4 Sermon Illustrations on Providence Care

4 illustrations

Providence care highlights God's sovereign protection and guidance over His creation, often unseen yet deeply personal. Preachers use images of protective care, such as a mother bird shielding her young or providentially orchestrated events, to illustrate God's watchful eye and loving governance (Matthew 6:26; Romans 8:28). These pictures reveal how divine care intervenes in danger and daily life.

Children, Shielding the

A mother bird uses leaves to protect her nest from a venomous serpent’s attack.

Naturalists tell us, that the leaves of a certain tree are exceedingly offensive to venomous serpents. A traveller relates, that seeing a bird exhibit great alarm and distress, without any obvious cause, he watched its motions, and saw it repeatedly fly to such a tree, pluck a leaf from its branches, and, returning, deposit it carefully in its nest. After having thus wrought for a while, the mother-bird perched on a branch overlooking her nest, and there watched the slow progress of a large serpent, which her vigilant eye had discovered ascending the tree. Coiling itself around the tree, it slowly ascended, until, with glistening eye and open mouth, its head was lifted above the edge of the nest. As it came in contact with the leaves with which the bird had covered her young, the snake dropped as quickly from the tree as though its head had been shattered by a bullet.

— Dr. Jewell

Danger, Influence of

God's providence was proven to a skeptic through a near-fatal accident, leading to conversion.

Two young men, one a Christian and the other a sceptic, travelling through Switzerland, walked along the brow of a steep cliff, conversing of the providence of God. "I should not be willing to live another day," said the Christian earnestly, "if I could not believe that the Almighty directed my steps. I have no anxiety; for I trust his unerring guidance. No circumstance is too trifling for his control." The other replied, "I can control myself. See here!" And he paused to roll a stone down the precipice. "Did the Lord direct that pebble? See this lonely tree standing so near the edge! Do you suppose God ordained it should grow just in that spot? Some traveller threw the seed. Did the Almighty declare just where it should fall, and take root?" He threw one arm around a limb of the tree, and leaned against the trunk for his companion to reply. The soil began to crumble; and, before he could move, that part of the bank had fallen upon the rocks below. Only his arm around the tree, and one foot upon the stone, where it partly rested, saved his life. For an instant, both travellers stood motionless. Then the Christian fell on his knees in prayer. The sceptic came, and reverently knelt beside him. Silently they arose, and resumed their journey. God himself had spoken to the soul of the sceptic. He became a humble Christian, and a minister of the gospel. Tewksbury.

Luck, Proverbs

Various proverbs reflect different views on luck and fortune in life.

Luck is all. It is better to be born lucky than wise.—English.—The worst pig gets the best acorn.—Spanish.—A good bone never falls to a good dog. The Devil's meal runs half to bran.—French.—The horses eat oats that don't earn them.—German.—Pitch the lucky man into the Nile, and he will come up with a fish in his mouth.—Arabic.

The Butcher And The Redemptioner

A man unknowingly buys his own parents as servants, showing God's providential care.

A person in Holland, who had made a considerable fortune in Philadelphia, as a butcher, went on board a ship from Amsterdam, which carried a number of German Redemptioners,* for the purpose of purchasing one to assist him in his business.

After examining the countenances of several of the passengers, without being able to please himself, his attention was arrested by the tranquil and composed countenance of a man advanced in years, but with much appearance of strength and activity.

Not less pleased with the tenor of the conversation of his fellow countryman, than with his exterior, he described the purpose for which he wanted a servant, and obtained the man's consent to purchase his indentures, providing he would also purchase those of his wife, who had accompanied him.

The parties then went ashore to complete the business, attended by the captain; and upon the names of the persons being mentioned, to insert them in the writings, they were found to be the name of the purchaser's father and mother: and, upon further inquiries,

* A redemptioner is a person who engages to article himself, by indenture, for an agreed number of years, to some one who may want him, on his arrival in America; and the captain receives the sum paid for the services of the individual so articled, as passage and subsistence money. he ascertained them to be, in fact, his father and mother, the latter declaring, that if he was their son, he had a remarkable mole upon his left arm, which proved to be the case.

Nothing could surpass the joy of all parties. The providence of God had snatched the venerable pair from poverty and servitude, and conducted them to plenty and independence, under the protection of an affectionate son.

He, it appeared, had run away from his parents when quite a boy, and, from the continual wars in Europe, neither party had heard of the other since that period.

Matthew 10:7-15. He Directs Them With Whom to Abide During Their Journey.

by Favell Lee Mortimer

Jesus directs his apostles to trust in God's provision and to beware of covetousness, while also warning them against the sin of rejecting the gospel.