Saturday, October 17
Everyone then who hears these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on rock.
—Matthew 7:24
Jesus told a story about a wise person who built his house on rock, and so survived rain, flood and wind, and a foolish one who built a house on sand with catastrophic results.
What is my foundation…
- when catastrophe beyond my power threatens everything I rely on and depend upon?
- when everything outside of me and within me is shaken to the core?
- when all that I am and all that I have done is completely inadequate?
What's left? Where is my place of final resort? When my back’s against the wall, what is “the wall” that still holds me up?
I'm going to think about that today. My guess is that I'll probably come up with several foundational blocks. But if I peel away each foundation, sometimes it reveals something even more basic.
I'm pretty sure one of my deep-down rocks is a conviction that God is there, at the center of it all, and that God's nature is benevolent love. I've personally known and experienced that Reality. But what about when I peel below, to the "What if?" place—What if there is no God?…
I still think I'll still stick my feet on that Rock of benevolent love and be willing to hope nonetheless. I think that's what Jesus did when he cried from the cross, "My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?"
Benevolent and loving God, be the strong rock and foundation on which we stand, that we may live in confidence and hope, whatever may come. Amen.
These Signposts were originally published on explorefaith.org in 2005.
