Learning From St Patrick

Happy St. Patrick’s Day.  Have you found yourself a pot of gold?  Not sure where all those legends come from but here’s what I do know about this day.

God had filled our world with good things – truth, blessings, His presence, hope and purpose – just to name a few.  St. Patrick’s life is certainly a witness to God’s power to be with us through the many different seasons we face – from his childhood to his enslavement , his escape, training and then returning to the place or his captivity to share the Gospel for the rest of his life. 

God planted those truths that go higher than our circumstances into St. Patrick’s heart.  He lived for God’s purpose for him and not just in reaction to what was going on in the world around him. 

In these days of difficulty and uncertainty, as governing powers and alliances go through what seems like daily transitions, we need to have that same vision, that commitment, that trust in God’s care and His purposes to carry us through and to then allow us to be useful to others in this day. It seems to me that Patrick followed the example of Jesus described in these verses:

You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5:6-8

St. Patrick has a famous prayer attributed to him that people have prayed for centuries.  Here are just a couple of sections of it that I think give us words that touch God’s heart.

I arise today through God’s strength to pilot me; God’s might to uphold me, God’s wisdom to guide me, God’s eye to look before me, God’s ear to hear me, God’s word to speak for me, God’s hand to guard me, God’s way to lie before me, God’s shield to protect me, God’s hosts to save me from snares of the devil, from temptations of vices, from every one who desires me ill, afar and anear, alone or in a multitude.

With that kind of help from God what could possibly show up in our day that we could not face and overcome? 

The final section of St. Patrick’s prayer is a beautiful affirmation of God’s presence everywhere.  Let’s affirm these truths with Him.

Christ with me, Christ before me, Christ behind me, Christ in me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me, Christ on my right, Christ on my left, Christ when I lie down, Christ when I sit down, Christ in the heart of every man who thinks of me, Christ in the mouth of every man who speaks of me, Christ in the eye that sees me, Christ in the ear that hears me.

God is with us.  Happy St. Patrick’s Day.