Preparing For Storms, Leaning Into Risk
By Kenny Luck
“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.” (Matthew 7:24–26)
Preparing for Storms
On December 26, 2004, just before 8am local time, one of the largest tsunamis in recorded history took shape off the west coast of northern Sumatra. It was caused by a 9.1 earthquake that forced two tectonic plates to shift so violently that the seafloor was thrust upward by 50 feet along a 900-mile fault line.
As a result, billions of tons of water were displaced along the fault, causing a pair of 100-foot waves to travel in opposite directions—one toward India and the other toward Indonesia and Thailand.
In all, the 2004 tsunami killed nearly 230,000 people in fourteen nations, from nearby Indonesia to South Africa 5,200 miles away, where it took eight hours to reach land.
The aftermath of the 2004 tsunami caused nations all across the Pacific Rim to work together to develop sophisticated new ways to detect tsunamis before they reach shore. Nearly 20 years later, these deep-ocean detection systems and ocean buoys form a vast, complex “alarm system” to alert coastal areas when a tsunami is on its way. If this warning system had been in place in 2004, an untold number of lives could have been saved.
As men, we can’t stop “life tsunamis” from slamming into us, but we can better prepare for them when they do happen. Jesus advises to build our life—our house—on him, the Rock. Upon what foundation are you building your life? Money? House? Career? Those things are fine in balance, but not as our foundations. We need an “alarm system” in place to warn us of impending disasters. Prayer, intimacy with the Father, and of course, the Word. But we also need other men. Accountability is irreplaceable and indispensable. Build on His foundation; install your alarm system. Survive the tsunami.
Father, build my house on the rock so I can survive the tidal waves.
So, we all agreed to choose some men and send them to you with our dear friends Barnabas and Paul—men who have risked their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. (Acts 15: 25–26)
Leaning into Risk
“I dare you to jump off.”
Practically all of us either said those words or had them said to us when we were kids. Oh yeah, baby. Jumping off things is in our DNA. It took me about two seconds to come up with my short list of things that I used to love jumping off as a boy: the roof into a cold pool, trampolines, swings, cliffs above a swimming hole. We jumped into risk for the simple thrill of it.
Jesus’ disciples asked, “Who’s the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” Imagine being a first-generation man looking on, wondering the same thing. The disciples were asking themselves, “What can I do here that will make me significant up there with God?”
It’s not a mystery that Jesus used the parable of a little boy to answer the question of who was the greatest. Jesus looked at His guys and knew exactly what message to send. He called a little child and had him stand among them. Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 18:2-4).
As we grow older, the intensity of our child-like wonder and boldness can get diluted and clouded. But risk is in the DNA of every man, put there by and for God. You may have misplaced it, neglected it, or misused it, but it is time to get it back. It is time to do something great for God with it right now.
Is He omnipotent or impotent? Sovereign or aloof? Punitive or kind? Faithful or flaky? Loving or vengeful? Just or unjust? Able or unable to make a difference? Creator or kill-joy?
Lord, am I taking any risk at all? Thank you for faith-building risk.
Published with permission from Kenny Luck and Every Man Ministries.
Kenny Luck is a pastor and author on a mission to revolutionize men's ministry, free men spiritually, and ignite spiritual health worldwide through Every Man Ministries.