As a kid, one of my favourite songs at church was the song Sandy land.
“Don’t build your house on the sandy land… don’t build it too near the shore. Oh, it might look kind of nice, but you’ll have to build it twice, ’cause you’ll have to build your house once more. You got to build your house upon a rock. Make a good foundation on a solid spot. Oh the storms may come and go, but the peace of God you will know.”
(… if you have that song stuck in your head the rest of the day – you’re welcome!)
One of the reasons I liked singing it so much was because of all the actions. While we sang, we pointed, clapped, sketched circles in the air. We mimed building, we waved our hands from side to side to represent storms, we made peace symbols and pointed at the sky.
It was a fun song to sing because of the actions that went along with the words.
The story the song is based on is also about actions that go along with the words.
“Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say? As for everyone who comes to me and hears my words and puts them into practice, I will show you what they are like. They are like a man building a house, who dug down deep and laid the foundation on rock. When a flood came, the torrent struck that house but could not shake it, because it was well built. But the one who hears my words and does not put them into practice is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. The moment the torrent struck that house, it collapsed and its destruction was complete.” (Luke 6:46-49)
Reading the story Jesus told, you can see there are a lot of similarities. Both men were builders. Both built houses. Both were hit by the same storm.
The difference is, one man took the time to lay a firm foundation. He built into something solid. Something that would last, that would anchor him.
The second builder skipped that step – we’re not told why. Maybe he was lazy. Maybe he was just so keen to start building, he didn’t see the point of digging first. After all, it’s hard to get excited about a foundation. That’s not something that people can see just by looking. After all – the house is the part you live in – so he focused on that.
When they were finished, both houses would have looked the same. Looking at them side by side, you wouldn’t be able to tell the strength of their foundation. However after the storm hits – it becomes very apparent. One house has collapsed, and one is still standing.
It didn’t matter how much time or care the second builder put into the house – once the storm hit, it all came tumbling down.
A foundation is something that comes first, that everything else rests upon.
Isaiah 26: 4 – “Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord God is an everlasting rock.”
In life, there will always be storms. We can’t control how strong the wind may blow or how heavy the rain may fall around us. But we can make a choice what sort of foundation we will lay, by following what Jesus has said. The storms may come and go – but the peace of God you will know – if you build wisely, on a sure foundation.
