Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall hurt you.
Luke 10:19
The One Step Daily Devotional is intended to provide just one step each day for your journey with God. Every journey requires water breaks. Here is a water break for you.
The person of Saint Patrick remains shrouded in uncertainty. Having lived and ministered in the fourth and fifth century, the remaining writings of Saint Patrick are few as are the historical documents telling us of his life. Nonetheless, what we do know paints the picture of an incredible man.
Patrick was born in the late fourth century in Roman Britain (in either present-day Scotland or Wales). At the age of 16, he was kidnapped by Irish pirates and enslaved. After spending six years in captivity as an enslaved shepherd, Patrick had a dream telling him that a ship was ready for his escape. After traveling to the coast, boarding the ship, and crossing back to his homeland, Patrick barely made it alive. Even after reaching his homeland, Patrick almost died of starvation in his travels back home.
It was during this time of captivity that Patrick came to know the Lord. Though he was raised in a home that believed in Christ, he himself did not put much thought into it until his forced time in Ireland. After becoming a priest, Patrick had a vision calling him back to his place of captivity. Armed with the knowledge of the Lord and a unique knowledge of the people and culture of Ireland, Patrick returned as a missionary.
How could he do such a thing? How could he return to this place of pain and enslavement? What if he were to become a slave again? What if he were to lose his life? Perhaps Patrick moved forward to his calling because he was bringing with him a new-found freedom that man could not take away.
Though a risky and dangerous endeavor, Patrick was the most successful missionary to Ireland to date, acknowledged as the missionary responsible for bringing Christianity to Ireland.
Legend has it that Patrick was responsible for driving out the snakes from Ireland. While it’s true that there are no snakes in Ireland, Patrick cannot take the credit for driving them out as there never were snakes in Ireland (due to the climate and distance from other lands).
When I reflect upon Patrick, I am amazed that God would call him back to the place of his captivity. When we think of those who oppress us, we don’t often think of their enslavement. When someone is holding us captive, we do not often think about the freedom that they need in their lives. When we think of the dark places that we escaped in our own stories, we don’t often hear the word of the Lord calling us to bring light to those spaces… but maybe God does more than we think.
When I reflect upon Patrick, I wonder how much he learned about sheep as a shepherd while enslaved. As Jesus calls us all who believe “sheep,” and the lost as “sheep without a shepherd,” how much would those words have resounded in Patrick’s soul when he reflected on those in Ireland that did not know God (Matthew 9:36-38)?
When I reflect upon Patrick, I wonder if the snakes that he forced out of Ireland were spiritual serpents?
What if God is calling us to go back? What if the place of pain needs to become the place of ministry? What if God is calling us back to the place that oppressed us so that we can set captives free? What if the darkness that once enslaved us requires not something physical, but something spiritual to be done? God gave you the power to trample serpents, after all.
What if the place of pain and suffering and enslavement can be a place that God uses to bring us from a place of apathy to a place closer to him?
These things that Patrick did could only be done by the call and the inspiration of Christ.
A lot about the life of Patrick is uncertain. This much was certain: his reliance upon Christ.
From the prayer of Saint Patrick we read,
Christ with me, Christ before me, Christ behind me,
Christ in me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me,
Christ on my right, Christ on my left,
Christ when I lie down, Christ when I sit down,
Christ in the heart of everyone who thinks of me,
Christ in the mouth of everyone who speaks of me,
Christ in the eye that sees me,
Christ in the ear that hears me.
May you be in Christ as Christ is in you.
Today, take a step.
Maybe today the one step God wants you to take is to see the vision He has for you and to respond. Perhaps God is calling you to go to the place of your captivity and set others free. Maybe there are some spiritual serpents that God wants you to drive out of the land. Perhaps there is a freedom that God wants to give to you that man cannot take away. Maybe God wants to draw you closer despite the difficult place you are in. Perhaps today God wants you to make Saint Patrick’s prayer your own.
Whatever the step, ask God to direct it. Take a moment to take that step. Invite Him to speak. He will.
Life is a long road. Walk it with Jesus. Take a water break… we all get thirsty.
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*https://www.britannica.com/biography/Saint-Patrick
https://hallow.com/blog/st-patricks-day-prayers-irish-blessings/
https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/saint/st-patrick-of-ireland-180
https://www.vaticannews.va/en/saints/03/17/st--patrick--bishop--disciple-of-ireland-.html
https://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/christianity/saints/patrick_1.shtml#:~:text=Enslaved%20by%20pirates&text=He%20was%20put%20to%20work,much%20of%20his%20time%20praying.