How to Stand in the Midst of Life’s Storms

Bible Passage

Matthew 7:24–25 CSB

“Therefore, everyone who hears these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain fell, the rivers rose, and the winds blew and pounded that house. Yet it didn’t collapse, because its foundation was on the rock.

Introduction

Church let me tell you tonight that storms are the great equalizer.

There isn’t nobody too holy, too educated, or too pretty to avoid them.

Storms don’t care if you just got promoted or just got laid off.

Whether you live uptown or on the avenue, storms will find your address!

But hear me now—storms are not the end of your story, they are the birthplace of your testimony!

You see, the reason some of us are still standing is not because of luck, but it is because of the Lord!

When the wind blows and the rain falls, the foundation of your life will be tested.

Tonight, I came to declare: It’s not about the size of your storm—it’s about the strength of your foundation!

When life tries to knock you down, you gotta stand strong, plant your feet, and say, “I shall not be moved!”

Because storms are not just a problem, they are God’s platform to show you what you’re really made of!

Context

In our text for consideration, Jesus tells a story about two builders.

Both faced the same storm—same rain, same wind, same flood.

But only one house was left standing.

It wasn’t because it was bigger, fancier, or more expensive.

No, it stood because it was built on the rock!

Let me tell somebody: Your foundation matters more than your situation!

Life will test you with winds of gossip, floods of disappointment, and rains of confusion.

But if you build your life on Christ, you will not fall.

Storms don’t just reveal your cracks, they reveal your core!

And I stopped by to tell you tonight, your core is Christ!

Your strength is not in your status, but it is in your Savior!

Your security is not in your job, but it is in Jesus!

Your hope is not in this world, but it is in the Word of God!

Illustration

Have you ever seen a palm tree in a hurricane?

It bends, but it does not break!

It leans so far you think it’s going to snap, but when the storm passes, it pops right back up!

Why?

Because the roots run deep!

Somebody in here is like that palm tree

Life tried to bend you,

people tried to break you,

but you’re still here!

Not because you never faced a storm, but because you’re rooted in God!

Tell your neighbor: “I may bend, but I won’t break!”

That storm you thought would take you out is the same storm God used to anchor you deeper!

So How Do We Stand Strong When the Wind Blows?

1. We Need the Power of Obedience

Church, storms don’t care if you know the Word—they care if you DO the Word!

Jesus said, “Everyone who hears these words and puts them into practice…”

That’s obedience!

Obedience is not just coming to church, it’s living the sermon when you get home!

It’s loving your neighbor when they get on your nerves.

It’s forgiving that person who hurt you, even when your flesh says hold a grudge.

Obedience is building your life God’s way, not your way.

Because when you obey, you invite God’s power into your problem!

Obedience is your storm insurance!

2. We Need the Power of Community

Let’s be real—nobody makes it through a storm alone.

Even Jesus had his disciples!

When the winds blow, you need some folks who will pray for you, lift you up, and remind you who you are in Christ.

You need people who will check on you, not just when the sun is shining, but when the sky is falling.

Community is the shelter God sends in the storm.

Don’t isolate—insulate!

Lean on your church family, your brothers and sisters, your spiritual tribe.

When you link up with other believers, your storm loses its sting!

You might be in a storm, but you don’t have to be in it alone!

3. We Need the Power of Hope

Storms love to whisper, “It’s over. You’re finished. It’ll never get better.”

But I came to remind you: As long as God is on the throne, hope is alive!

Your storm has an expiration date—God’s promises do not!

Hope is not a feeling, it’s a fact that God is not done with you yet!

Hope is what makes you get up in the morning after a long, dark night.

Hope is what keeps you singing when you want to cry.

Hope is what lets you say, “This too shall pass, but my God shall last!”

Don’t let the storm steal your hope—let it stir your hope!

Because God always has the last word, and it’s always good!

Closing

As I get ready to bring this to a close, let me speak to your storm tonight.

The wind may blow, but it won’t blow you away.

The rain may fall, but you will not drown.

The waters may rise, but you will rise higher!

You are not defined by your storm,

you are defined by your Savior!

Build your house on the rock,

and you will stand when others fall.

Stand on His Word.

Stand with your community.

Stand in hope, knowing God is for you and with you! Tell your storm, I’m standing strong when the wind blows!

This storm is not my end—it’s my beginning!

I will not break.

I will not fall.

I will not lose hope!

If God be for me, who can be against me?”

Stand in your storm and sing to your storm

My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus' blood and righteousness;

I dare not trust the sweetest frame, but wholly lean on Jesus' name.

On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand: all other ground is sinking sand;

And on day soon, when this life is over, the song writer tells us that

When he shall come with trumpet sound, O may I then in him be found:

dressed in his righteousness alone, faultless to stand before the throne.

On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand: all other ground is sinking sand!