Throughout history there have been certain people who seemed to really know God in ways that allowed Him to use them in significant ways. One such man was William Tyndale. We know he was sincere because he would eventually give up his life because of His commitment to God’s Word. Tyndale was a prominent figure in the Protestant reformation. He was an English scholar and an Oxford graduate. He was a gifted linguist and became fluent over the years in French, Greek, Hebrew, German, Italian, Latin, and Spanish.  He also attended the University of Cambridge. But, more importantly, he prayed. 

One of the issues that Tyndale and the other reformers had with “The Church” was that church leaders of his day forbade “common people” from reading the Scriptures. This was one way of trying to control what people believed. One reason authorities could keep people from reading the Bible was because, at that time, the Bible was not easily available  in the languages of the common man. Most copies of the Bible were written in Hebrew and Greek, or Latin, which most people could not read.  

Tyndale successfully translated some of the OT and all of the NT into English. His was the first English Bible that translated directly from Hebrew and Greek (the earlier Wycliffe Bible had been translated from Latin). He was also one of the first people to actively fight for freedom for the masses to read the Bible for themselves. He believed God’s Word could speak to them personally rather than through the voice of the local priest. He believed that a believer should have a personal relationship with God. 

After translating the Bible into English, he diligently challenged the church to provide English language copies of the Bible to their parishioners. But the establishment resented his efforts and he was arrested in Antwerp in 1535. A year later he was tried on a charge of heresy and was condemned to be burned to death. As it played out, Tyndale was tied to a stake, strangled to death and then his dead body was burned. However, just before he died, he was overheard praying this very short, but monumental prayer:  “Lord, open the King of England’s eyes!” 

Tyndale’s prayer was eventually answered, and, with the invention of the printing press, his copy of the Scripture was also widely distributed.  In 1611, when King James commissioned that his authorized version of the Bible be published, the forty-seven scholars drew 80-90%  of their material from Tyndale’s work. Today there are millions of Bibles available in almost every language around the globe. Tyndale would probably be shocked to know that one of the largest Christian publishers and Bible distributers in the world is named Tyndale Publishers. He would also been surprised last year when one of the three remaining copies of the first printing of his Bible sold at auction for over forty-eight thousand dollars. 

Tyndale was obeying the Bible when he prayed for his King. His prayer did not seem to have immediate results. But prayer is never in vain. God answered his prayer, and God will answer the prayer any of us pray, when we pray according to His will. Pray for those who lead your family, your company, your church and your government. It may take years, but your prayers will not be wasted.