Step 10 of 14The doin' is the only sign
Build it on the Rock
Listen to Build it on the Rock
Two chieftains sailed to the northern shoreBroad-axe in hand and a longship oarThey both heard the word, and they both believedOne of 'em lived it — one just agreedOne cut deep till he struck the mountain stoneOne built quick on the sand and called it home
Then the sky went black and the north wind roaredAnd the rain came down and the floodwater poured
Build it on the Rock, build it on the RockWhen the storm breaks loose and the thunder knocksThe doin' is the only signAnd your hall will still be standin' at the end of timeChrist the King is the RockBuild it on the Rock
The hall on the sand went down to the deepTook his gold and his glory for the sea to keepHe'd heard every word, he could say 'em by heartBut he never laid a stone, so it came apartThe hall on the rock never cracked, never swayed'Cause he built on the One the wind and waves obeyed
I built on the sand, and I knew what He saidHeard it all my life — and I built there instead
Build it on the Rock, build it on the RockWhen the storm breaks loose and the thunder knocksThe doin' is the only signAnd your hall will still be standin' at the end of timeChrist the King is the RockBuild it on the Rock
When the devil sends his mighty winds to beat against your wallAnd his shafts come in the whirlwind and his hail begins to fallHe has got no power over you to drag you downThe rock of our Redeemer is a sure and solid ground
Build it on the Rock, build it on the RockWhen the storm breaks loose and the thunder knocksThe doin' is the only signAnd your hall will still be standin' at the end of timeChrist the King is the RockBuild it on the Rock
When the storm rolled out, there was one hall on the shoreAnd my children were asleep behind the doorThey slept through all of itThey slept upon the Rock
The story
Jesus ended the Sermon on the Mount with a story about two builders, and when He came to the people in the Americas after His Resurrection, He told it again, word for word. A wise man built his house upon a rock. A foolish man built his house upon the sand. The rain came down, the floods came, the winds blew, and one house stood while the other fell, "and great was the fall of it."
It's easy to hear that story as hard work against laziness. One man dug deep and the other cut corners. But read it again. Both men heard. "Whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them." "Every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not." The difference wasn't what they knew. It was what they did. The song tells it as two chieftains on a northern shore: they both heard the word, and they both believed. One of them lived it. One just agreed.
That's what makes this parable so searching. The man on the sand isn't a stranger to the gospel. He could say every word by heart. He might be sitting in sacrament meeting every Sunday, maybe even teaching the lesson. And the narrator of this song confesses that he was that man: he built on the sand, and he knew what the Lord said. He heard it all his life, and he built there instead. I think that's the most honest line on the album, and it lands on all of us. James put it plainly: "be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves."
So what's the Rock? Helaman told his sons, and I want you to hear the whole thing: "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." Notice he doesn't promise there won't be a storm. He promises it won't drag you down.
The Rock isn't a program, or a set of habits, or even a church by itself. It's a Person. The disciples once woke Him in a boat in the middle of a storm, and He rebuked the winds and the sea, and they asked, "What manner of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey him!" That's who you build on. The One the wind and the waves obey.
The song ends after the storm. There's one hall left standing on the shore, and the man's children are asleep behind the door. They slept through all of it. They slept upon the Rock. That's what building on Christ does for a family. You don't build so you'll look good when the weather's fine. You build so that when the storm comes, the ones you love can rest.
Sources
Think about it
What is one thing you have known for years the Savior wants you to do, that you have agreed with and even taught, but never really built on?
Tonight
Pick one teaching of Jesus you already believe, like forgiving someone, reaching out to someone lonely, or kneeling to pray, and do it before you go to sleep.