The Rock, Our Foundation

As a young child, one of my favorite church songs was called "The Wise Man and the Foolish Man, which bases its lyrics on Christ’s admonition following His Sermon on the Mount.

“The wise man built his house upon a rock, and the rains came tumbling down. The rains came down and the floods came up, and the house on the rock stood still. The foolish man built his house upon the sand, and the rains came tumbling down. The rains came down and the floods came up, and the house on the sand washed away.” (Children’s Songbook 281, see also Matt 7:24-27 and Luke 6:48)

As I sang, my hands would form a house on a rock to the beat of the song. I remember how strong the rock felt compared to the wishy-washy sand, and wondered that anyone would build on a sandy foundation.

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The Only Sure Foundation

Christ is called “the Rock” because He is the only sure foundation for us in this life. He only can give us the strength to withstand the storms of the devil and the beatings of the world. In the Book of Mormon, a prophet named Nephi states,

“Remember that it is upon the rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of God, that ye must build your foundation; that when the devil shall send forth his mighty winds, yea, his shafts in the whirlwind, yea, when all his hail and his mighty storm shall beat upon you, it shall have no power over you to drag you down to the gulf of misery and endless wo, because of the rock upon which ye are built, which is a sure foundation, a foundation whereon if men build they cannot fall,” (Helaman 5:12).

If we build our foundation upon Him and His doctrine, we cannot fall. In Ephesians, Paul also asks that we, “be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine,” (Ephesians 4:14). Those without Christ “are driven about as a chaff before the wind…or as a vessel is tossed about upon the waves, without sail or anchor, or without anything wherewith to steer her,” (Mormon 5:16, 18).

So, how do we become like the wise man? How do we build our sure foundation?

In Christ’s admonition, he explains that those who hear his words and do them, are likened unto a wise man, while those who hear his words, but doeth them not, are likened unto the foolish man (Matt 7:24-27). So, to build upon the Rock, “we must be doers of the word, and not hearers only,” (James 1:22). We must heed the counsel He gives us in the Sermon on the Mount to seek first the kingdom of God, to judge not, and to do the will of the Father (see Matt 5-7). We must repent and believe in Him, become as little children, and be baptized in His name (3 Nephi 11:37-39).

I testify that Christ is the only sure foundation and protection from the buffetings of life. When storms cross my path, He helps me stand strong so that the devil cannot drag me down to the "gulf of misery and endless woe." Building on the Rock of our Redeemer brings hope and strength in the face of trials and tempests. If we hear and do his word, “we cannot fall,” for Christ is with us and will not forsake us. I am so grateful that He has never forsaken me in my time of need, and I know He will do the same for all men.