Lent day 33

 Taking  a brief pause in our look into heaven to wish you a Happy St Patricks Day.

 Yesterday in the pelting pouring rain I went on the pilgrimage walk of St Patrick along with a whole host of other bedraggled saints 😀  It happens every year but Ive never done it before. Starts in the tiny ancient church of Saul ( established by Patrick in 443 AD) with a communion service and then a couple of miles prayer walk down to the Cathedral ( where Patrick is buried) for another service followed by lunch in the pews (Lunch was provided and it was fantastic!)

Saul church and very ancient graveyard

Along the route we stopped at various points and prayed using Psalm 24 as a guide. And as we walked along a friend and I chatted and prayed about various people and situations that came to mind. It was pouring down.  My feet were wet. My showerproof coat proved ineffectual after the first fifteen minutes.  But funnily enough as we neared the end, our last prayer post was all about God rending the heavens to come down in revival fire.  And the rain stopped. Just like that. 😄

At the end of the Cathedral service the Bishop lit a fire outside.  Apparently back in the mists of time The High King of Ireland and his druid priests used to light a fire on the festival of Beltane and nobody was allowed to light a fire before he had lit his.  Patrick, in defiance of the King, lit a fire to celebrate Easter and when the King's troops came to shut down the whole thing they were unable to approach.  The King himself finally arrived and Patrick was able to talk to him : eventually the King converted and the gospel spread throughout Ireland.  This year every Church of Ireland congregation in the diocese of Down and Dromore took a torch from the cathedral and tonight will be lighting fires and praying for revival to sweep the land once more.  Decades ago I remember a series of prophetic words about fire coming from the North.  Northern Ireland is North.  Lighting these fires is merely a sign, a symbol. But revival is just as possible today as it was in the days of Patrick.  The druids are as real in their opposition, but the power of the gospel is unchanged.  That fire that is emanating from the throne of God, that is enveloping Jesus as He sits on that throne, that blazes in His eyes - that fire is ours. We steward it. We can unleash it.  Tonight we are going to declare it is going to burn again in our lives, churches and land more ferociously than ever before.