Today we celebrate the man who allegedly corralled the snakes out of Ireland. We do this by eating corned beef and cabbage (a family tradition my daughter really dislikes), wearing green and talking in silly accents. Many will even indulge in green beer and a few will try to dance like a leprechaun. I won’t be attempting the dance this year. But there is so much more to this man who came out of incredible adversity to influence a nation through his devotion to Jesus Christ.
Patrick was captured from his "well to do" family home in Britain (probably Scotland) by men under the strong arm of a warrior chief. Around the age of sixteen, he was brought in bonds to the land of Ireland where he was enslaved. His chief, or master, was a barbaric man who had placed the heads of those who opposed him on posts throughout the land. It was during this time of brutal slavery, isolation and starvation, while he tended to the pigs that he began to contemplate the godly teachings of his childhood and the creation around him. He was convinced of the truths of Christ. This led to a devotion and relationship with the Lord that guided his entire life.
"I would pray constantly during the daylight hours," he later recalled. "The love of God and the fear of him surrounded me more and more. And faith grew. And the spirit roused so that in one day I would say as many as a hundred prayers, and at night only slightly less."
It was a vision from the Lord that led him on a 200 mile journey to the coast where he would board a trading ship to his homeland. He left as an escaped slave, but that is not the end of his story, obvioulsy. The beauty of Patrick's story is that several years later he would return to Ireland under the conscription of a new but loving master, Jesus Christ. He returned to the land of his captivity as a missionary/evangelist. Patrick used the things of the culture and his faith to lead these people, who were planted in his heart, toward the love of God.
This truly is a day when we can celebrate and be challenged by a man whose love for Jesus caused him to risk all for Him.
a partner in the gospel,
Patrick was captured from his "well to do" family home in Britain (probably Scotland) by men under the strong arm of a warrior chief. Around the age of sixteen, he was brought in bonds to the land of Ireland where he was enslaved. His chief, or master, was a barbaric man who had placed the heads of those who opposed him on posts throughout the land. It was during this time of brutal slavery, isolation and starvation, while he tended to the pigs that he began to contemplate the godly teachings of his childhood and the creation around him. He was convinced of the truths of Christ. This led to a devotion and relationship with the Lord that guided his entire life.
"I would pray constantly during the daylight hours," he later recalled. "The love of God and the fear of him surrounded me more and more. And faith grew. And the spirit roused so that in one day I would say as many as a hundred prayers, and at night only slightly less."
It was a vision from the Lord that led him on a 200 mile journey to the coast where he would board a trading ship to his homeland. He left as an escaped slave, but that is not the end of his story, obvioulsy. The beauty of Patrick's story is that several years later he would return to Ireland under the conscription of a new but loving master, Jesus Christ. He returned to the land of his captivity as a missionary/evangelist. Patrick used the things of the culture and his faith to lead these people, who were planted in his heart, toward the love of God.
This truly is a day when we can celebrate and be challenged by a man whose love for Jesus caused him to risk all for Him.
a partner in the gospel,
Pastor Paul "Frazier" Knight
Primary Source: Christian History magazine. http://www.christianitytoday.com/history/special/131christians/patrick.html
Posts
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDeleteThe above post was deleted in an effort to keep this blog "in the Light."
ReplyDeleteblessings
Pastor Paul