But this I know for certain: that before I was abased, I was like a stone that had fallen into deep mire. And He Who is mighty came and in His mercy picked me up and indeed lifted me high to place me on top of the wall.

  - Patrick, Confession, Irish, 5th century[1]

I waited patiently for the LORD;
And He inclined to me,
And heard my cry.
He also brought me up out of a horrible pit,
Out of the miry clay,
And set my feet upon a rock,
And established my steps.

  - Psalm 40.1, 2

Patrick’s Confession, written near the end of his life, is filled with glancing references to Scripture like the one above. He was a man saturated with the Word of God and faithful in all his calling.

But that didn’t come easily to Patrick. As a youth, he neglected his salvation and indulged in worldly diversions. Thus he had to be abased, carried off into captivity, and made to serve as a slave for six years. But there he began to recover his faith, and God lifted him, set him on the Rock of Jesus, and made his way secure. After fleeing back to Britain, Patrick returned to Ireland in response to a calling from the Lord. He became a devout student of Scripture, and it guided his ministry for nearly 60 years. He was secure in the Lord and in His Word, but his way was by no means safe or easy.

Secure in Christ and strengthened by His Word, Patrick was able to endure the many hardships, trials, and disappointments that confronted him in bringing the Gospel to the Irish people. Even in his old age, officials in Britain, probably jealous at his success, sought to scandalize him and his ministry and to recall him to Britain. This situation was the occasion for his reluctantly writing down his Confession to defend his calling.

Patrick’s life is a pattern for us: God lifts us out of our sin and abasement. He sets us on Jesus, gives us His Spirit, and secures our roots in His Word. Then He calls us to His Kingdom and glory and sends us in mission to reach and touch others with His grace. There will be trials and adversity along the way, but lifted, set, and secure, we can endure the hardship and know the fruit that comes when the grace of God we know becomes the grace we show to others.

But we’ll have to work at it. Daily reading and meditating in God’s Word. Persisting in prayer and seeking the face of Jesus (2 Cor. 4.6). Knowing and embracing our calling. Preparing each day for our work as ambassadors and witnesses for Jesus. Initiating conversations. Doing good to others. Living uprightly before the Lord. And enduring with joy in our hearts whatever scorn, hardship, or opposition may come our way.

God has lifted us out of the miry clay and set us on Jesus. Secure in Him, we can expect to know power like Patrick did to work our Personal Mission Field. Each day will find us sowing good Kingdom seed in all our words and deeds, encouraging our fellow believers, bringing righteousness, peace, and joy into all our relationships, roles, and responsibilities, and giving thanks and praise to God for all things (1 Thess. 5.18).

Pattrick knew that following Jesus would not be easy. But he also knew he was called to follow Him, and to show Jesus and proclaim Him to as many people as the Lord put in his path. His faithfulness sparked a revival of Christian faith that lasted nearly four hundred years.

Might not our faithfulness have similar results?

God did not lift us merely to entertain us. He has not set us on Jesus just to rest and wait for His return. And He has not secured us by His Word and Spirit only to have His gifts and power lie fallow. Like Patrick, we have been lifted, set, and secured in Christ so that we might be sent in Him to the people in our Personal Mission Field. May the faithfulness Patrick demonstrated be found in us as well.

For Reflection
1. To whom is God sending you today? Have you drunk deeply of His grace, to prepare you for the trials that may be ahead?

2. Are you looking forward to bearing fruit for Jesus? Thank Him in advance for what He will do in and through you today.

Psalm 40.1-3 (Dix: For the Beauty of the Earth)
I waited patiently for God; He inclined and heard my cry,
Lifted me up above the sod, set me on a Rock on high!
New songs in my mouth He gave; may He through me many save.

Give thanks
If you have found this meditation helpful, take a moment and give thanks to God. Then share what you learned with a friend. This is how the grace of God spreads (2 Cor. 4.15).

Resources for seeing Jesus
We all see Jesus to some extent. Can we see Him better? See His face in glory? You can download the four installments in our ReVision study, “We Would See Jesus”, by clicking here. Our book, What in Heaven Is Jesus Doing on Earth? can help you realize what it means to be seated with Jesus (Eph. 2.6) and to watch Him at work. Order your copy in book format by clicking here or in a free PDF by clicking here. Our book, To Know Him, might also be a helpful resource for enlarging your vision of Jesus. Order your copy by clicking here.

Thank you.
Many of you are faithful and generous in praying for and supporting Crosfigell and The Fellowship of Ailbe. Thank you. May I encourage all our readers to seek the Lord about becoming a supporter of The Fellowship of Ailbe? It’s easy to give to The Fellowship of Ailbe, and all gifts are, of course, tax-deductible. You can click here to donate online through credit card or PayPal or Anedot, or send your gift to The Fellowship of Ailbe, P. O. Box 8213, Essex, VT 05451.

T. M. Moore, Principal
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

All Psalms for singing from The Ailbe Psalter. Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

[1] De Paor, p. 98.