engraving by W. Hollar
A very long time ago the daughter of a wealthy man grew to an age of marriage surrounded by luxury. She lived on a large estate in England – “Broad Oaks”. Of course, like all heiresses of that time she was expected to marry someone of equal or greater social status.
But – as all wonderful romances go – she met a young man.
A Preacher.
This preacher wasn’t from her social class, had no money, and even worse, had been kicked out of the popular group of ministers in power at that time. He was a non-conformist who’d been ejected from his church by the King. No church. No income. No future.
Still, Phillip had a vision – a direction – and a passion for the Lord. She was smitten.
This young woman’s father and family were horrified. The people in and around Broad Oaks did not approve. Her father said – “Nobody knows where he came from!”
And Katherine replied:
But I know where he is going – and I should like to go with him.
Katherine was wise – she knew that if someone knows where they are going, it doesn’t matter where they’ve come from.
Despite her father’s machinations to make things difficult, and the townsfolk’s disapproval, Katherine and Phillip persevered. They were married in the spring of 1660.
Katherine gave birth to two boys and four girls.
As a family they focused on the Lord. Phillip believed strongly in private prayer – so they had a room in their house called “the closet” where they could go and pray in quiet. (this was odd behavior to their contemporaries) They sang the psalms together, prayed together as family, discussed scripture and the parents blessed their children regularly. They lived a life rigorous in focus on God and His Word.
One of the few references to Katherine and her role in the family is:
My mother excelled as much in her sphere as my father did in his.
History has preserved only a few references about her life because of one of her sons. She was…
The mother of Matthew Henry
Written in 1706, Matthew Henry is known for his commentary on the Bible. It’s a six-volume exhaustive look at every verse in the Bible. (Officially he wrote the commentary until Acts, and his ‘followers’ completed the work.)
Katherine and Phillip Henry, because of their life choices and direction, raised a son whose works have influenced countless ministers including Charles Spurgeon, George Whitfield, John Ryland, and even hymn-writer Charles Wesley.
Imagine if Katherine had been too frightened to accept the challenge of Phillip’s vision – what if she hadn’t had the courage, tenacity & strength of character to support him?
Would Matthew Henry and his siblings been born? Would Matthew Henry had the upbringing necessary to write his commentary?
Katherine Henry’s choices shaped the future in a positive way.
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wow. what an amazing story!
that posted before I meant for it to :/
thanks for sharing this. What an encouragement!!! and it is crazy for me to look at my little one and think who God is raising him up to be through mine and my husband’s hands…His plans are so amazing!!!
excited about reading more of your posts! I just found your blog!!!
paula
Thanks for dropping in and commenting Paula! I’m glad you found this to be encouraging – it IS amazing what God can do if we’re aligned with His will!
What an encouraging story. I am thankful each day that God gave me a man who follows Him and strives to lead our family in His perfect will for us. Being his support & helpmate is such a priviledge! But I loved how this showed that influence on the children. Thank you for sharing! ~Blessings
I’m happy you dropped in a commented, Torrie – thanks!
It is a blessing to have a husband who serves the Lord and is confident in leading his family. Strong leadership affects generations.
What a wonderful story, Lori. Thanks for sharing it. Your writing is so smooth and entices me to continue reading until the end. Great post.
Oh Bonnie – thank you so much for your words of affirmation about my writing. It means a lot to me!
I started reading a book called “10 people Every Christian Should Know” and the first story was about Matthew Henry. His mom’s statement to her father just sat up and slapped me… I needed to know more! So I started researching.
Thanks for posting that story I loved it. I’m sure that there were probably more than a few times that Katherine was reminded that her life, class and standing in society was not what it could have been, you know, when it became tough and NOT the life that she had been accustomed to. I found this post very encouraging!
It’s true – her life just grabbed at me and my imagination started filling in the details. I love it when that happens!
Thanks for commenting Robyn – I’m happy you were encouraged.
Fantastic Story! I love it!
Thanks for sharing
Blessings
It’s neat, right? (who knows what they’ll write about us in 400 years… hmmm.)
Yes, it is so good that person really know what he want and where he would go. At sometimes, I often become lost in my life because I could not really understand my own heart. Thank you for your sharing, your post is a encouraging article.