“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. —Matthew 7:24-25 (NIV)

When surveying the damage from the recent tornadoes, just like so many times before, the haphazard nature of the storm’s path is puzzling.  Why this building and not that one?  Why this home gone but this one left standing?  One of the survivors who had his home all around him blown away, recounted how his family clung together in their tub, hoping and praying to God, and then he was sucked away.  He lived to share in their account of what happened, and both he and his wife have no explanation other than “but God”.  We know that some perished, and we cannot explain it.  The full answer to why it happened the way it did remains in the domain of our sovereign God. 

Then the Coronavirus Pandemic arrived.  Why this person infected and not that one?  Why this person gone but this one recovered?  Enduring a trial or hardship, by design, is not easy.  One trial after the other is a lot to bear.  It becomes increasingly difficult when they overlap.  We have more questions:  Why this pandemic now?  How do we survive it?  When will it end?  What do we do?  As the death toll continues to rise, we have no good choice but to trust in God.  Prophetess Smith preached a message about the name of Jesus as the answer to every question and every problem we face!  In preaching about the name of Jesus, she reminded us of the power, the peace, and the hope we have in the person of Jesus Christ. 

Every earthly thing we rely on is being exposed for its vulnerabilities.  Houses fall.  Jobs go away.  Money gets scarce.  Health becomes shaky.  We are in a crisis.  Like the family who survived the tornado, we must find a safe and sure place to hold on through this storm.  The heroes of faith throughout scripture show us the benefits of building our lives on a firm foundation in Jesus Christ—one that will endure through any storm.  Job lost everything, but he held on to his faith and God restored everything he lost and more. (Job 42:12, James 5:11)  The Prophet Jeremiah maintained his hope in the face of a hopeless struggle.  He knew God would deliver him! (Jeremiah 29:11)  King David endured great trials.  He had to run for his life, but he still gave God glory! 

Yes, my soul, find rest in God; my hope comes from him.  Truly he is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will not be shaken.  My salvation and my honor depend on God; he is my mighty rock, my refuge. Trust in him at all times, you people; pour out your hearts to him… –Psalm 62:5-8 (NIV)

Generation after generation has lived with this message of hope centered on the idea of Jesus Christ as the rock.  Way back in 1834, Pastor Edward Smote wrote a well-known hymn declaring “My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus’ blood and righteousness.”  In this hymn, “The Solid Rock”, he goes on to declare:

On Christ the solid rock I stand

All other ground is sinking sand

All other ground is sinking sand

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