Today is St. Patrick’s Day.
Patrick was born into a Christian family but had no interest in the church. As a boy, he was captured by slave traders and taken to Ireland. It was a place filled with magicians and pagan practices, the people were in spiritual darkness. He believed God was chastening him and would pray night and day. It was in Ireland, through trials and suffering that Patrick came to know Christ personally.
Finally, Patrick escaped and found a ship that carried him back home. He began to study for ministry when in a vision God called him to go and return to Ireland to preach to the people who had enslaved him. He traveled across the Irish countryside bringing the Gospel to the hostile pagan Celts.
Patrick wrote a poem of faith and trust in God which he named the “Breast Plate”:
"Christ be 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 inquired, Christ in danger, Christ in hearts of all that love me, Christ in the mouth of friend and stranger."
He brought the light of Christ into the spiritual darkness of Ireland and laid a good foundation for Christianity. In obedience to God’s call to go to Ireland, he was able to plant 300 churches.
His ministry lasted 29 years and 120,000 Irishmen were saved and baptized into the Christian faith. He lit such a fire in Ireland as he faithfully preached the Gospel.
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