Before I even saw the GBC post about July being a special month of prayer, the Lord had impressed this subject on my heart to use for this blog. A few weeks ago, I checked out a book from the Library: 100 BIBLE VERSES THAT MADE AMERICA. It is a series of stories compiled by Robert J. Morgan about the importance God’s Word has had through the years in our country...Our dear USA celebrating our birthday on July 4th!!
An amazing story begins on page 203, “September 23, 1857...Revival Sweeps the Country,” with the verse Hebrews 4:16: “Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”
An unknown tailor in New York City named Jeremiah Lanphier saw the throngs of business men and women on the streets, looking so weary and sad rushing through those days of financial stress (Sound familiar?). He was challenged to find a way to encourage them.
Lanphier closed his tailor shop and made fliers with the message to those people to meet with him at a certain room on September 23, 1875, at noon, to “lift their hearts and voices to the throne of grace.” That first meeting only six people came. Then as the weeks went by, it grew to forty...then hundreds all across the city...meeting in fire houses, police stations, churches...all pouring out their hearts to the Lord. Many people accepted Christ.
The prayer meetings spread all across America and even to Europe. One twenty-one-year-old from Chicago was so changed by the prayer meetings, he surrendered to preach - D. L. Moody. Another person traveling from Nebraska said he felt as though he saw a “prayer meeting two thousand miles long.”
No evangelistic meetings, no famous preachers involved...just an unknown tailor who had a burden for people to take their burdens to “the throne of grace.” Even The New York Tribune published stories of the “revival that sweeps the country.”
As I read this, my heart was so touched to see the same results of seeking “the throne of grace.” God’s Word is the same; Jesus is on the throne just waiting to hear our requests to take them to the Father.
As you do, I have my daily devotions and go through my prayer journal. I do pray for my country and our leaders. But how could a revival of prayer become so influential today in our nation as in 1857? I have discovered that as a Christian I can get so involved in our “circle of life” that sometimes I miss the glaring needs right outside that circle - if I would just outwardly focus away from my “comfort zone.”
On this weekend of celebration for America’s birthday, we give praise to our Heavenly Father for recent victories especially for the unborn. These came about through hard work and prayer! Also we need a call to prayer for our national and local leaders. Our nation has huge elections coming and the outcome of these could change the direction even further away from the foundations built on the Bible so many years ago.
As the founding fathers were debating and discussing the framing of our Constitution in 1787 (pgs. 114-115 of Morgan's book), Ben Franklin suggested: “How has it happened that we have not hitherto once thought of humbly applying to the Father of Light to illuminate our understanding. . .? We have been assured in Sacred Writings that “except the Lord build the house, they labor in vain that build it.”
In a few days, July 4, 1787, General Washington led the delegates to a prayer service at a local Lutheran Church in Philadelphia where the pastor prayed specifically for their need of wisdom:
“We fervently recommend to Thy Fatherly notice that august body assembled in this city. . .be Thou their wisdom. . . Enable them to devise such measures as may prove happily instrumental for healing all divisions. . .that the United States of America may furnish the world with one example of a free and permanent government. . .”
Specific prayer! Let’s go “boldly to the throne of grace.”
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