1 00:00:02,720 --> 00:00:15,160 Speaker 1: Life Audio. Thank you for listening to your daily prayer, 2 00:00:15,400 --> 00:00:17,800 Speaker 1: where we help you find the words you need to 3 00:00:17,800 --> 00:00:20,800 Speaker 1: connect to your Father in Heaven. No matter what's happening 4 00:00:20,800 --> 00:00:23,600 Speaker 1: in your life today, you can trust that God wants 5 00:00:23,640 --> 00:00:26,160 Speaker 1: to hear from you. Right after this short word from 6 00:00:26,200 --> 00:00:30,040 Speaker 1: our sponsors, we'll pray through today's prayer of Gratitude for 7 00:00:30,120 --> 00:00:52,400 Speaker 1: Saint Patrick's Life. A Prayer of Gratitude for Saint Patrick's Life, 8 00:00:52,680 --> 00:00:57,640 Speaker 1: written by Lynette Kittle, read by Lea Gerard. Remember this, 9 00:00:58,280 --> 00:01:01,360 Speaker 1: whoever turns a sinner for the error of their way 10 00:01:01,640 --> 00:01:04,960 Speaker 1: will save them from death and cover over a multitude 11 00:01:04,959 --> 00:01:10,320 Speaker 1: of sins. James five twenty. Growing up in a predominantly 12 00:01:10,360 --> 00:01:14,520 Speaker 1: Catholic area in northwestern Ohio, most of the populations celebrated 13 00:01:14,560 --> 00:01:17,800 Speaker 1: Saint Patrick's Day by wearing something green to avoid being 14 00:01:17,840 --> 00:01:21,399 Speaker 1: pinched for not wearing it. It also display Irish clovers 15 00:01:21,480 --> 00:01:24,880 Speaker 1: and drink a hearty supply of green beer. Our family 16 00:01:24,880 --> 00:01:29,319 Speaker 1: didn't really discuss, recognize, or celebrate it. We thought of 17 00:01:29,360 --> 00:01:34,199 Speaker 1: it as a Catholic religious holiday that Protestants didn't embrace. Additionally, 18 00:01:34,520 --> 00:01:37,319 Speaker 1: we didn't drink alcohol, so growing up I had little 19 00:01:37,400 --> 00:01:40,760 Speaker 1: understanding of who Saint Patrick was and why he celebrated 20 00:01:40,840 --> 00:01:44,039 Speaker 1: each year. I'd never heard his life story or known 21 00:01:44,080 --> 00:01:47,440 Speaker 1: how powerfully God moved through his life to bring many 22 00:01:47,520 --> 00:01:51,680 Speaker 1: Irish men and women to salvation in Jesus Christ. Saint 23 00:01:51,680 --> 00:01:55,200 Speaker 1: Patrick is a legendary figure in Ireland and around the world. 24 00:01:55,600 --> 00:01:58,040 Speaker 1: Some legends say he drove the snakes out of Ireland 25 00:01:58,040 --> 00:02:01,440 Speaker 1: and into the sea. Another claims he raised thirty three 26 00:02:01,520 --> 00:02:04,760 Speaker 1: people from the dead, including some believed to have been 27 00:02:04,800 --> 00:02:09,680 Speaker 1: dead for many years. Saint Patrick made shamrocks or Irish 28 00:02:09,720 --> 00:02:13,399 Speaker 1: Clover's iconic by using them to explain the Holy Trinity 29 00:02:13,639 --> 00:02:17,000 Speaker 1: to pagan Ireland in the fifth century. Born in the 30 00:02:17,080 --> 00:02:20,600 Speaker 1: late fourth century as a Romano British Christian, he became 31 00:02:20,639 --> 00:02:24,760 Speaker 1: a slave, then a missionary, and eventually a bishop in Ireland. 32 00:02:25,440 --> 00:02:28,160 Speaker 1: He later became known as the Patron Saint of Ireland 33 00:02:28,400 --> 00:02:32,160 Speaker 1: for evangelizing the nation and bringing Christianity to the island. 34 00:02:33,240 --> 00:02:36,040 Speaker 1: In the book titled Saint Patrick The Story of his 35 00:02:36,120 --> 00:02:39,959 Speaker 1: Life and Times From Tragedy to Triumph, historian and author 36 00:02:40,240 --> 00:02:44,280 Speaker 1: William J. Federer writes Patrick was kidnapped as a boy 37 00:02:44,360 --> 00:02:49,079 Speaker 1: and sold into slavery in Druid, Ireland. Remarkably, years later, 38 00:02:49,120 --> 00:02:51,480 Speaker 1: God gave him a dream that led him to escape 39 00:02:51,560 --> 00:02:57,280 Speaker 1: slavery and returned to his homeland. Writes Federer, he miraculously escaped, 40 00:02:57,440 --> 00:03:01,079 Speaker 1: only to have, at age forty, a call to go 41 00:03:01,280 --> 00:03:07,680 Speaker 1: back as a missionary. In Patrick's own essay, Confessio, he 42 00:03:07,720 --> 00:03:11,400 Speaker 1: recounts another dream he had years later after returning to Britain. 43 00:03:12,040 --> 00:03:14,520 Speaker 1: In it, he received a letter headed the Voice of 44 00:03:14,560 --> 00:03:17,560 Speaker 1: the Irish. As he read it, he says he heard 45 00:03:17,639 --> 00:03:21,160 Speaker 1: the Irish calling him to walk among them once more. 46 00:03:22,480 --> 00:03:28,119 Speaker 1: Deeply moved, Patrick wrote, I could read no more. Yet 47 00:03:28,160 --> 00:03:32,760 Speaker 1: Patrick hesitated. He believed himself to be unqualified and resisted 48 00:03:32,800 --> 00:03:36,680 Speaker 1: returning to Ireland for a long time. Finally, though still 49 00:03:36,800 --> 00:03:41,440 Speaker 1: doubtful of his fitness, he went. Despite his doubts, he 50 00:03:41,760 --> 00:03:46,240 Speaker 1: answered Jesus's call in Mark sixteen fifteen go into all 51 00:03:46,280 --> 00:03:50,320 Speaker 1: the world and preach the Gospel to all creation. Once 52 00:03:50,360 --> 00:03:53,520 Speaker 1: he set foot in Ireland, his hesitations fell away. He 53 00:03:53,560 --> 00:03:57,040 Speaker 1: became a bold and confident messenger of the Gospel, journeying 54 00:03:57,160 --> 00:04:02,640 Speaker 1: far and wide, confirming and baptizing. Although he was chained 55 00:04:02,800 --> 00:04:06,120 Speaker 1: for a time and his life was threatened with martyrdom, 56 00:04:06,360 --> 00:04:10,640 Speaker 1: he did not back down because he did not shrink back, 57 00:04:10,800 --> 00:04:15,800 Speaker 1: writes Federer, He confronted druid chiefs, baptized one hundred and 58 00:04:15,800 --> 00:04:19,880 Speaker 1: twenty thousand, used the three leaf clover to teach the Trinity, 59 00:04:20,360 --> 00:04:23,720 Speaker 1: and found it two hundred churches, which in the next 60 00:04:23,720 --> 00:04:30,440 Speaker 1: century sent missionaries back into Europe. Let's pray, Dear Father, 61 00:04:30,760 --> 00:04:33,760 Speaker 1: as we remember Saint Patrick today and his answer to 62 00:04:33,839 --> 00:04:36,279 Speaker 1: your call to go into all the world and preach 63 00:04:36,320 --> 00:04:40,000 Speaker 1: the Gospel, Help us to follow in his footsteps. Help 64 00:04:40,080 --> 00:04:43,559 Speaker 1: us to forgive those who mistreated us, those who robbed 65 00:04:43,600 --> 00:04:46,359 Speaker 1: us of various privileges in life and withheld good things 66 00:04:46,360 --> 00:04:49,279 Speaker 1: from us. Lead us to let go of bitterness and 67 00:04:49,320 --> 00:04:52,400 Speaker 1: resentment toward those who interfere in our lives in ways 68 00:04:52,440 --> 00:04:55,360 Speaker 1: that seemed to rob us of joy and fulfillment, and 69 00:04:55,400 --> 00:04:59,800 Speaker 1: toward those who caused us brokenness and loss. Like Patrick, 70 00:05:00,160 --> 00:05:03,280 Speaker 1: rather than rejecting and turning away from them, fill our 71 00:05:03,279 --> 00:05:06,840 Speaker 1: hearts with love and compassion toward those who caused us 72 00:05:07,120 --> 00:05:11,480 Speaker 1: sorrow and pain. Give us a godly tenderness of heart 73 00:05:11,800 --> 00:05:14,960 Speaker 1: toward those who do not know you. Keep us ready 74 00:05:15,279 --> 00:05:17,120 Speaker 1: to pray for them and share the truth of your 75 00:05:17,160 --> 00:05:21,120 Speaker 1: gospel with them with hearts of gratitude. We Thank you 76 00:05:21,240 --> 00:05:24,719 Speaker 1: Lord for the life and godly example of Saint Patrick. 77 00:05:25,440 --> 00:05:28,599 Speaker 1: He still inspires us today to forgive those who have 78 00:05:28,720 --> 00:05:32,120 Speaker 1: persecuted us, and to share your love and forgiveness with 79 00:05:32,200 --> 00:05:48,200 Speaker 1: them in Jesus' name. Amen. 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