Background Story: Jesus often taught the crowd important life principles using parables and images. In fact, this was prophesied about the Messiah in Psalm 78:2 around 900 years before.

Read Matthew 7:24-27

²⁴ “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. ²⁵ And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock.

²⁶ And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. ²⁷ And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.”

Big Idea: Security in life is found on the Rock.

We read in this passage, that whether a person hears Jesus’ words and does them or chooses to ignore them, EVERYONE will experience storms in life. Those storms might come through relationships, jobs, health, finances, or personal loss. But they will come.

In this passage and throughout the Bible, God is described as the Rock. What does that mean and how does help us in the storm?

God Is A Rock To Stand On: If you put your feet in the ocean waves, your feet will either move or remain steady depending on what you’re standing on. If you’re standing on sand, every wave will make your footing less secure. If you’re standing on a rock, your feet remain still no matter how many waves hit. God is that Rock who brings stability and strength in the waves of life. Situations, people, finances, health, governments, possessions, seasons, beauty, success, and every aspect of life changes. But God does not. He is the constant Almighty God who never alters, changes, or wears out. Because of this, we can build our life on Him, trusting and relying on the One who is, “the same yesterday, today and forever” (Hebrews 13:8).

God Is A Rock To Hide In: If you walk along the shores of a rocky ocean, you will see places in the rock wall where birds, animals, and sometimes people take shelter during storms. Those places provide safety, a refuge, and a hiding place from the wind and waves outside. This is God. He is a refuge, a place of safety, and a hiding place where we can rest and have peace no matter what circumstance or storm rages around us.

So take a glance at your feet… what are you standing and relying on? God is here…present, capable, and strong enough to sustain you and be your place of safety through any storm. Look to Him today.

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Dig Deeper: Hebrews 6:18, Numbers 23:19, Psalm 102:25-27, Matthew 24:35, Ecclesiastes 3:14, Isaiah 40:8, Ruth 2:12, Psalm 5:11-12, Psalm 34:8, Psalm 46:1-2, Psalm 59:17, Nahum 1:7

Similar Devotions: Picking Up Your Feet, Remind My Worries, Multiplication Problem, Where Are You?, The Stone Mover, Faithful Still, The River Part 1, The River Part 2, Go Around Again, Timeless, The Long Game, Steadfast Heart

Devotions4Teens Video: My Rock, 3 Tips to Help You Grow Closer to God!, Help Reading Your Bible, Jesus Never Changes, Where is God in my Trials and Pain?