...yet it did not fall!

Matthew 7:25
And the rain fell and the floods came and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock.

Here’s a common Christian misconception: bad things are going to happen to me because that’s what happens in the world. It’s all too easy to get into this mindset. We see things happening all around us every day. The economy is down; there are wars and natural disasters killing and harming people all over the world; and let’s not forget about the ever increasing popularity of crime! With all of this happening, is it any wonder why Christians believe it’s going to happen to them too?

Sometimes, it seems to me, that we take this scripture and apply it the same way we apply Romans 8:28 to our lives. When bad things happen to me, when my world falls apart, God will cause it to work for good. And, because I have built my house on the Rock, at least my soul is secure. But, a look at the verse shows that the man who built his house on the rock did not lose his house. This is where we need to reevaluate our faith.

God never says that bad things aren’t going to happen in the world, but He does promise protection for us from them. Do we believe Him for that? While this man was in his house with the wind and the rain and the storms outside, he was secure. His house was built on the Rock and nothing, not a single part of the storm’s fierceness, could get in to him or take his house away. He could hear it; he could see it. But it couldn’t touch him, unless of course he went out of his house into the storm.

The Devil knows that he can’t get you in your house, that is, into your faith, built on the Rock, the confession that Jesus is your personal Savior. He has been disarmed (Colossians 2:15). He has no authority where you are: in Christ. But, if he can roar like a lion (1 Peter 5:8) and get your attention and tempt you to come out of your house, to lose faith in the promises of God, then he can get at you. If he can manipulate your opinion of God, then he is able to cause you harm.

This is why Jesus repeatedly made statements like, “Don’t worry” and “Fear not”. God wants us resting in our house of faith, surrounded by His blessings, firmly established on the confession of the finished work of His Son, Jesus. And when the wind, rain, storms, and troubles come, they will have no power to take what God has given: grace, unmerited favor. Jesus said it Himself, “...be of good cheer, I have overcome the world!” (John 16:33).