-
Deliverance
Contributed by Sermon Central on Jul 31, 2008 (message contributor)
DELIVERANCE
Stanley Praimnath, Vice President for Fuji Bank, was in his office in the South Tower at the World Trade Center when his phone rang. "Are you watching the news?' asked a woman in their Chicago office. "Are you alright?" "I'm fine" he said wondering why she had called. Just then he turned to gaze out the window at the Statue of Liberty, as had been his routine. The surreal sight of a low-flying commercial jet, heading straight for his tower, disrupted his view.
He dropped the phone in mid-sentence and dove to the floor. Curling under his desk he began praying to God, "Lord, help me," he prayed desperately as the aircraft smashed into the tower. The smell of jet fuel was in the air. Equipment was scattered all around with rubble covering the floor and dust in the air. He began clawing his way out. "Lord, I have to go home to my family," he wheezed. "I have to see my daughters."
Just then he saw a light. "I am here to help you." He thought, "This is my guardian angel! The Lord sent somebody to help me!" Praimnath's guardian angel was Brian Clark, a Christian who was an executive three floors below. The two miraculously climbed out of the rubble to safety.
Praimnath stated, "My Lord has some unfinished tasks for me." "I took the tattered clothes I was wearing that day, put them in a box, and wrote DELIVERANCE all over it. I told my wife, 'if I ever get spiritually cold, I want you to bring this box to me, open it up, and show me what the Lord brought me from."
Stanley used the bombing as a positive motivation to face the past.
(Source: James Botts, from a sermon by Leland Patrick, "Trading Sorrow for Singing" 7/14/08, SermonCentral.com)
Related Sermon Illustrations
-
A Small Storeowner Was Being Pressured To Sell ... PRO
Contributed by Paul Decker on Nov 19, 2002
A small storeowner was being pressured to sell his store to the owners of a large department store who had bought every building on the block, except his. Frustrated by the man’s refusal to sell, they eventually opened their huge store on either side of the small one, with a big banner running ...read more
-
Waiting For God Is Not Laziness. Waiting For God ... PRO
Contributed by Donnie Martin on Nov 11, 2002
Waiting for God is not laziness. Waiting for God is not going to sleep. Waiting for God is not the abandonment of effort. Waiting for God means, first, activity under command; second, readiness for any new command that may come; ...read more
-
Wisdom Is The God-Given Ability To Perceive The ... PRO
Contributed by Eric Olson on Nov 12, 2002
“Wisdom is the God-given ability to perceive the true nature of a matter and implement the will of God in ...read more
-
Poem: Praise The Lord PRO
Contributed by Billy Kryger on Nov 11, 2002
Poem: Praise The Lord Praise Him when the sun is shining, When the winds of trouble blow, When you see no silver lining, On the clouds that hand so low. Praise illumines clouds of sorrow, Turns the gray skies into gold, Giving promise of a ‘morrow Bright with blessings ...read more
-
A.w. Tozer Wrote, "Revivals Come Only To Those ... PRO
Contributed by Jim Luthy on Nov 12, 2002
A.W. Tozer wrote, "Revivals come only to those who want them badly enough. The problem is not to persuade God to fill us, but to want God sufficiently to permit him to do so. The average Christian is so cold and so contented with his wretched condition that there is no vacuum of ...read more
Related Sermons
-
Recovering From Grief & Loss Series
Contributed by Todd Leupold on Nov 3, 2008
Losses and grief are inevitable parts of our lives in a world that has been corrupted by sin. The real struggle is not in avoiding these times but in learning how to understand and deal with them when they do come.
-
Hope In The Midst Of Chaos Series
Contributed by Pat Damiani on Sep 13, 2010
We can have hope in the midst of chaos because God knows us, protects us and equips us.
-
The Race Set Before Us Series
Contributed by Maurice Mccarthy on Jun 25, 2012
From Heb. 12:1 the race set before us is: 1. A Set Race (Sovereignty); 2. A Marked Out Race (Guidance); 3. An Individually Crafted Race; 4. A Forward Looking Race (The Race before us)
-
Job Holds To His Integrity - Job Chapter Twenty Seven Series
Contributed by Tom Shepard on Mar 13, 2008
This is a study on Job chapter twenty seven.
-
Respect For The Aged Day
Contributed by Davon Huss on Sep 17, 2007
A sermon from Psalm 71 based on David’s elderly life. Let’s look at some identifying marks of this godly old man! Good for Grandparents Day! (Outline taken from Pulpit Commentary, historical setting taken from a few Sermon Central Contributors)