8 Sermon Illustrations on Joy in Trials

A saintly woman who had suffered for weary months from a painful illness said to her pastor, "I have such a lovely robin that sings outside my window. In the early mornings as I lie here, he serenades me." Then a smile brightened her thin features as she added, "I love him because he sings in the rain." That is the most beautiful thing about a robin. When a storm has silenced every other songbird, the robin sings on. That is what the Christian who is with Christ may do. Any one can sing in the sunshine. You and I should sing on when the sun has gone down, or when clouds pour out their rain, for Christ is with us. The Need to Remain Useful The great violinist, Nicolo Paganini, willed his marvelous violin to Genoa-the city of his birth-but only on condition that the instrument never be played. It was an unfortunate condition, for it is a peculiarity of wood that as long as it is used and handled, it shows little wear. As soon as it is discarded, it begins to decay. The exquisite mellow-toned violin now has become worm-eaten in its beautiful case, valueless except as a relic. The moldering instrument is a reminder that a life withdrawn from service to others loses its meaning. How well Jesus' strong emphasis upon service is illustrated! In order to retain our value and our worth and not degenerate into a worthless relic, we should serve and remain active. "But whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister. And whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant" (Matthew 20:26-27). A Precious Stone In a box in a jewelry store there were precious stones, sapphires, and diamonds; the beryl and the amethyst; and many others. Right in the center, according to the story, was a common looking pebble, and a man said to the clerk, "Why do you have that pebble there? If you saw it on the floor you would pick it up and throw it out the window." The clerk took the stone out of the box and said, "You do not know the beauty of this stone"; he held it and in two or three minutes you could not see the stone, but instead, all the colors of the rainbow, moving in such rapid succession they would almost dazzle you; but when the stone got cold the colors would vanish. You might place that stone on the windowsill on the hottest day and it would have no effect on it, but it would respond to peculiar moisture of the human hand to bring out its beauty. That is what happens when we lie passively in the hand of God. All the beauty that is in us shows.

One day I visited the little room where one of the missionaries of AMG lives in Athens, Greece. This man is an invalid who was condemned to execution by the Nazis during the occupation of Greece in World War II. Seven bullets went through his body and he was left for dead, but he escaped the ordeal alive. Through this experience, and the personal witness of a servant of Christ, he found Christ as his Savior. After becoming blessed in the Lord through the new birth, he did not want to keep the good news to himself but was anxious to share it with others. Although he suffered eighty percent incapacitation and constant excruciating pain so that he had to remain in bed most of the time, his great rejoicing in the midst of affliction attracted attention. A radio announcer came to visit him and told his story over the air in Athens, inviting suffering people to write to this invalid who knew the secret of being joyful in the midst of affliction. The same thing happened with respect to one of the leading newspapers in Athens. As a result, this consecrated missionary now has a congregation of about nine thousand people all over the world who write to him asking the secret of his joy. He has written about thirty-eight thousand letters to individuals thus far as he glories in his tribulation (Romans 5:3).

Samuel Rutherford, in prison, used to date his letters Christ's Palace, Aberdeen. He wrote to a friend, "The Lord is with me: I care not what man can do. I burden no man. I want nothing. No king is better provided than I am. Sweet, sweet, and easy is the cross of my Lord. All men I look in the face, of whatsoever rank, nobles and poor. Acquaintance and strangers are friendly to me. My Well-beloved is kinder and more warm than ordinary, and cometh and vi-tieth my soul. My chains are overgilded with gold. No pen, no words, no engine, can express to you the loveliness of my only Lord Jesus. Thus in haste I make for my palace at Aberdeen."

Guy de Brez, a French minister, was prisoner in the castle of Tournay, in Belgium. A lady who visited him said, "She wondered how he could eat, or drink, or sleep in quiet?" "Madam," said he, "my chains do not terrify me, or break my sleep; on the contrary, I glory and take delight therein, esteeming them at a higher rate than chains and rings of gold, or jewels of any price whatever. The rattling of my chains is like the effect of an instrument of music in my ears: not that such an effect comes merely from my chains, but it is because I am bound therewith for maintaining the truth of the gospel."