10 Sermon Illustrations on Trusting God's Plan

Visit a factory where thousands of persons are employed. There is the manager sitting in his central office where he directs all the operations of the factory. Everyone is doing his or her separate job. But they are all fellow laborers with the manager; they are all necessary. Not one could do without the other. If one does his work badly the whole organization suffers. If one does his work well they all benefit. Some feel they have important work, some less important. But there isn't one who is unimportant in the eyes of that man who is sitting in the general manager's office. The Wealthy Partner A famous journalist abandoned a lucrative position for reasons of conscience. A friend asked, "Can you afford to do this?" "Well," said the journalist, "you see, I have a very wealthy partner." "Who is he?" asked the friend in surprise. "God Almighty," was the reply. A man who is in partnership with God can afford to lose his own independence, to surrender it to the interests of the Kingdom of God, to accept the Divine dictates, because the wisdom and spiritual resources of the heavenly Father are at his disposal.

A man and a little boy about five years old were walking homeward from a certain town; the former carrying a parcel. Presently his little companion said, "Please let me carry the parcel."

"My dear child, 'tis too large for you." "Oh, no! I can carry it. Please let me have it;" using his best endeavors to lay hold on the parcel.

"Very well: you have determined it. The parcel is no burden to me: but, I tell you again, it is too large and heavy for you; but, as you will have it, here it is."

The boy did his best; but it grew heavier, and his strength began to fail. He said,—

"It is very heavy, indeed!" "I told you it was too heavy, and yet you would have it."

"It is very—heavy—too heavy: will you —please—carry it?" "Surely I will! Why did you not ask me before?"

This occurred nearly twenty years ago. To this day the story serves to discipline the man who had the burdened child for his companion. It has helped him for these years to consider that it is better to roll the lightest burdens at once on God, who is the willing, the gracious burden-bearer, than carry heavy burdens one's self to God's dishonor. The Witness.

A lighthouse looks like a tall pillar rising out of the sea, or built upon some high bluff. The top is a large lantern, where a bright light is kept burning all night, which is seen far out to sea; and it says to all ships and sailors sailing by, "Take care! take care!" One is built on a ledge of rocks: its warning light says, "Give wide berth to these sunken rocks." Another says, "Steer clear of this dangerous reef." Another, "Keep clear of this dangerous headland. If you come here you are lost." There are a great many lighthouses on the coast: how does a sailor know which is which? He sees a light gleaming through the darkness and the storm; but where is it? He has a chart in the ship, and that tells. A chart is a map of the coast with all its rocks and sandbanks and lighthouses put down, and every thing that a sailor ought to know in order to steer his ship safely across the ocean. If he faithfully consults it, and keeps a good lookout, he is likely to ride out the storm, and come safely into port.

We rode through quite a plain of the desert, — no stream, no verdure, at first soft, and then hard gravel, then stones. No trace of a road appeared; for though the camels form a track, yet the drifting sand obliterates them, or the rain washes them out. Still the waymarks are preserved everywhere, consisting of small heaps of stones set up on each side, which are carefully preserved by the Bedaween; for even they might at times be at a loss as to the way so great is the sameness of the region for miles on every hand. The sand does not seem to obliterate these, or, if it does, they are renewed from time to time. They were always a wel come sight to us, assuring us that we were in the right track; for at times we almost began to ask whether even our Arabs were sure of their way, so waste did the desert appear without a mark or foot-trace of any kind whatsoever.

— H. Bonar

As rowers in a boat turn their backs to the shore, and trust to the man at the helm, whose eye is fixed upon it; so should we proceed in duty through life,—turn our back from our anxious cares for the future, and leave the guidance of them all to God, who guides the helm. Bowes.