sermon-illustrations
Curated Sermon Illustrations from Psalm 139
Explore powerful illustrations to bring Psalm 139 to life. Discover stories, analogies, humor and more as you illustrate the timeless truths from scripture.
Featured Illustration
Recognizing Her Own
The guillemot, a small Arctic seabird, nests in dense colonies on the rocky cliffs of the North Atlantic and Arctic. Thousands of these birds gather in tight spaces, with hundreds of females laying their distinctive pear-shaped eggs in neat rows along narrow ledges. Despite the nearly identical appearance of the eggs, a mother guillemot can remarkably recognize her own. Studies reveal that if an egg is moved, the mother instinctively detects the change and promptly restores it to its rightful place.
Search by topic, scripture, category etc..
82 Results in 142ms
Display
Sorted By
-
illustration
Desperate for Attention
We’re little children wandering the aisles of the internet because we’ve lost the presence of our loving parent. We are desperate for the attention of a good Father who sees us. We have no idea how to... -
illustration
Only Babies
British author Leonard Ravenhill told the story of a group of tourists visiting a picturesque village where they saw an old man sitting by a fence. In a rather patronizing way, one of the visitors ask... -
illustration
The Greatest Hitter in the World
A young boy was heard talking to himself as he wandered through his backyard, sporting a full baseball uniform, jersey and cap included, as well as a ball and bat. "I'm the best hitter in the... -
illustration
The Dead Poet’s Society
The film the Dead Poets Society is set in 1959 at Welton Academy, a strict, elite, all-boys preparatory school. The main character, Todd Anderson, is a shy and insecure student who struggles wit... -
illustration
How to Sing “Happy Birthday”
John Berkley told a story about how he loves live professional choir concerts. At one concert, the conductor asked if anyone in the audience was there celebrating their birthday. Now, it was actually ... -
illustration
The Eternal Question: “Why?”
If you’ve been around a kid who’s just learned to ask “why?”, it can be a bit much. You’ll be asked, “why is grass green?” “Why do birds fly?” “Why do I get hungry?” and much, much, more. Pa... -
illustration
A Voice They Could Trust
On May 1, 2023, a small aircraft carrying seven passengers crashed deep in the Amazon rainforest, one of the most remote regions on Earth. The Cessna had been flying between two villages in southern C... -
illustration
If Hollywood decided to make a movie
If Hollywood decided to make a movie about your life, what would it look like? What genre would it be? Action/Adventure? Drama? Comedy? Who would play you? Tom Cruise? Denzel Washington? For most of u... -
illustration
Can we Accept Ourselves?
Carl Jung, one of the early pioneers of modern psychology, wrote this from his years of experience as a therapist: The acceptance of oneself is the essence of the moral problem and the epitome of ... -
illustration
The Value of Origins
Origins matter to humans. The Antiques Roadshow has held the interest of its viewers for over thirty-five years with a simple formula of determining the origins of items people have not properly... -
illustration
Taking the Measure
One of my favorite movies is Hoosiers (1986). It tells the story of a small-town basketball team from Hickory, Indiana, that finds greatness under the leadership of their coach, Norman Dale. The... -
illustration
Honoring the Body without Worshipping It
The spiritual discipline of honoring the body helps us find our way between the excesses of a culture that glorifies and objectifies the body and the excesses of Christian tradition that have often de... -
illustration
Children: Great Recorders, Bad Interpreters
Author David Seamands once wrote, “Children are the best recorders but the worst interpreters.” I remember a lot about being a kid. I remember colors and moments, arguments and smells… Though my me... -
illustration
Creation is an Act of Self-Limitation
Every creator, from a child with Play-Doh to Michelangelo, learns that creation involves a kind of self-limiting. You produce something that did not exist before, yes, but only by ruling out other opt... -
illustration
A Case of Mistaken Celebrities
Years ago, the legendary tenor Enrico Caruso (1873-1921) was driving through New Jersey when his car unexpectedly broke down. While a mechanic worked on the repairs, Caruso struck up a conversation wi... -
illustration
Recognizing Her Own
The guillemot, a small Arctic seabird, nests in dense colonies on the rocky cliffs of the North Atlantic and Arctic. Thousands of these birds gather in tight spaces, with hundreds of females laying th... -
illustration
Life is Vulnerable, Like a bird
Life is precious. Not because it is unchangeable, like a diamond, but because it is vulnerable, like a little bird. To love life means to love its vulnerability, asking for care, attention, guidance, ... -
illustration
Shadowed by the Illusory Person
Thomas Merton once said, “Every one of us is shadowed by an illusory person: a false self, This is the man I want myself to be but who cannot exist, because God does not know anything about him. A... -
illustration
God Hinting
James Nelson describes sexuality as the central clue to what God is up to in the world. While this might seem a little over the top, when you think about it, sexuality factors integrally in our relati... -
illustration
Biblical Roots of Knowing
The Hebrew word yada (“to know”) is, in fact, used for both sexual intercourse as well as our relationship with God. Every relational event is a stage that affords one a glimpse into the consumm... -
illustration
This Child is a Gift
I will never forget the witness of an Episcopal priest named Tom Minifie several years ago in St. Luke’s Church in Seattle, Washington. He spotted a high-profile couple sitting in the last pew with th... -
illustration
The Father is Fond of Me
Brennan Manning shares a true story about a priest from Detroit who traveled to Ireland to visit family. One morning, he walked along the shores of Lake Killarney with his uncle. As they watched the s... -
illustration
Should We Trust the Virgin Birth?
To a twentieth-century mind the notion of a virgin birth is intrinsically and preposterously inconceivable. If a woman claims–such claims are made from time to time–to have become pregnant without sex... -
illustration
The Hound of Heaven
In 1890 Francis Thompson, a Roman Catholic poet, described God as “The Hound of Heaven”: I fled Him, down the nights and down the days; I fled Him, down the arches of the years; I fled Him,... -
illustration
Play to Your Strengths
In an old joke, people refer to seminary as cemetery. Attending one does feel like that at times, so the last thing I expected to discover in a dingy classroom in the basement of a Pasadena seminary s... -
illustration
Caught on Camera
Several years ago I saw a television show called Caught on Camera . It featured clips of people being secretly filmed doing all manner of horrific things, precisely because they thought they were... -
illustration
I will be Good
On March 11, 1830, a young English girl was studying a lesson on the royal family with her tutor. As she examined the genealogical chart, she suddenly realized the astonishing truth—she was next in li... -
illustration
Recovering the Heart of Humanity
I am convinced that the scourge of our scientific and technological age is depersonalization. There is a heartbeat pulsating at the center of the universe, giving life and meaning to everything, but o... -
illustration
Famous Atheist Richard Dawkins Argues that You are an Accident
The atheist author Richard Dawkins, who wrote, “The universe, at the bottom, has no design, no purpose, no evil, and no other good. Nothing but blind, pitiless indifference. DNA neither knows nor care... -
illustration
False Narrative: You Are An Accident
The Russian writer Leo Tolstoy describes a view (not his own view, because Tolstoy was a Christian) of the human person, based on a theory of reality he saw emerging in his day. It is a narrative that...
Page 1 of 3
Index by Topic
A
- Abiding in Christ (1)
- Abraham (1)
- Acceptance (2)
- Accidents (2)
- Accomplishment (1)
- Accountability (1)
- Actions (1)
- Advent (1)
- Adventure (1)
- Affection (1)
- Afraid of the Dark (1)
- Alone (2)
- Anguish (1)
- Anonymity (1)
- Appearances (2)
- Appreciation (1)
- Approval (1)
- Approval of Others (1)
- Arrogance (1)
- Arts (2)
- Atheism (2)
- Atonement (1)
- Attachments (1)
- Attention (1)
- Authentic Faith (1)
- Authenticity (1)
B
- Babies (1)
- Baggage (1)
- Baseball (1)
- Basketball (1)
- Being A Child Of God (1)
- Being Chosen (1)
- Being Enslaved To Sin (1)
- Being Heard (1)
- Being Humbled (1)
- Being Known (2)
- Being Lost (3)
- Being vs. Doing (1)
- Belief (1)
- Beliefs (1)
- Believing in God (2)
- Belonging (2)
- Belonging to God (1)
- Beloved (3)
- Benefit of the Doubt (2)
- Bible Knowledge (1)
- Biblical World (1)
- Birth (2)
- Birthday (1)
- Blessing (2)
- Blessings (1)
- Body and Soul (1)
- Body Image (2)
- Books (1)
- Brain (1)
- Bread (1)
- Breaking Trust (1)
- Broken Relationships (1)
- Building Trust (1)
- Bullying (1)
- The Biblical Story (2)
- The Body (8)
- The Body of Christ (1)
C
- Called by God (2)
- Calling (5)
- Calling On God (1)
- Calling Out (1)
- Career (1)
- Celebrations (1)
- Celebrities (1)
- Challenges (1)
- Challenges of Parenting (1)
- Chance (1)
- Change (2)
- Changing Ourselves (1)
- Character (3)
- Character Development (2)
- Character Traits (2)
- Character Transformation (1)
- Cheating (1)
- Child Development (3)
- Child of God (2)
- Childbirth (1)
- Childhood (2)
- Childishness (1)
- Childlike Faith (1)
- Children (3)
- Children of God (1)
- Children Suffering (1)
- Children's Imagination (2)
- Christian Identity (1)
- Christian Story (1)
- Christian Tradition (1)
- Christmas (1)
- Christmas Joy (1)
- Christmas Love (1)
- Christmas Morning (1)
- Circumstances (2)
- Commitment (1)
- Community (1)
- Comparison (4)
- Complexity (1)
- Complexity of Life (1)
- Compromise (1)
- Confession of Sin (1)
- Confidence (1)
- Conflict (1)
- Conflict Resolution (1)
- Conformity (2)
- Connectedness (1)
- Connection (1)
- Construction (1)
- Contentment (1)
- Control (1)
- Cookie-Cutter (1)
- Counting the Cost (1)
- Courage (1)
- Craftsmanship (2)
- Creation (1)
- Creation (Human) (2)
- Creation of Humanity (1)
- Crises (1)
- Curiosity (1)
- The Christian Walk (1)
D
E
F
G
- Genealogies (1)
- Genius (1)
- Gifts (3)
- God (1)
- God Cares For You (1)
- God Seeking Us (1)
- God the Creator (1)
- God's Absence (1)
- God's Acceptance (2)
- God's Creation (2)
- God's Design (1)
- God's Existence (2)
- God's Gifts (2)
- God's Love (5)
- God's Majesty (1)
- God's Nearness (1)
- God's Omnipresence (2)
- God’s Presence (2)
- God's Pursuit (3)
- God's Sovereignty (1)
- God's Voice (1)
- God's Will (3)
- Goodness of God (1)
- Greatness (1)
- Growth (1)
- Grudges (1)
H
- Happiness (1)
- Healing (1)
- Healing the Past (1)
- Heart (1)
- Heart Change (1)
- Heaven (2)
- Hiding (2)
- Hiding Our Sin (1)
- History (1)
- Home (1)
- Honesty (1)
- Hope (1)
- Human Creation (2)
- Human Development (2)
- Human Judgment (1)
- Human Judgments (1)
- Human Life (2)
- Human Nature (1)
- Human Qualities (6)
- Human Sexuality (3)
- Humanity (2)
- Humankind (1)
- Humility (1)
- Humor (1)
- Hurt (2)
I
J
L
- Leadership (1)
- Leadership Development (1)
- Leadership Integrity (1)
- Lies (1)
- Life (1)
- Life after Death (1)
- Life and Death (1)
- Life of Faith (1)
- Life of Purpose (1)
- Life Satisfaction (1)
- Life Story (1)
- Light and Darkness (1)
- Limitations (2)
- Listening (1)
- Listening to God (1)
- Logic (1)
- Longings (2)
- Loss (1)
- Love (6)
- Love of Money (1)
- Loving your Children (2)
M
- Mammon (1)
- Maturity (1)
- Meaning (1)
- Mediocrity (1)
- Meditation (1)
- Memory (1)
- Mental Health (1)
- Mind and Body (2)
- Miracles (1)
- Misery (1)
- Mistaken Identity (1)
- Mistakes (1)
- Modern Life (1)
- Money (1)
- Moral Choices (1)
- Moral Failures (1)
- Morality (1)
- Mystery (1)
- Mystery of Life (1)
- Mystery of the Trinity (1)
- The Meaning of Life (1)
P
- Pain (1)
- Parental Love (1)
- Parenting (1)
- Past (1)
- Past, Present and Future (1)
- Paths (1)
- Perseverance (1)
- Persistence (1)
- Personal Transformation (1)
- Personality (1)
- Perspective (1)
- Philosphy of Life (1)
- Photography (1)
- Power (2)
- Power of Love (1)
- Practical Jokes (1)
- Preciousness (1)
- Presence (1)
- President (1)
- Pride (2)
- Problems (1)
- Professionalism (1)
- Psychology (1)
- Purpose (1)
- The People of God (1)
R
- Raising Children (1)
- Receiving Love (4)
- Recognition (3)
- Redemption (1)
- Reframing (1)
- Rejection (3)
- Relationships (2)
- Renouncing Faith (1)
- Repentance (1)
- Reputation (1)
- Rescue (1)
- Resilience (1)
- Responsibilities (1)
- Responsibility (1)
- Revelation (1)
- Romantic Relationships (1)
- Royalty (1)
- Running from God (1)
- Running from Your Problems (2)
S
- Scandals (1)
- Science (1)
- Science and Religion (2)
- Screens (1)
- Searching (2)
- Seeking Approval (1)
- Self-Acceptance (3)
- Self-Centeredness (1)
- Self-Consciousness (1)
- Self-Deception (1)
- Self-Discipline (1)
- Self-Expression (1)
- Self-Image (1)
- Self-Indulgence (1)
- Self-Judgment (1)
- Self-Justification (1)
- Self-Love (2)
- Self-Preservation (1)
- Self-Regard (1)
- Self-Renunciation (1)
- Self-Worth (4)
- Sex (2)
- Shadow (2)
- Shame (2)
- Shepherds (1)
- Sight (1)
- Sin (2)
- Sinfulness (1)
- Sins (1)
- Skin (1)
- Smart Phones (1)
- Social Media (1)
- Space (Outer) (1)
- Space and Time (1)
- Spiritual Blindness (1)
- Spiritual Dryness (1)
- Spiritual Gifts (2)
- Spiritual Health (1)
- Spiritual Nurture (2)
- Spiritual Problems (1)
- Sports (2)
- Staying Humble (1)
- Stealing (1)
- Stewardship of the Environment (1)
- Stories (1)
- Storytelling (1)
- Success (1)
- Suicide (1)
- The Soul (1)
T
Index by Reference