The Sunday Sermonette – A Firm Foundation.

     Hurricane season is upon us. With a bit of fear and trepidation, each year at this time, those of us living on the Mississippi Gulf Coast look out across the tawny-brown waters of the Gulf of Mexico and wonder what the season will hold. However, if you live near the water, you know that its serene beauty—the gentle lapping of the waves upon the shore, billowy clouds gently sailing across a crystal-blue sky, or dappled moonlight dancing across the waters at night—can quickly change should a storm come our way.

     Hurricanes! Trees snap like toothpicks or are ripped from the ground by the force of the wind. Entire rooftops are lifted and sail through the air. Cars and trucks tumble like toys. Houses collapse as an undulating wall of water obliterates the shoreline and surges inland, destroying everything with the weight of its ponderous mass.

     Hurricanes rip and tear. Only solid foundations survive their unbridled fury. Sometimes, all that is left of a house or a building is its foundation. But that foundation can be used to rebuild after the storm has passed. During the rebuilding process, a good foundation is critical. It must be solid enough to withstand the building’s weight and other stresses. Without one, the building falls like a proverbial house of cards.  

     Our lives are like buildings, and the quality of our foundation will determine the quality of the entire structure. Alas, though, we often use inferior materials to build our lives, and when the howling winds of life come calling, we crumble. It’s then that the real test begins. Do we give up? Throw in the towel? Do we listen to ill-advised family or friends who tell us to curse God and die?

     The Book of Job tells a story about a man who had it all! Wealth. Prestige. Houses. Land. Money. And excellent health. Then, in the blink of an eye, it all quickly evaporated like a morning mist in the rising sun. But through it all—through his loss, through his pain, through ill health, and the death of those he loved—dear old Job never lost his faith in Father God.  

     He stood firm on the bedrock foundation of God’s promise that He would provide through all the hardships and “hurricanes” of life. Job never gave up. He never gave in. And in so doing, he was eventually blessed far beyond his wildest dreams. The Book of Job—one of my favorites in the Bible—is about one man’s suffering and a picture of a faith that endured.

     In life’s hurricanes, never forget to analyze them daily. Continually check your foundation. Mimic Job and decide to trust Father God, no matter what happens in the screeching winds and turbulent waters of this hurricane we call life. Remember, faith endures, and so can you.

Ponder this and go forth.