40 Days Of Prayer - Day 36

Matthew 7:24-27
“Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.”

In the parable above, one of the cultural concepts that doesn’t always get conveyed is what the process of building the house on a rock actually involved. It wasn’t simply an issue of finding a good looking rock and setting up shop. Israel is marked by vast desert areas; even the coast is primarily long stretches of sand. So in order to build a house on a rock, people would often time spend huge amounts of effort digging down deep until they found a solid foundation. It required intentional effort on the part of the builder.

As we transition into this next season at New Hope, this passage is an excellent reminder and encouragement to dig down deep. We have this incredible opportunity to be intentional about building up our foundation in Christ. The reality is that God is at work building his Church and He is inviting us to be a part of it.

How are we being intentional about building up our own relationship with Christ? Is it getting into the word more? Maybe it’s being more intentional in regards to serving others? Perhaps it’s taking those first steps of getting into a life group. Whatever it is, let’s be intentional about digging down deep and building on a firm foundation.

“Dear Lord, Thank you so much for the incredible opportunity to be a part of building Your Church. In this next season, give us the courage to take that next step in building our foundation in you.”

Written by Matt Keith