Preparing the ground in advance by prayer
Charles Finney was an American Presbyterian minister and leader in the Second Great Awakening in the United States. While you may have heard of him, you may not be aware of Daniel Nash and Abel Clary.
These intercessors would go into a town before Charles Finney ever showed up, and for two weeks or more, they were on their faces, praying and fasting. They would never go to the meetings. They would simply pray and fast.
And what was seen in Charles Finney's meetings - people getting slain in the Spirit, and the incredible power release - Daniel and Abel's Intercession and prayer was the engine in the basement that enabled it to happen.
Charles Finney wrote, “On one occasion when I got to town to start a revival, a lady contacted me who ran a boarding house. She said, ‘Brother Finney, do you know a Father Nash? He and two other men have been at my boarding house for the last three days, but they haven’t eaten a bite of food. I opened the door and peeped in at them because I could hear them groaning, and I saw them down on their faces. They have been this way for three days, lying prostrate on the floor and groaning. I thought something awful must have happened to them. I was afraid to go in and I didn’t know what to do. Would you please come see about them?’ 'No, it isn’t necessary,’ Finney replied. ‘They just have a spirit of travail in prayer.'”
On October 10th, 1821, Charles Finney, then a young lawyer, walked into the woods near New York. He's 29, successful, respected, and spiritually dead. For months, he studied the Bible, not for faith, but to win arguments against Christians. He's convinced their religion is built on lies.
But something is happening to his heart. That morning, he makes a deal with God, "If you are real," he prays, "reveal yourself to me today. If not, I'm done with this foolishness forever." As Finney kneels in those woods, something breaks inside him. Years of pride, years of rebellion. He later writes, "The Holy Spirit descended upon me in a manner that seemed to go through me, body and soul. I could feel the impression like a wave of electricity going through and through me."
Finney returned to his law office and, meeting a client to discuss a case, he can't speak. Every time he tries to talk about earthly matters, he breaks down weeping. Finally, he looks at his client and says, "I have a retainer from the Lord Jesus Christ to plead his cause. I cannot plead yours." He left his law career immediately to become a preacher of the Gospel.
Charles Finney public victories were won in private on his knees. He spent more time in prayer than in the pulpit. But he also had a prayer partner - Father Daniel Nash - who was 20 years older than Finney, a former pastor who had given up everything to become what he calls a labourer in prayer. He is joined by Abel Clary on occasion.
While Finney preaches to thousands, Daniel and Abel find a quiet room, sometimes a basement, sometimes an attic, and they pray. Not for minutes, not for hours, for days. They arrive in a city weeks before Finney. They walk the streets, study the spiritual climate, identify the strongholds, then they begin what they call, the work of intercession. Not only praying for the town and what they have discerned but also people by name and of course, Finney himself.
Here's what they discover about prayer - revival doesn't begin in the pulpit. It begins in the prayer closet.
They often pray for 12 to 16 hours a day and fast for weeks. They wrestle with God until breakthrough comes. When Finney arrives to preach, the spiritual atmosphere is already prepared. The results are staggering. In Rochester, New York in 1830, Finney preaches for 6 months. The results; 100,000 people converted in a city of just 20,000. How is that possible? The revival spreads to surrounding towns and villages. Entire communities are transformed. Crime rates plummet. Bars close. Theatres shut down because no one attends. One newspaper reports the whole community seem to be under the influence of a religious awakening.
A study conducted 40 years later finds that 85% of Finney's converts are still walking with God. Finney's converts didn't just get saved, they became agents of change. They fought slavery. They cared for the poor. They worked for justice.
When Daniel Nash died in 1831, Finney is& devastated. He writes, "I feel as if I've lost my right arm. How can I continue without my prayer partner?" Finney realises that he's been too dependent on one prayer partner. God uses Daniel Nash's death to teach him a crucial lesson. Revival can't depend on one person. It must be sustained by a community of intercessors.
So Finney begins training others in the ministry of intercession. Training Intercessors. In every city he visits, he identifies people with a gift for prayer. He teaches them Daniel Nash's methods. He shows them how to prepare the spiritual atmosphere for revival. Within 5 years, a network of prayer warriors has been developed across America.
The results are remarkable. Between 1835 and 1845, he conducts some of his most successful campaigns. In Boston, 50,000 people are converted in 6 months. In Philadelphia, entire neighbourhoods are transformed. In Ohio, his meetings spark a revival that spreads through dozens of schools.
He then trains a new generation of ministers and intercessors. He teaches them to blend the fire of revival with the wisdom of lasting spiritual growth. His final revival campaign was conducted when he was 82, and still hundreds responded. He died in 1875 after more than 50 years of ministry.
So what are the lessons?
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Revival begins with personal surrender.
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Prayer is the foundation of all spiritual power.
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Revival requires partnership. Who are your prayer partners?
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True revival transformed society.
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Revival always comes at a cost. Expect opposition and personal sacrifice.
Revival doesn't wait for perfect conditions. It begins when ordinary people make extraordinary commitments. The question isn't whether God wants to use you. The question is, "Are you willing to pay the price?"
See also these articles:
Praying for church growth
Pressing into prayer for revival
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