Simple Prayer #67

There have been children’s songs written about the ancient parable regarding the wise man who built his house upon the rock and the foolish man who built his house upon the sand. As it is written both in the Word and in the children’s song, the wise man who built his house upon the rock, when the rains came down and the floods came up, his house remained unmoved and still stood firm. As opposed to the foolish man who built his house upon the sand, when the rains came down and the floods came up, his house fell flat with a great big crash.

What foundation are you building, and have built, your life upon? Your career? Popularity? Good looks? Financial status? We may look at these listed above (or maybe you have thought of your own) and automatically think, Well, these must be bad so we shouldn’t use them to build upon. But this is not realistic thinking because the truth of the matter is that we as humans do focus on these things and they are important to us and the society and culture we live in. It would not be practical to denounce all of these things and live like monks in a vow of silence for the rest of our days. Our family, friends, and neighbors would think we have lost our minds…. and they would probably be right! Not to mention we would most likely give up after a week.

So, for the Christian, how exactly do we go about this and build our lives upon the Rock and actually maintain this as a lifestyle? The task is simple: Acknowledge God, actively seek Him, and include Him in your plans. Has God blessed you with a great and lucrative career? Thank Him, and when others ask you about it, share with them how God has helped you along the way and how He has provided for you. Are you a social butterfly and people naturally flock to you? Share God with them and tell them about the love of Jesus and what He did at the cross. Are you blessed with good looks? Ask for the radiance of His love to shine through you and when people are drawn to you share with them the message of the Gospel and the ways God has made Himself real to you. Are you blessed financially? Be generous and share it with others. Live by the motto, “Freely you have received, freely give.”

God meets you where you’re at. He works with anything and with anybody. He is the master creator. You don’t have to feel guilty and try to hide it if you are blessed in the ways that have high status in our culture. Just remember Who gave you these blessings and be sure to pray, read His Word, and ask Him how you can honor Him with your life. That is building your life upon the Rock. The minute you begin to turn inward, and begin to forget about Who brought you here, you begin to build upon the sand of self and that only leads down the path of destruction. Don’t build on sand, build upon the Rock of Jesus!

God, living and building my foundation upon the Rock is true freedom. I don't have to worry about my life crumbling around me and being left with nothing as I would if I build my life upon the sand. You are my sure foundation. 

Isaiah 24:18 – “For the windows above have been opened, and the earth’s foundations shake. The earth cracks and breaks open, the earth crumbles to pieces, the earth trembles and totters. The earth staggers to and fro like a drunk, sways back and forth like a watchman’s shelter; its transgression weighs heavy upon it…”

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