Good Luck?

Good Luck?

James 5:16

“…The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much.”

He was just a young man when his world turned upside down. Born in a Roman colony, he was captured and enslaved for 6 years taken by a hostile people into a hostile land. Most of us would only focus on the pain and suffering of that kind of a life, yet it was during this time that the young man poured himself into prayer and the quest for forgiveness. He had started a journey that would make him a committed disciple of Jesus.

At the age of 22, he was able to escape his captors and return to his family, but he couldn’t let go of that land of green hills, giant trees and pagan myths. He was determined to return one day and bring Jesus to the people that held him captive in a land that he came to love.

It was sometime early in the 5th century that Patrick returned to Ireland. Yes, that is the story of St. Patrick. He was determined to save the very people that had enslaved him. The results speak for themselves. March 17 is now a worldwide holiday that celebrates the resiliency and backbone of a youth who overcame incredible obstacles and answered the challenge of Jesus to become more than his circumstances.

Patrick was well loved by the Irish. He used the Shamrock to teach about the Trinity, chased away snakes, built churches and led to many legends surrounding his time in Ireland. But, the main takeaway from his life is that he brought a pagan people out of darkness and introduced them to the Light of Jesus. His fortitude and courage were used by God to reach an unreachable people.

We are all given tests and trials throughout our lives. St. Patrick showed us how to take those hard times and use them to bring glory to God.

Colossians 1:13

“For He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son.”