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Verse:“But before all these things, they will lay their hands on you and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues and prisons. You will be brought before kings and rulers for My name’s sake. But it will turn out for you as an occasion for testimony.” —Luke 21:12, 13
St. Andrews in Scotland is known the world over as the home of golf. The famous golf course hosts the British Open every five years or so.
But St. Andrews is significant for far more important reasons. If you were to visit St. Andrews University —the school Prince William attended— you would see “P.H.” set into the paving stones in the sidewalk outside St. Salvator’s Chapel.
In 1528, Patrick Hamilton was burned at the stake on that spot. He was twenty-four years old.* Less than a quarter of a mile from St. Andrews University are the ruins of the old St. Andrews castle. Outside St. Andrews castle, the initials “G.W.” are written in paving stones a couple of feet out into the street. In 1546, eighteen years and one day after Hamilton was martyred, George Wishart was burned at the stake on that spot. He was thirty-three. He brought the Reformation teachings of Zwingli and Calvin to Scotland and paid the highest price possible for doing so.
Wishart knew all about what happened to Hamilton less than twenty years earlier, but that knowledge did not discourage him from preaching the Word of God.† In an age when the gospel could rarely be heard, there were men and women who dedicated themselves to the proclamation of the Word of God, fearless of the consequences. Jesus said that hardship and persecution would be “an occasion for testimony.” If Hamilton and Wishart had lived regular lives, they would be long forgotten.
But their faith and courage inspire us today to let God use us to make a difference for His glory. Wherever providence leads you, following God’s leading in your life will make a difference for the kingdom of heaven.