Harvest Daily 08/13/04

Harvest Daily Devotional 
by Pastor Greg Laurie

August 13

When Storms Come

Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.  (Hebrews 12:11)

At the conclusion of Matthew 7, Jesus told the story of two men who built two types of houses.  One house was built on a good foundation of rock, while the other house was built on a faulty foundation of sand.  Then Jesus described a storm that came and beat against both houses.  The house that was built on sand collapsed, while the house that was built on the rock stood firm.  Jesus concluded that the man who built on the rock is the one who hears the Word of God and obeys it.  He said the man who built his house on sand is the one who hears the Word of God and does not obey it

But one other thing I see in this teaching of Jesus is the fact that the storm struck both houses.  Every life and every person will experience hardships.  But the question is, how will you react when life’s storms hit?  Will they destroy you or strengthen you?  Will they make you better or bitter?

Here is the good news for Christians: we know that whatever happens in our lives must first go through the protective screen of God’s love.  In other words, God will not let anything happen in the life of the believer that He is not completely aware of.  As I have said many times, the word, “oops,” is not in God's vocabulary.  He is in full control of all the circumstances that surround the lives of His people.

So when hardship comes, we know that God has allowed it for a purpose.  He has some plan in mind.

Copyright © 2004 by Harvest Ministries.  All rights reserved.  Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New King James Version, copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.