21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven. 22 On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, didn’t we prophesy in your name, drive out demons in your name, and do many miracles in your name?’ 23 Then I will announce to them, ‘I never knew you. Depart from me, you lawbreakers!’
Matthew 7:21-23
It was August 2013 and Disney’s Summer Bay Resort in Clermont, Florida, was full to the brim. Imagine the horror that erupted when guests were awakened in the middle of the night to loud sounds of popping and breaking. Once evacuated, the guests watched over the next several hours as the entire property—all three floors—disappeared into a giant sink hole. No one was injured, but all were stunned to witness the beautiful structure be swallowed by a hole in the ground.
In 2020, we have all witnessed a similar thing but on a much bigger scale and in an even more catastrophic way. We have watched a virus—COVID-19—swallow our entire way of life across the world. Economies have crashed and systems have been overrun, as all of humanity has been evacuated through social distancing. People have been sick and died as a result of the virus and their reactions to it. It will be decades before anyone can really describe all that has happened in the last few months.
Our scripture today speaks poignantly to this moment. As Jesus is winding up the most comprehensive sermon He preached on earth, He uses a word picture to help us understand something about sink holes and solid ground. He makes it crystal clear in a simple word picture we can all understand, but each of us has to question whether or not we have really applied this truth to our lives. Here it is simply: we had better build our lives on something that isn’t going to move.
The pandemic has given us all a great opportunity to take this test. Has the loss of our economy, health, liberty and way of life shaken us to the core? Or has this disruption revealed a stronger foundation that is unshaken and unmoved by all of this?
Only you know the answer for yourself. But if the recent days reveal the beginning signs of a sink hole in your life, you have a beautiful opportunity to run to a foundation that won’t ever move, no matter what the difficulty.
His name is Jesus—and He is waiting for you to call on Him now.
Questions to Ask Yourself
- How has COVID-19 impacted you? What are the direct implications on your life brought on by this pandemic?
- What in your life has been unchanged by the pandemic? What values remain unchanged by the collapsing world around you?
- What has this crisis revealed about your foundation? Or the foundation of your family? Your friends?
- Ask God to use this pivotal moment in history to reveal His power and glory to a world desperately searching for a solid place to stand.