designed to block out wind so it can’t be torn away from the structure.
All of the materials, down to the screws holding everything together, were chosen to withstand storms. King told reporters that he believes the planet is getting hotter and storms are intensifying, “so people who live on the coast have to be ready for it.”
In Matt. 7:24-25, Jesus told a parable about a house built on the Rock that also could withstand storms. That house represents those who hear His words and do them.
Is your “house” storm resistant? Is your family spiritually prepared for “the big one?”
Alter your Altar
- How do we “hear [Christ’s] words” today? Do you listen to them?
- What names would you give the “winds” blowing against people of faith today?
- Discuss ways you could reinforce yourself spiritually to withstand these winds.
- Do you believe that storms are intensifying—the literal and spiritual ones? Give evidence to support your answer.
- Have children draw the two houses—one on the rock and one on the sand. Let them tell the story with their drawings when
they’re done.
Please Pray. . .
1. That we prepare now for intensifying storms to come.
2. That we are both hearers and doers of Christ’s words.
3. That all God’s children are firmly established in Christ so they are not swept away by every wind of strife and confusion.R