Firm Foundations: When God Does the Underneath Work

Today, the rhythmic, jarring sounds of construction are the soundtrack to our day. Our house is currently getting new beams and pilings, an intense, visceral reminder of just how important a strong foundation really is. You can have the most beautiful walls, fresh paint, and all the right décor, but if the foundation isn’t solid, the entire structure is at risk.

Right now, we can not only hear the work, but we can feel it—the deep, dull thuds and the sudden clank as the workers pound and raise the floors. It's a loud, messy process that is utterly essential. We watched as these dedicated men had to literally crawl into a tiny, dark hole to get to the foundation and make those critical repairs. It made me realize that the most important work is often done in the hardest, darkest, unseen places.

It immediately brought to mind the words of Jesus in Matthew 7:24 & 25:

“Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock.”

Life will always bring storms—emotional, spiritual, and physical. And what’s underneath, what we've built our life upon, determines whether we stand firm or crumble when the rains fall.

Sometimes, God allows the “foundation work” in our lives to be dug up and rebuilt. It’s messy. It’s loud. It takes longer than we want, and it often feels like we’re crawling into a dark, uncomfortable place. But He’s securing something deeper—a faith that can’t be shaken. He is accessing the deep, unseen parts of our hearts to make necessary, permanent repairs.

This foundation is not a set of rules or a striving for perfection; it is a person. As the Apostle Paul wrote:

“For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ.” — 1 Corinthians 3:11 (NIV)

So if you feel like you're being torn down or reinforced lately, if your life feels loud, uncomfortable, or suddenly exposed, remember:

• God is strengthening your beams. He’s not destroying you; He's making you sturdy.

• He’s driving new pilings of truth and grace deep beneath the surface. His purpose is to secure your identity and hope.

• He’s making sure your life can stand on the Rock, Jesus Christ. When the work is done, you will be built on a Firm Foundation that even the strongest storms cannot take down.

Take heart in the uncomfortable process—the noise and the mess are proof that essential, permanent work is being done.