Peter Marshall

Somewhere in time, May 27, 1902, Peter Marshall was born in Scotland.  Peter wanted to be a sailor.  When his mother was widowed, she remarried and Peter and his new step father struggled.  Peter tried to run away and go to work on a boat, but he was too young and they sent him home.  It was then his step father decided that if he wanted to work so badly, he could work in the mines and pay his own way.  Peter’s mother really wanted her son to get an education, so he did both.  He worked in the mines all day and then he went to school at night.

Imagine how hard that could be, especially for one so young, but he persisted.  One evening he was on his way home from school when he felt a call from God very strongly to change his career path and become a minister of the gospel.  To achieve this goal, he had to leave Scotland and travel to America to attend Seminary. He pastored a church in George before moving to a Presbyterian church in Washington DC.  He then went on to be the chaplain of the Senate. 

I heard about Peter Marshall from his wife.  I never met her, but she wrote one of my favorite books, Christy. Peter died when he was only 47 years old and Catherine wrote his biography titled, A Man Called Peter. Peter Marshall had a gift with words and so did Catherine.  This is a gift I envy.  The ability to take words and paint mental pictures that capture our imagination and spur our thinking on to higher levels is a gift that many writers and speakers have.

Peter Marshall Quotes

A different world cannot be built by indifferent people.

Small deeds done are better than great deeds planned.

Lord, where we are wrong, make us willing to change; where we are right make us easy to live with.

It is no surprise to me that God calls, poets, artist and story tellers to serve him, because all these things reflect the glory of God.  We know God is an artist, we see His beauty in creation.  We know He loves stories by the parables of the New Testament and we know He is a poet, by the psalms.

Where can I go from your Spirit?

Where can I flee from your presence?

If I go up the heavens, you are there;

if I make my bed in the depths you are there.

If I rise on the wings of the dawn;

if I settle on the far side of the sea.

Even there you hand will guide me.

Your right hand will hold me fast.

Psalm 139:7-10 (NIV)

Peter Marshall felt a call from God so strong that he left everything he knew to pursue his calling.  Maybe it was easier in his time than it is in ours to hear God’s call, or maybe we are just too surrounded with noise we can’t hear God’s call as clearly.  Either way, one thing I do know is God is calling each of us to serve Him in a special way he ordained just for us.  Maybe it’s time to leave everything and pursue God’s call.

Brandon Health - Give Me Your Eyes from brandon-heath on GodTube.