Keeping with our studies about “Purpose” we will examine a modern day example of what it means to see your Purpose through, until it is fulfilled. As we observe Monday, January 20, 2025 as Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, we honor his commitment to leadership and Purpose. Like Moses, Dr. King was a Prophetic Deliverer who did not walk into the Promise Land, but did see the Promise come to pass.
Dr. King’s Speech, I’ve Been to the Mountain Top, is read from the transcript provided by American Rhetoric dot com . The speech was delivered April 3, 1968 at Mason Temple (Church of God in Christ Headquarters) in Memphis, Tennessee.
Well, I don't know what will happen now. We've got some difficult days ahead. But it really doesn't matter with me now, because I've been to the mountaintop.
And I don't mind.
Like anybody, I would like to live a long life. Longevity has its place. But I'm not concerned about that now. I just want to do God's will. And He's allowed me to go up to the mountain. And I've looked over. And I've seen the Promised Land. I may not get there with you. But I want you to know tonight, that we, as a people, will get to the promised land!
And so I'm happy, tonight.
I'm not worried about anything.
I'm not fearing any man!
Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord!!
Dr. King’s obedience and determination allowed for his Purpose to be fulfilled. President Lyndon B. Johnson signed The Fair Housing Act, also known as the Civil Rights Act of 1968, shortly after the assassination of Dr. King. The act was the final major civil rights law passed during the civil rights era. Like Moses, Joseph, and others we have studied, Dr. King’s Purpose was to deliver a people. Nearly 57 years after his death, Dr. King’s fulfillment impacts millions of lives.
Queen Kirkwood Hatchett is a poet and writer who has self-published most of her written works, including A General Study of the Books of the Bible, Transitioning from Promise to Fulfillment, and her memoir, Survival of the Inner Man. Her most famous poem, Crack: The Drug from Hell, from her first publication, From the Heart: A Book of Poetry(©️1994 Hodale Press), opened many doors for her. She has received a host of plaques, awards, and certificates for her dedication to the community and Body of Christ, her writings, and her volunteer services. A survivor of childhood sexual and physical abuse, Queen is a creative artist who doesn’t separate her faith from her life’s work. When she is not writing, she enjoys time with family and friends or making something with her hands.
Correction: Bull Connor (a segregationist) Commissioner of Public safety in Birmingham, Alabama.
Citation:
King, Martin Luther. “I’ve Been to the Mountaintop.” Speech. Transcript. 3 Apr. 1968, Memphis, Tennessee, Mason Temple, https://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/mlkivebeentothemountaintop.htm. Accessed 9 Jan. 2025.
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