You have given me the heritage of those who fear, revere and honor Your name. Psalm 61:5

This month, on April 2^nd, I gave thanks, once again, for a life changing event that continues to have an effect even today. Let me share…

April 2, 1922, was the day long ago when my father gave his life to Christ in the midst of a revival that had come to Belfast, Northern Ireland. My dad’s family had been an active part of their Presbyterian church. Yet, when William P. Nicholson, nicknamed “the Tornado of the Pulpit” came to Belfast to preach his fiery message, “it was as though I had never heard the Gospel before,” my father remarked. 

PROVIDENTIAL LEADERSHIP

Peggy Noonan of the Wall Street Journal shared some interesting insights recently that really caught my attention. Think about the fact that, “In the past, when the world was in crisis there would be a ‘cluster of geniuses,’ men and women of the hour, that were in place and able to deal with the situations which had arisen, leading the world through the time of stress. 

In the initial formation of America, there were men like Washington, Franklin, Madison, Hamilton, Monroe and others. At the time of World War II, there was Franklin D. Roosevelt, Winston Churchill, and Charles De Gaulle, the President of France. In the 1980’s we saw John Paul II, Ronald Reagan, Margaret Thatcher, Lech Walesa and Vaclav Havel lead the world through crisis.”

They were historic figures needed in historic circumstances. We are living in such a time now.

Let me tell you about someone who received an unexpected gift after years of disappointment, of hoping, waiting, and perhaps times of giving up. I am talking about a story that unfolds in Luke 1. It is the story of Zacharias and Elizabeth.

Zacharias and Elizabeth were both righteous people. They both walked in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord…blameless! Yet, they had no child! Elizabeth was barren and now they were both well advanced in years!