In Sermon Illustrations: "Waiting On God"

If We Could Only See From God's Perspective

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Nov 7, 2022

A man was walking along a railroad track on a very dark night when he came to a bridge.  He had gotten halfway across when he heard a train whistle up ahead.  He quickened his pace, but soon could see the light of the oncoming locomotive approaching.   With nowhere ...read more

Tags: Faith, Fear, Jesus, Obedience, Peter, Miracles, Sovereignty Of God  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Are You "all Ears" For God's Voice?

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Jan 2, 2023

A missionary translator was endeavoring to find a word for “obedience” in the native language. This was a virtue seldom practiced among the people into whose language he wanted to translate the New Testament. As he returned home from the village one day, he whistled for his dog and it came ...read more

Tags: Holy Spirit, Discipleship, Obedience, Voice Of God, Hearing God  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

God's Providence Fills Every Second Of Our Lives

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Aug 21, 2023

In 1937 Walt Disney released the first full-length animated movie which has garnered almost one billion in total sales: Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. Producing an animated movie was a gargantuan task. Disney artists drew over one million pictures. Each picture flashed onto the screen for a mere ...read more

Tags: God's Will, Assurance, God's Providence, Protection, Comfort  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Have You Ever Asked God To Wake You Up In The Morning?

Contributed by Glynda Lomax on Dec 23, 2024

Be careful what you pray for. We all know the feeling of trying to wake up to a blaring alarm clock. I had been really tired from working late and had overslept several times in the past week. I was traveling at the time, not at home. It wasn’t an emergency since I work from wherever I am, but I ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 7:7, Mark 11:24, 1 John 5:14

Tags: Prayer, How To Pray, Answered Prayers, Faith

Denomination: Charismatic

[060]. A Message From A Poem – Do Not Trust Ourselves – Trust God

Contributed by Ron Ferguson on Mar 14, 2025

[060]. A MESSAGE FROM A POEM – DO NOT TRUST OURSELVES – TRUST GOD When you think you know it all: Then you don't. When you think you’ll do it all; Then you won’t. I find this a delightful poem (for myself) and I am sharing my own experience here in writing it. Often we think we know best ...read more

Scripture: John 6:7-10, 2 Corinthians 12:10

Tags: Trust Ourselves, Weakness, Strong, Weak, Poetry, Poem, Human Strength, Trust, Strength  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

[115]. A Message From A Poem – Have You Trusted The God Of Faithfulness?

Contributed by Ron Ferguson on Jun 27, 2025

[115]. A MESSAGE FROM A POEM – HAVE YOU TRUSTED THE GOD OF FAITHFULNESS? God is faithful in proven circumstances. Have you actually proven the faithfulness of God in your life? We have a faithful God so we can anchor our faith in the faithfulness of God. {{Psalm 119:90 “YOUR FAITHFULNESS ...read more

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 1:9, Lamentations 3:22-23, Deuteronomy 32:3-4, Psalm 119:90

Tags: Christian Poems, God, Trust, Faithful, Christian Poetry  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

[121]. A Message From A Poem – From Where Did God Originate?

Contributed by Ron Ferguson on Jul 5, 2025

[121]. A MESSAGE FROM A POEM – FROM WHERE DID GOD ORIGINATE? The real title of this poem is HE IS BEFORE ALL THINGS, AND IN HIM ALL THINGS HOLD TOGETHER but the title is too long for SermonCentral to accept, so I changed the title. This is a dialogue poem. There are 4 speakers. Speaker 1 is a ...read more

Scripture: Colossians 1:16-17, Colossians 2:20-23

Tags: Rationalist, Christian Poetry, Christian Poems, Atheist, All Things, Agnostic, Gnostics, Gnosticism, Existence Of God, Christian, Creation, Jesus  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

[170]. A Message From A Poem – Let Our Praise To God Arise

Contributed by Ron Ferguson on Aug 21, 2025

[170]. A MESSAGE FROM A POEM – LET OUR PRAISE TO GOD ARISE This poem was written in two halves 25 years apart. It was originally to be a poem on praise but as I look at it, the poem is a hymn that can be sung to a number of tunes because the metre 7-6-7-6 is a common enough one. Through this ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 150:1-6

Tags: Praise, Heaven, Praise God, Praise The Lord, Christian Poems  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

God Moved Christian Across Pond To Save Him From Drowning

Contributed by Rick Crandall on Sep 25, 2025

God Moved Christian across Pond to Save Him from Drowning One of my favorite miracle stories is from Jan Ramsey. My wife Mary used to work at Lakeshore School with Jan. She was a member of First Baptist in Swartz. Jan gave this prayer testimony about her dad, James, and I think he was 81 at the ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 139:1-24

Tags: Solomon's Temple, Mother's Womb, Omnipotence, Omnipresence, King David, Fearfully Made, Wonderfully Made, Nathan The Prophet, Creation, Light, Darkness, Presence, Omniscience  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Baptist

The Cheerful Girl With Bouncy Golden Curls Was ...  PRO

Contributed by Dennis Fakes on Nov 10, 2003

The cheerful girl with bouncy golden curls was almost five. Waiting with her mother at the checkout stand, she saw them: a circle of glistening white pearls in a pink foil box "Oh please, Mommy. Can I have them? Please, Mommy, please?" Quickly the mother checked the back of the little foil box ...read more

Tags: Giving General, God The Father, God's Provision

Denomination: Lutheran

A Certain Pastor Observed A Little Girl Standing ...  PRO

Contributed by A. Todd Coget on Feb 14, 2002

A certain pastor observed a little girl standing outside the preschool Sunday school classroom between Sunday school and worship, waiting for her parents to come and pick her up for "big church." The pastor noticed that she clutched a big storybook under her arm with the title "Jonah and the ...read more

Tags: God, God's Omnipotence, Jonah, Apologetics The Bible

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

A Little Boy's Knots!" Revelations 19:11-17 Key ...

Contributed by Mark Brunner on Mar 15, 2005

“A Little Boy’s Knots!” Revelations 19:11-17 Key verse(s): 16:“On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written: KINGS OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.” There’s something about being rescued this is so completely satisfying. A number of years ago (pre-cell phone days) I was driving along the ...read more

Scripture: Revelation 19:11-17

Tags: God's Provision, God's Forgiveness, God Cares, Protector, Provider, Strengthen  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Lutheran

Va Baily Wrote About The Time He Realized The ...  PRO

Contributed by Ryan Johnson on Mar 6, 2002

VA Baily wrote about the time he realized the plan and purpose of life. I hurried into the local department store to grab some last minute Christmas gifts. I looked at all the people and grumbled to myself, "I am going to be in here forever." Christmas was beginning to become such a drag. I kinda ...read more

Tags: Promises Of God, God Brings Purpose

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Looking Back, Looking Forward  PRO

Contributed by Paul Fritz on Jul 28, 2002

LOOKING BACK, LOOKING FORWARD Hudson Taylor founder of China Inland Mission) used to hang in his home a plaque with two Hebrew Words on it: EBENEZER & JEHOVAH JIREH. The first word means ‘Hitherto hath the Lord helped us’ and the second, ‘The Lord will see to it or provide.’ One looked back while ...read more

Tags: Promises Of God, Faithfulness, God's Promises, God's Provision

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Good Pilots Do What It Takes To Get Their Passengers Home.

Contributed by Martin Spoelstra on Jul 9, 2018

A good pilot does what it takes to get his passengers home. A good example of this, is the story of a flight when the attendant told everyone to take their seats because of impending turbulence. It was a rowdy flight; the folks weren’t quick to respond; so she warned them again. “The flight is ...read more

Scripture: Acts 9:3-11

Tags: Listening To God, Hearing From God, Gods Voice

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

The Parable Of The Big Plane

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Feb 16, 2020

A boy asked his father, “Dad, what is the size of God? How big is He?” The Father looked up at the sky and saw a little plane In the far distance and asked his son, “What is the Size of the plane in the sky?” The boy replied, “It is really small. I can hardly see it in the sky." Then, the ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 5:1-12

Tags: Worship, God, Beatitudes, Seeing God, Greatness Of God  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Jeannette George Tells A Story About An ...  PRO

Contributed by Mary Lewis on May 11, 2001

Jeannette George tells a story about an experience she had on a short flight from Tucson to Phoenix. Across the aisle from her sat a young woman and her baby, both dressed in white pinafores. The baby had a little pink bow where there would eventually be hair. The mother was smiling, as the baby ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 1:1-14, Ephesians 1:1-14

Tags: God's Provision, God The Father, Love, Unconditional

Denomination: Baptist

Forgotten How To ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 25, 2009

FORGOTTEN HOW TO FISH? I read an interesting story about a group of pelicans in California. If you’ve ever seen pelicans in action, you know they’re great fishermen, or fisher-birds. These pelicans were hanging out near a fleet of fishing boats. The fishermen on the boats would pull into the ...read more

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 4:7-14

Tags: Servanthood, God's Direction

Sometimes I Feel A Little Tugging On The Line!

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Mar 20, 2023

A little boy was flying his kite in the windy city of Chicago, Illinois one day. He sent the kite up and let the line out as the wind took it away to the cloudy sky. About that time, an elderly man walked past the little boy and asked him a question. "What are you doing there, son?" he ...read more

Tags: Answers To Prayer, Prayer, Will Of God, Hearing God, God's Voice, Sovereignty Of God  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Cliff Barrows' Honeymoon ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Mar 21, 2010

Cliff Barrows’ Honeymoon Service Dr. James Dobson wrote a book entitled When God Doesn’t Make Sense, and in his book he shared an illustration that is very applicable to the point being drawn from this particular verse. Take a moment and reflect upon the following story: In 1945, a young ...read more

Scripture: Ecclesiastes 11:6

Tags: Servanthood, God's Sovereignty