All photos courtesy of Unsplash
As the 19th century dawned there was a girl born in Co Wicklow to the south of Dublin in Ireland. Her name was Theodosia Anne Howard and she was of an old aristocratic family. Through the Rector of Powerscourt, a clergyman named Robert Daly, she came to trust the Lord Jesus Christ as her Lord and Saviour in 1819. From then on she led a life of devotion and service for her Saviour.
She married Richard Wingfield in 1822, who had also trusted Christ as his Saviour about 1820. Richard had become the fifth Earl Viscount Powerscourt in 1809 and subsequently the owner of Powerscourt House. Their marriage was short and marred by tragedy. Their only child, a daughter, died in infancy and Viscount Powerscourt passed away in 1823. Yet despite the tragic circumstances of her life she through her experiences was able to comfort others as she had herself been comforted of God.
From the day Lady Powerscourt trusted in the Lord Jesus Christ as her Saviour she became a diligent student of the Bible. In her keenness to learn more she visited England to hear well known preachers and attend a residential conference. Such was her enthusiasm for the study of the Word of God that she opened her home, Powerscourt House, between 1830 and 1833, for similar conferences to be held. These were attended by both clergy and lay people from a wide area. George Muller of Bristol, well known for his work of faith in establishing and running orphanages, was amongst those who attended. The serious study of the scriptures led to some of those present severing their links with the Church of Ireland but for Lady Powerscourt it did not diminish her appreciation and love for those that she left behind when withdrawing herself. Leaving the Church of Ireland, of which she had been associated with for most of her life, was on the basis of personal conviction in the light of the principles of the Word of God, certainly not on the matter of personalities.
Her personal life was one of complete devotion to Christ and service for Him. She was a prolific letter writer and eighty of these have been published. These letters, in a very special way, express the thoughts of a woman who had a deep experience of the ways of God and her love for her Saviour the Lord Jesus Christ. Many were written to Christians experiencing affliction through the dark moments of life. Her writings on portions of scripture were mainly devotional but also included practical lessons.
Lady Powerscourt went to be with her Lord and Saviour at only 36 years of age. Yet within a relatively short lifespan she lived a Christian life marked by devotion to the Lord Jesus Christ, serious study of the scriptures with a willing heart to obey them and a lovely testimony of how a Christian should live their life.
What, however was the foundation of her remarkable life? The main thing was that at the age of 19 she had realised that she was a sinner and needed to repent of her sin and put her faith and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ as her Lord and Saviour. When a person takes the same steps as Lady Powerscourt did, they start on the Christian pathway, There is no other way. Being saved is the gateway to a new life in Christ and the more the scriptures are read and lived by, a life of devotion to the Saviour will become a reality and the source of rich blessings. Are you prepared to follow the same pathway for the glory of Christ as Lady Powerscourt did?
DAILY MESSAGES WITH MEANING (13/07/24)
Written by RODERICK BARTON
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