55 Sermon Illustrations on Perseverance in Faith

Too apt are we to forget the need of patience and to lose sight of the promise of a sure reward to those who are not weary in well-doing.

For two generations in the Turkish Empire, during the latter half of the nineteenth century and the early years of the twentieth, the world at large took little notice of the obscure party known as the Young Turks, seeing that its representatives for a long period consisted mainly of exiles whose lot seemed to be hopeless. But one day it was reported to the amazement of the whole world that six hundred young officers of the Turkish army had gone up to the mountains at Monastir, and had startled the Sultan by sending a telegram to Constantinople demanding the convocation of the Parliament which he had supprest long before. Rigid orders were immediately sent from the capital to shoot them to the very last man. Now these officers formed the flower and hope of the country. They were brave, cultured, and patriotic, and the rest of the army well-knew their quality. The regiment from Anatolia sent to shoot them not only refused to raise arms against their brethren, but immediately joined them, and regiment after regiment followed suit. Then came the revolution and the reward of those who had waited so long. (Text.)

In former times, there was a neighborhood some few miles from Philadelphia, where the inhabitants did not, it would seem, enjoy but seldom the blessings of a gospel ministry. Still, some of them were professors of religion, and for a long time they met together in a school-house in the capacity of a conference and prayer meeting. The spirit of religion, however, was so low among them, that their meetings were conducted with little interest and attended by a scanty number. At length, at the close of a lifeless service, some one proposed that the meetings thereafter should be abandoned. All assented but an aged mother in Israel, who, after a vain remonstrance, assured them that the worship of God should be kept up there, though she might have to keep it up alone. On the ensuing Sabbath she accordingly bent her solitary steps to the deserted sanctuary. She read a portion of Scripture, sang a hymn, and knelt down to weep and pray over the desolation of Zion. While engaged in this exercise, two men happened to be strolling by, and overhearing prayer, went in. What was their surprise on entering, to find but a single Christian present, where they expected to find an assembly. They took their seats and waited till she had got done. As she rose from her knees, seeing strangers present, she asked them to engage in prayer. They had probably never prayed in their lives, and accordingly, they peremptorily refused. Having, therefore, we presume, addressed them faithfully on the subject of religion, she sung another hymn, and once more addressed the throne of grace. At the close of the services, she gave out an appointment for a prayer meeting in the same place on the ensuing Sabbath. These men were not slack in publishing their singular visit to the school-house, or in circulating the notice of another meeting which was to be held there the next Lord's day. When the time arrived, some came from shame, perhaps, and more from curiosity, and so the school-house was filled! The Spirit of the Lord now began to work; Christians confessed their lukewarmness and devoted themselves afresh to the service of God; and sinners began to inquire, "What shall we do to be saved?" Indeed, there was a precious revival; and as the result, a church was constituted, and remains as a monument of that Christian woman's faithfulness to this day. One of the converts became a minister of the gospel, and labored in the western part of Pennsylvania, and was, perhaps, instrumental in the conversion of many souls. Despise not the day of small things. Keep up the prayer meetings.