Several years ago my two sons, my daughter, and I spent three long days of their summer break building a tree fort. When it was all finished, I told them to stay on the ground and I climbed up the tree and into the fort. Once I was in the fort, I began to sway and rocked the fort back and forth as hard as I could! I shook the limbs and jumped up and down! After this went on a bit, one of my boys called to me and said, “Hey dad, why are you trying to break our fort?!”

What was I doing? I was testing it. Any good parent would agree with me that – a tree fort that can’t be tested, can’t be trusted.

Understand that the same is true in our life and in our faith as well. A faith that can’t be tested, can’t be trusted.

And what is it that tests our faith?

It’s the “storms.” The “storms” that move into our life, tend to reveal what we’ve built our life on.

Some people build their life on so many different things: a career, saving money, getting newer and better things, their children, a spouse, certain friendships or hobbies. And this all seems to be fine and well, until the “storms” move in, and very quickly all of these things can change, rust, go away, and leave us hurting and wounded.

Building your life on any of these things would be like building your house on sand. Who would do such a thing? If you build your house on sand, it’s just a matter of time before a storm comes through that causes the house to collapse and your life to be left in ruins.

When the “storms” of life move in, very often people get angry at God for allowing the bad thing to happen, or for not stopping the tragedy – and their life and faith begins to crumble. This is a sign that they’re building their life on the wrong things, because a faith that can’t be tested, can’t be trusted.

This is why Jesus said, in Matthew 7:24-25, “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who builds his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the wind blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation of the rock.”

I want to encourage you to put your faith in Jesus and be obedient to His Word. This is the only way to build your life in such a way that when the “storms” of life move in – you will be able to weather the “storm” with joy, and peace, and eternal hope!

There’s an old song that says it very well. “When darkness seems to hide His face, I rest on His unchanging grace. In every high and stormy gale, my anchor holds within the veil. On Christ, the solid Rock, I sand; all other ground is sinking sand. All other ground is sinking sand.”