"Anyone who listens to my teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock. Though the rain comes in torrents and the floodwaters rise and the winds beat against that house, it won’t collapse because it is built on bedrock." -- Matthew 7:24-25

As soon as you finish this journey to finding rest and peace, the enemy is going to try all sorts of things to jar you out of it. You may have already seen him at work, in fact. He hates the children of God and loves whipping up storms to cause fear, worry, anxiety, stress— pretty much the opposite of rest. 

Friends, let’s not be caught unaware. Let’s be wise and watchful. Over the next few weeks, when you see communication going sideways with your husband or boyfriend, see it for what it is. When you find yourself getting uncharacteristically irritated with your mother-in-law’s political opinions, see it for what it is. If your paycheck isn’t as big as you expected, you get sick, your kids cop an attitude, your colleague quits and leaves you with the entire planning project, and your hot water heater floods the basement—all in the same week— recognize the hand of the evil one at work. 

In all these things, refuse to take the bait. 

Jesus says there is one sure way to have peace in these storms: listen to His teaching and follow it, even when you absolutely do not feel like it. Trust God with your financial or health situation. Respond with kindness to your kids and your coworkers. Maintain patience, good humor, and self-control as you figure out what to do about the moldy basement and lack of hot water in the house. 

As you do, you will become like the house in the hurricane that is built on bedrock. You will not be shaken by the torrents, floodwaters, and winds of life. You can’t change the force or trajectory of the storm, but you can change everything about how you experience it. 

Friends, storms will come. Whether the storms are the enemy’s attack to distract you from finding rest, the result of living in a broken world, or simply the consequence of your own imperfect choices, storms will come. And in those moments of irritation, anger, worry, or fear, it is so easy to forget everything Jesus asks of us. 

Let’s think ahead and ensure that does not happen. Let’s pray that we see the lure of building on sand and turn away from it. That we cling to the Rock that is higher than we are—the Rock who wants us to build on Him alone. 

Build Only On Rock.