The Same Storm Came
The same storm came to the wise and the foolish man. That’s what we don’t like to talk about. The storm wasn’t selective. It didn’t target the foolish man because he made poor decisions, and it didn’t spare the wise man because he was righteous. The same storm came to both. It beat against the house built on the rock just as hard as the house built on the sand. The storm didn’t care about the man. It came for the foundation.
Jesus said:
“Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 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. 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. 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.” (Matthew 7:24–27)
The same storm came. It came to both. We act like storms are punishment, but they aren’t. The storm is just life. The difference is never in the storm. It’s in the foundation.
The wise man’s house stood because he built his life on the rock. He didn’t just hear the word of God; he obeyed it. He shaped his life around it. That’s why the storm didn’t take him out. The storm tested him, but it couldn’t take him down because he was anchored in truth. His foundation wasn’t built on comfort or convenience. It was built on the word of God, and that’s why it stood.
But the foolish man’s house collapsed. And here’s the thing. He heard the same word. He sat in the same gatherings. He probably shouted amen when he heard the truth. But he didn’t build his life on it. He knew the word, but he didn’t live it. He built his house on what was easy. He built it on what felt good, on what looked good to others. He built his house on sand because sand is quick. Sand is comfortable. Sand doesn’t require much.
Until the storm comes.
The storm is God’s mercy. That’s what most people miss. The collapse wasn’t punishment. It was exposure. The storm didn’t destroy him; it revealed the weakness that was already there. A house built on sand will always collapse eventually. The storm just speeds up the process. That’s mercy. That’s grace.
God allows the storm because He would rather you collapse now than let you live under the illusion that you’re secure when you’re not. If the storm hadn’t come, the foolish man would have lived his whole life in a house that looked stable from the outside but was rotting beneath the surface. The storm wasn’t the enemy. The storm was the rescue.
We think collapse means failure. We think storms are proof that God is angry or that we missed it. No. The storm is God’s kindness exposing the weakness before it destroys you. If the foolish man’s house had stood for another ten years, maybe it would have collapsed with his family inside. Maybe it would have fallen after he had built more on it, and the damage would have been worse. The storm exposed the foundation early so the man would have the chance to rebuild the right way. That’s mercy.
But collapse is painful. That’s why most people don’t rebuild on the rock. When everything falls apart, it’s easy to go back to what you know. It’s easy to rebuild on the same sand because that’s familiar. Sand is quick. Sand is easy. But sand always leads to the same outcome. It will fall again, and next time the collapse may cost more.
When the storm reveals your foundation, you stand at a crossroads. You can either harden your heart, blame God, and try to rebuild on sand again or you can face the truth and build on the rock this time. God doesn’t take pleasure in your house falling. He’s not trying to humiliate you. He’s not trying to punish you. He’s trying to save you. He’s trying to get you to see that the foundation you trusted in was never strong enough to hold you. The storm exposed the weakness so that you would have the chance to build again, this time with Him.
That’s the difference. The wise man didn’t avoid the storm. He endured it because of what he had already built. The storm didn’t make him wise. The storm revealed that he was wise. He obeyed the word before the storm came, so when it hit, he didn’t have to scramble. He didn’t have to try to reinforce the foundation after the rain started falling. His obedience before the storm gave him strength during the storm.
That’s the key. You can’t wait for the storm to start building the right foundation. The foolish man thought he had time. He thought his house would stand because it looked good. But the storm doesn’t care about appearances. The storm tests what’s beneath the surface. And if you’ve built your life on what’s easy or what’s quick or what’s comfortable, the storm will tear it down every time.
But even after the collapse, there’s still mercy. The storm may have knocked the foolish man’s house down, but it didn’t kill him. He survived. He stood in the wreckage of his life and had a choice. He could blame the storm or he could thank God that he still had breath and another chance to build again. That’s mercy. That’s grace. God allows collapse because He’s more concerned about your eternity than your comfort.
So maybe your house is in ruins. Maybe the storm has already come, and you’re standing in the wreckage, wondering what went wrong. The answer isn’t complicated. You built on sand. But the mercy of God is that you’re still standing. The house may have fallen, but you haven’t. You still have a chance to rebuild on the rock. You still have a chance to build the right way on obedience, on truth, on the word of God.
The storm will come again. That’s not a threat. It’s a reality. Storms aren’t the exception; they’re part of life. The question isn’t whether the storm will come. The question is whether you’re ready for it. You don’t prepare for the storm when the clouds are forming. You prepare for the storm when the skies are clear. You build on the rock now, before the rain comes. You align your life with the truth now, before the winds start blowing.
And when the next storm comes, and it will, you will stand. The wind will blow, the floods will rise, and the rain will beat against your life. But you will stand because you’ve built on the only foundation that cannot be shaken. That’s the promise. That’s the difference.
The storm isn’t your enemy. The storm is the test. And the test will reveal whether you’ve built on the rock or on the sand. If you’ve built on the rock, you will stand. If you’ve built on sand, you will fall, but the mercy of God is that He will give you the chance to rise again. Stop blaming the storm. Stop fearing the collapse. Let the storm expose what’s weak. And when the dust settles, choose to rebuild the right way this time. Choose the rock.
If you feel led to partner with what God is doing through this ministry, we invite you to sow into this work as the Spirit leads. Your generosity helps us continue to share His love and truth with others. There is no obligation, only an opportunity to join in what God is building. Thank you for considering being a part of this journey.
Member discussion