When the Floods Come

Hi friends, thanks for joining us for today's encouragement from Our Daily Bread. Today's reading titled When the Floods Come was written by John Blaise. I live in Colorado, a state in the western U.S. known for the Rocky Mountains and our annual snowfall. Yet the worst natural disaster in my state had nothing to do with snow, but rain. The Big Thompson flood occurred on July 31, 1976, around the resort town of Estes Park.

When the water finally receded, the death toll was 144 lives, not including livestock. In the wake of that disaster, significant studies were done in the area, especially in regard to the foundation of roads and highways. The walls of the roads that withstood the storm were those filled with concrete. In other words, they had a sure and strong foundation. In our lives, the question is not if the floods will come, but when.

Sometimes we have advance notice, but usually not. Jesus stresses a strong foundation for such times, one built not just by hearing his words, but also by living out the gospel. That practice is almost like pouring concrete into our lives. When the floods come, and they will, we can withstand them because we've been well built. The absence of practice leaves our lives vulnerable to collapse and destruction.

It's the difference between being wise and foolish. It's good to pause occasionally and do a little foundation assessment. Jesus will help us to fortify the weak places that we might stand strong in his power when the floods come. Today's Our Daily Bread devotional scripture reading is taken from the Gospel of Luke, chapter 6, verses 46 through 49. When the flood came, the torrent struck that house but could not shake it because it was well built. But the one who hears my words and does not put them into practice is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation.

The moment the torrent struck that house, it collapsed and its destruction was complete. Now, join me in prayer. Dear Jesus, thank you for teaching us wisdom when you taught us not to only build a physical house on a solid foundation, but also our spiritual house. May we be solidly grounded in your word, applying it to our lives so that when the storms come, our faith and our trust in you will remain strong. Thank you, Lord Jesus. It's in your name that we pray. Amen. Today's encouragement was provided by Our Daily Bread Ministries.