Hugh M'Kail, Part II

The morning of his execution, Hugh M'Kail's father came to see him to say goodbye. They prayed together and had a spiritual discussion. The father's last words to his son were "that this suffering would do more hurt to the prelates, and be more edifying to God's people, than if he were to continue in the ministry for twenty years." M'Kail, then, asked his father to leave him so that he would not have further pain and anguish. The son said to the father at the end of their time together: "And I desire it of you, as the best and last service you can do me, to go to your chamber, and pray earnestly to the Lord to be with me on that scaffold; for how to carry there, is my care, even that I may be strengthened to endure to the end."

I believe we in the church today, when faced with hardship, spend much of our time praying and asking that God would take the pain and anguish away. M'Kail did not ask for that . . . but, rather, he asked to be strengthened to face his hardship dead on. Perhaps we should more often respond that way: O Lord, may you give me grace to "man up" as a Christian and squarely face whatever trials you may have in store for me. Indeed, may we live well and may we die well.