“Therefore whosoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man, which built his house upon the rock: And the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock.” (Matthew 7:24-25, NKJV)
It was during the 1960s that my Grandma, affectionately known as Sister Coga (Co-gee), was in the woods behind her house praying. She had only been in church a short while when her dad was given a bad diagnosis. She wanted him saved before passing away. One day as she prayed for him out behind her house while kneeling at a stump, willing to sacrifice whatever she needed to for her dad’s sake, she thought of this scripture:
“And Jesus saith to him, The foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests; but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.” (Matthew 8:20, NKJV)
This is when her eyes fell on a flat rock nearby that was about three to four inches thick and six to eight inches square. She picked up this rock, carried it back to her house, and committed to using it as a pillow until her dad was either healed and/or saved before passing away. God heard and answered her prayer.
Now, she had an alcoholic brother that needed God, so she continued to make the same sacrifice . . . no pillow and oftentimes no bed. She would be found asleep on the floor with a towel wrapped around that rock as her pillow, with her Bible in her hands, interceding and believing for her family.
Soon, it was her son in the Marines. While stationed in Hawaii, he was stabbed multiple times, but God, healed and saved my Uncle Jr. He was one of the greatest soul winners I’ve ever known. He never preached behind the pulpit, but he loved sharing the love of God with others and bringing people to the house of the Lord. Today there’s a Spanish church with several hundred members. He was the “church planter.” His life was the sermon. Mamaw used the rock for more than thirty years. Only after her passing did we start talking about it publicly because she never wanted attention and we all respected the ground she walked on.
Reflecting back to Matthew 7:24-25, my translation is: “So, whoever listens to what God says, is a smart man, who builds his house on THE ROCK! It rains, it floods, the wind blows and beats at the house, but it stands firm when built on the Rock!”
Today, I am so humbled by the legacy of prayer in my life. There are literally hundreds of us walking in truth today because of the sacrifice of one sweet, quiet, precious saint of God who knew the Rock of her salvation.
There are literally hundreds of us walking in truth today because of the sacrifice of one sweet, quiet, precious saint of God who knew the Rock of her salvation.
Nilah Gann
My Be’pa, Jack Still, will be 100 years old this summer, and his “life song” is still the answer—from generation to generation!
My hope is built on nothing less
Than Jesus’ blood and righteousness
I dare not trust the sweetest frame
But wholly lean on Jesus’ name
On Christ, the Solid Rock, I stand
All other ground is sinking sand
All other ground is sinking sand
Nilah Gann and her husband, Eddie, serve as Pastor of CLC in Rock Hill, South Carolina. He is currently the South Carolina District Superintendent and she is the district Ladies Ministry President. Together, they are passionate about encouraging people to live disciplined lives serving God and others. Her four favorite little people call her “Mamaw.”
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