Sermon Illustrations

How would it have felt to grow up in slavery, to give birth to children who were slaves, and then to die in slavery? Wouldn’t you wonder, "Where is God in all this? If we are God’s people, why isn’t he doing something?" But God thinks in the long term --decades, centuries, and even millennia. If we are in that "in between" period, we cannot understand God’s purpose. It is like viewing an oil painting close up, a bunch of disconnected swirls. But if we stand back, it might be beautiful. Our fear is that it might be ’modern art’ and still be ugly. But God promises us a beautiful painting -- when all things finally work together! And that working together may be centuries away.