St. Patrick, Visions Continue, Part 6

Warriors Arise: March 19, 2022

Proverbs 22:6 (NKJV) Train up a child in the way he should go, And when he is old he will not depart from it.

That verse can come back and bite you as a parent. St. Patrick's father was a clergyman. Even though St. Patrick did not receive Jesus as his Savior and Lord before he was taken into captivity and made a slave, he would have heard the Word preached as he lived in his household. But when push comes to shove and God asks you to give up your child for His glory, for the advancement of His kingdom, there is a transfer of reality that has to happen. As a parent, I have to submit to God's will for my child and not my own. They are a blessing of the Lord, for me to steward and if I have trained them well; then they will know the voice of God and follow Him above all else, even my own desires.

The best known passage in the Confessio tells of a dream, after his return to Britain, in which one Victoricus delivered him a letter headed “The Voice of the Irish.” As he read it, he seemed to hear a certain company of Irish beseeching him to walk once more among them. “Deeply moved,” he says, “I could read no more.” Nevertheless, because of the shortcomings of his education, he was reluctant for a long time to respond to the call.

St. Patrick returned to France, but this time as a student of the Word of God. He did not feel equipped to return to Ireland, to answer the call in his vision. If he shared the vision with his parents, I totally understand why they pleaded with him to remain with them. Sometimes as parents, we can come to a crossroads with God. We want our kids to know God and we would say we even want them to follow God. But, when our kids share what God has told them to do, we may not agree so readily. There can be a wrestling in our heart. Hopefully, we understand we are not to be the road block that prevents our kids from answering what the Lord has told them.

2 Timothy 1:5-7 (NKJV) when I call to remembrance the genuine faith that is in you, which dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice, and I am persuaded is in you also. 6 Therefore I remind you to stir up the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands. 7 For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.

Timothy was called at a young age to be a pastor. Paul makes reference to his genuine faith which was first in his grandmother Lois and mother Eunice. Patrick was young just like Timothy. Different upbringing in the Lord. But they both were called specifically to a region of people. St. Patrick does not feel ready to answer the vision. He may have led the ship's crew to Jesus, but going back to the place of his captivity led to having to trust God on a whole new level. Who would walk back into the lion's den after being let out?

God is incredibly merciful. He didn't change His mind just because St. Patrick didn't didn't feel qualified or uneducated. God didn't allow that line of reasoning from Moses either. St. Patrick was exactly who He wanted to go to Ireland to bring the Good News of the Gospel. There was no substitute, God didn't ask anyone else since St. Patrick decided to go to school instead. It is very similar to Jonah. God spoke to Jonah and told him to go to Nineveh. But Jonah got on a boat and went in a different direction. Ultimately, God redirected Jonah's steps and he delivered a word of judgment to the people of Nineveh and the entire city put on sackcloth and ash and repented of their sins, even the king. God allowed St. Patrick to go to get training in the Word. You can bet during that time God was building St. Patrick's ability to trust Him. Trust would empower him to follow God.

Father, You are incredibly merciful. How many times have You told me exactly what I needed to do or say and I put it off or I wouldn't speak? Too many times to count. Thank You for the second chances. Thank You for developing our relationship so I could get to the place where I could do exactly what You wanted me to do and say exactly what You wanted me to say. Your love for me is overwhelming. Thank You for not giving up on me. I stand in awe of You. Your mercy truly does endure forever. I ask for You to remind me of anything that is undone. Is there anything You have told me to do that I haven't done? Is there anything You have instructed me to say that I haven't said? Remind me and I will follow Your instructions for what You want me to do now. I submit what I do and say to You. I will trust You as You lead me in Jesus' name amen.

A Warrior in the Lord’s Army,

Veridee Joy Hand

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