Above the Waves

By Pastor Lori Champion

I have a love-hate relationship with water. There’s no place I’d rather be than on the seashore of a beach, but oh, the places I would go and the cruises I would take if it weren’t for one minor issue...I can get seasick in a bathtub! Yes, I’ve taken a few heavily-medicated (motion patches, etc.) cruises but I’ve only ventured on the milder seas. Waves are fun to watch, fierce to enter.

If you grew up in church, you probably learned the song and the hand motions based on Mattew 7:24-27, ”The Wise man built his house upon the rock (3x), and the rains came tumbling down…. and the house on the rock stood firm.

The foolish man built his house upon the sand (3x) And the rains came tumbling down

 The rains came down and the floods came up (3x) And the house on the sand went SPLAT!” 

How do you respond to the waves of life that knock you off your feet, or worse, when they come to utterly destroy you? Do you have an emotional melt-down? Do you blame God? Or, do you lean into God’s word? As a pastor for 30+ years, I’ve been the first call for many struck by storms. I’ve marveled at the unexpected strength of some whom I thought would cave, and equally surprised at the downward spirals of others whom I thought would rebound quickly.

The end of the Matthew passage says, “And great was it’s (the house’s) fall.” Not all great falls will by negative forces. Have you seen people who were hit hard by what started out as success? The “rain message” of the Bible is positive. It refers to blessings, but too much rain produces floods and waves of devastation. We have all seen people come into success and it costs them the things that mattered most. The quest for resources requires time. Building businesses sometimes take us from building family. Even in ministry, there are countless stories of pastors attempting to save the world, while seeing their own children lose faith. Money gives options, and now instead of being committed to the most important things, like involvement in church and faith communities that hold you together, we are disconnected because we are able to travel often with hobbies or sports teams every weekend. It is easy to become spiritually isolated while materially blessed.  

The “winds” in the Matthew passage are negative. The bad news, the health diagnosis, the unexpected job loss, or the sudden death of a loved one can interrupt a perfect day with the winds of adversity. Everyone will experience storms in life. Notice that Jesus isn’t telling his followers how to avoid the storms, He is telling them how to prepare foundations that will not shift when the winds and waves attack. 

When I share my story of unexpected tragedies, like watching my father die of a heart attack at 45 years old while preaching on a Sunday morning, I think about my foundation. Even at 19 years old, some of the first words out of my mouth were, “God, I know you are still good!” I had a reservoir of God’s word and a history of God’s goodness that would not allow me to define God by one thing I didn’t understand and disliked. 

When I was struck with cancer at 23 years old, while pregnant with my first child, I had an inner knowing that I was in God’s hands. Arriving home from the hospital I was greeted with a hand-painted banner across my house that said, “God is Able” signed by my small group. It was the most beautiful reminder that I could put my confidence in Christ, and that I had people around me, securing the weak places in my faith where the waves of sickness and fear could pull my house apart. 

I’ve seen people shaken off their faith and spiritually devasted because of way weaker storms and smaller disappointments. Foundations matter. And God has given us a way to endure. 1 Corinthians 10:13, No temptation (test or storm) has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.

Every time we endure, our roots go deeper, our foundation becomes stronger, and our declaration is, “If God sustained us then, He will be faithful now!” Foundations Matter. Build your house on the Rock, and every storm meant to take you out, He will take you through.