Happy St. Patrick’s Day, my friends! I hope you are wearing your green. Growing up, that’s basically all I knew about this day. Wear green so you don’t get pinched. I didn’t really know much more than this. I’m sure I learned a little more in school, but I didn’t know the full story behind the holiday. It wasn’t until I was an adult that I learned the story of St. Patrick. He was born in Britain and was kidnapped by Irish pirates when he was sixteen years old.
He spent six years as a slave before he was able to escape. He was forced to work as a shepherd and during this time, Patrick came to faith in Christ. If you haven’t ever read an accurate account of his story, I highly recommend it. My daughter and I watched The Torchlighters video about him and really enjoyed it. It brought his story to life, and we learned a lot about him, like how God led to him to freedom.
After escaping slavery, Patrick finally returned home. He later felt called to return to Ireland as a missionary. He accepted the call to go back to the land that had once been his place of imprisonment. I was impressed by his willingness to go back to the place where he had spent six years as a slave. God gave him a burden for the people of Ireland, and he said yes to the call. He faced quite a bit of opposition, but he continued to share the Gospel.
He traveled all across Ireland sharing the Gospel with the people he met. He often used familiar symbols like the shamrock to help explain things like the Trinity. Over the years, he traveled throughout Ireland, baptizing people and establishing churches. His Christ Be With Me prayer has been shared time and time again since his passing on March 17, 461 AD. It is a great prayer to pray, my friend.
We need Christ with us, surrounding us at all times. I hope that you are seeking His face today and asking Him to guide you through not only this day, but every day. I also hope that like St. Patrick, you will listen for His voice to guide you. And when you hear His call, I hope you follow where He leads, even if it takes you to places you never expected. Where He leads, He provides what is needed to do His will (see Phil. 4:13 in Amplified version).
St. Patrick’s Prayer
Christ be with me,
Christ within me,
Christ behind me,
Christ before me,
Christ beside me,
Christ to win me,
Christ to comfort and restore me.
Christ beneath me,
Christ above me,
Christ in quiet,
Christ in danger,
Christ in hearts of all that love me,
Christ in mouth of friend and stranger.
