It depends on how close the strike is to the house. If it's a direct hit, it won't, unfortunately. Even external rods and cabling aren’t 100% guaranteed to prevent damage. The current from a lightning strike can max out at around 100,000 amps. Imagine that hitting your 15A wall socket. A small device like a surge protector doesn't stand a chance of containing or diverting all that power. While direct hits are relatively rare, even a close strike can be damaging. The safest course of action if you know a major storm is coming is to unplug your devices so they don't provide a path to earth for the lightning to follow.