by Linda Cox
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
The evening had flown by. Early-to-bed person that I am, I wasn’t tired or even aware that it was my bedtime. A light evening breeze peacefully kept the summer heat at bay. I was standing in the middle of a home construction site, taking in the rugged beauty of the lake and the terrain that would soon become the view from the home’s windows. But it wasn’t the view or the breeze that had energized me.
It was the beautiful, powerful, ever-living Word of God!
I was blessed that evening to join a good friend in a very special project—writing Bible verses on the studding of what would become her new home. It proved to be an inspiring exercise.
As we researched and discussed our favorite Bible verses, we also explored new ones, searching for verses that “fit” every room. You know, like the one from First Corinthians about everything being done in order. A hopeful prophecy for her husband’s closet. But don’t worry, fellas, we wrote the verse from Ephesians about the wife submitting to the husband in her closet.
Matthew’s “give us this day our daily bread” is in the kitchen. “Streams in the wilderness” from Isaiah is on the wall near the windows overlooking the lake. “Entertaining angels unaware” from Hebrews is near the front entrance. And “hospitality” verses found their way to the guest bedroom while verses about “honesty” and “money” fit the office. God’s Word from an ancient book still speaking to us today.
As we worked, we reminded ourselves that merely writing God’s Word on the walls of a home isn’t enough. It needs to be written in our hearts as the foundation of our lives. We can do that by immersing ourselves in God’s Word—reading, studying, memorizing, praying. And just as a home built on a solid foundation withstands storms, we can withstand, even flourish in the midst of, the storms around us.
Once the drywall goes up in my friend’s home, the verses won’t be seen. She knows they are there, but what about a hundred years from now? Just imagine a modern-day Josiah remodeling this house and finding the Word of God written within the walls!
We left the site that night with a prayer that all who entered there—now and in the future—would feel God’s presence and know that this home was built on the Rock—the ever-living Word of God. A foundation that will never crumble.
Linda Cox is a regular contributor to DivineDetour. She recently retired after twenty-five years as a district office secretary for the State of Illinois. Her first loves are studying the Bible and reading, but Linda occasionally tries her hand at writing. Her work is published in All My Bad Habits I Learned from Grandpa (Thomas Nelson), The One-Year Life Verse Devotional (Tyndale), Life Lessons from Grandparents (Write Integrity) and the Love Is a Verb devotional (Bethany House). She and her husband live on a farm with their two indoor/outdoor farm mutts.