Life’s Storms: Weathering them Like a Pro
“Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 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. And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it” Mathew 7: 24-27.
This passage records the Parable of the Two Foundations. It contrasts the two houses built on different foundations but endured the same storm.
Storms Come Because of an Imbalance
Physical storms come because of an imbalance in the atmosphere. And they continue until the imbalance has been corrected.
I believe this is also the reason “storms” come into the lives of believers. The idea is to bring greater balance into our spirits. To bring us closer to being “perfect and complete, lacking in nothing“(James 1: 2-4).
They come both to the foolish and the wise. Because although the wise are closer to being balanced or perfect, none of us has arrived, so we all need storms.
Something else to know is that the same exact storms come to both the foolish and the wise. The only difference is the outcome. The house of the foolish is destroyed by the storm, whereas the house of the wise is established.
Will the Storm be an Affliction or a Sorrow?
So, the storm proves to be an affliction to the wise, but a sorrow to the foolish.
“Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all” Psalm 34: 19.
“Many are the sorrows of the wicked. . . ” Psalm 32: 10. “The sorrows of those who run after another god shall multiply” Psalm 16: 4.
The wise man is a righteous man. The storm beats against his house but doesn’t destroy it. It is an affliction to him. The foolish man, on the other hand, is wicked. The storm beats against his house and destroys it. It proves to be a sorrow to him.
Redemption In Life’s Storms
But it’s important to remember that the Lord always has redemption in mind when he brings judgment. His hope is the foolish man will be so overwhelmed by the storm that destroyed his house, that it will cause him to turn to Him, and be saved.
His goal in allowing the wise man to be afflicted is to bring him ever closer to maturity, health and balance. To fill him with an ever-increasing measure of His Spirit of love. And also, to increase the intimacy between Him and His people.
Having said that, every now and then, God does allow the storm to destroy the house of the wise, as in the case of Job. But this is not His usual pattern.
To read another post related to Life’s Storms: Weathering them Like a Pro, see Trusting God: What Does It Look Like?