How to ShamROCK Your Prayer Life

Remember “Pumpkin Spice Up Your Prayer Life” and “The Peppermint Prayer?” Valley Forge, are you ready for round three?! It’s almost March and you know what that means – midterms, spring break (just in the nick of time), Shamrock Shakes®, and prayer pointers from yours truly.

Before we talk about talking with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ of Nazareth – our alpha and omega, our source of strength and bread of life, the overflowing fountain of living water – I’d like to take you back to Sunday School.

St. Patrick’s Day is a day to celebrate the death of the patron saint of Ireland. Born Maewyn Succat in England, St. Patrick was kidnapped by Irish Pirates (who actually did something – points if you get the reference) and was sold as a slave to a Druid. His job was to tend a herd of pigs. This proverbial prodigal son spent his six years of captivity in continuous prayer – some accounts say he prayed up to 100 times a day. After escaping and returning home, Maewyn became a cleric.

Years passed and one night, he dreamed that the people of Ireland were calling for him to return to their country and tell them about God. He finished his education and became a Bishop, earning him the new name Patrick. Returning to Ireland, Patrick began to preach to the Druids using the three-leaved clover as an illustration for the Trinity. On March 17, 460 at the age of 73, Patrick died, having lived and served among the Irish in continuous and successful ministry.

I’d like to help you “shamrock” your prayer life with the following challenge:

Lean daily on the Lord for support and be obedient to His voice like Maewyn, withholding NOTHING.

If Maewyn was praying one hundred times a day during his captivity, I doubt he spent his time blessing those stupid pigs. I’m sure there were some tear-soaked, heart-scorched, empty-handed, raw moments with God. When the Bible says cast your cares, we’re talking everything.
Is there something you’re not willing to let God take care of for you?

When Maewyn woke up from his dream, I have a hard time believing he was excited and looking forward to returning to the pagan land that had stripped him of his very humanity. I wonder if the time he spent finishing his education was a time of wrestling with God, delaying the obedience his heavenly father required. Please do not read this as a call to drop out of Bible school. My question to you is: Is there somewhere or something you’re not willing to let God lead you to?

Take these questions to your prayer time with Jesus and listen carefully for His response. You might not end up being the patron saint of a nation with an international holiday named after you and a permanent claim on a particular color, but that’s not what serving Jesus is about.

Lord, 
I’d be tempted to ask you to help us to be like Maewyn, but You want us to be ourselves. 
Your perfect love carries us no matter what we face and your perfect will fills us with a purpose that fits better than a glove. Help these dear readers to cast their cares at your feet and to courageously take their cross wherever you lead them. 
In Jesus’ name, 
AMEN