By Gabrielle Walker
Stuart Baptist Church and Homestead
Last Sunday I spoke at our church from Luke chapter 21 verses 10-19. In this passage Jesus tells His listeners that following Him will lead to pain. Verse 12 states, “…they will lay their hands on you and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues and prisons, and you will be brought before kings and governor’s for my sake.” Jesus’ response to this coming persecution first and foremost is the Kingdom of God. See verses 13 through 15, “This will be your opportunity to bear witness. Settle it therefore in your minds not to meditate beforehand how to answer, for I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which none of your adversaries will be able to withstand or contradict.”
Many of our brothers and sisters around the world face physical threats, but in the West, our persecution seems to be more of the mind. As we reflect on the words of Christ, let us also remember the life of one of our Christian forefathers as a means to mutually encourage one another.1
Patrick, son and grandson of Christian priests, lived in early medieval Britain. As a young man 2 he lived as he pleased, not really knowing the one true living God. Around the age of 16, he was captured by pirates, taken to Ireland, and held as a slave for nearly a decade. He herded pigs and at some point remembered the faith of his fathers. He began praying, some times over 100 times a day, and after a few years, he heard God tell him to prepare for an escape. Sometime later, the voice returned and told him his ship was ready.
He traveled 200 miles where he found a ship ready to make sail. He experienced hunger, fatigue, intense spiritual attacks, miracles, another capture, and another escape. (Hollywood has got nothing on this tale; you can’t make this stuff up!) When Patrick finally arrived home, his kinsfolk wanted him to stick around as much as possible, but God had other plans.
One night he had a vision of a man coming to him with a letter entitled “The Voice of the Irish.” He heard the Irish people “crying out as if with one voice: ‘We beg you, holy youth, that you shall come and shall walk again among us.’” He was so affected he woke up and committed 3 himself to returning to Ireland to preach the Gospel.
He saw hundreds come to Christ and tried to live his life above reproach. Knowing the language and culture, Patrick was probably the one man who could make inroads for the Kingdom in Ireland. Yet it was not without pain. He was beaten, imprisoned, threatened with death, insulted, and slandered.
1 What follows is an excerpt from my book A Time to Fight; A Time to Die: A Christian View of and
Practical Guide to Self Defense and Martyrdom (Nashville: Crossbooks Publishing, 2014). No longer in print. All scripture is quoted from the English Standard Version.
2 Patrick’s story as related here comes from his own writings known as The Confession of St. Patrick. You may find a free copy of this work online at http://www.ccel.org/ccel/patrick/confession.pdf. Hereafter cited as “Confessions.” At this time, it was not uncommon for Catholic priests to marry, although there was already a movement to ban the practice. The Second Lateran Council in 1139 forbade clerical marriages.
3 Confessions, #23.
Still in all this, the constant refrain in his work is that he must speak about the love, mercy, and forgiveness of God. In his own words,
Therefore, indeed, I cannot keep silent, nor would it be proper, so many favours and graces has the Lord deigned to bestow on me in the land of my captivity. For after chastisement from God, and recognizing him, our way to repay him is to exalt him and confess his wonders before every nation under heaven… What is more, let anyone laugh and taunt if he so wishes. I am not keeping silent, nor am I hiding the signs and wonders that were shown to me by the Lord… I pray God that he gives me perseverance, and that he will deign that I should be a faithful witness for his sake right up to the time of my passing.4
Patrick knew what he was getting into by returning to Ireland, probably better than any of his friends or family. Instead of harboring a grudge against those who enslaved him, he forgave them and offered them eternal life, at the threat of losing his earthly life.
As St. Patrick’s Day approaches, whether you wear green or orange, take the time to honor this brother in Christ. When you do, reflect on 2 Corinthians 12:9-10 in prayer, “But (God) said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”5
(Walker serves alongside her husband, Thomas, at Stuart Baptist Church and Homestead gathering. She is currently pursuing a PhD at the University of Southern Mississippi in American History.)