Virtually Forgotten

By Jeff Spooneybarger, President and Founder of First Priority Men and Ordinary Giants Leadership Group

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He is unknown to most of the world.? Virtually forgotten.? Seemingly insignificant.?

An unremarkable life by most standards.

His name is Daniel Nash, most often referred to as Father Nash.?

Born in 1775, Father Nash was 40 years old when he was asked to pastor a small Congregational Presbyterian church in upstate New York.?

Within the first year of his pastorate at that small church, a revival broke out and 70 people came to faith in Christ.? The first person to trust Christ was Sally Porter, who subsequently became Daniel’s wife a year later.?

A new building was built to accommodate the church's growth. Nash also started a mission church and a school. Things seemed to never be better.?

However, merely six years later, despite a continually growing church, a handful of church members met at a special meeting and voted to release Nash as pastor because they thought he was too old.

Imagine being so successful but considered too old at 47.

He continued to preach at the church on and off for the next year, and before he left, another revival broke out, and more than 200 people were saved (in a city of only 308 homes).?

Feeling rejected and abused by the church he loved so dearly, the now jobless Nash was unsure of what he would do next.?

To make matters worse, he contracted an eye disease that caused severe inflammation in his eyes that required him to stay in the dark.

But this was part of God’s plan.?

God was teaching Nash to pray.

Around that same time, he met a young man named Charles Finney. Finney was just being ordained into ministry when the two met, and they were instantly drawn to each other.?

After a series of conversations and times of prayer, the two embarked on new a ministry of evangelistic preaching.? They were truly pioneers in what we now know as revival meetings.?

Nash would go to a city and pray for 2 or 3 weeks before Finney would come preach.? If you know history, you know that thousands of people came to Christ for 7 years after their first meeting together.?

Nash stayed on his face in prayer, Finney preached, and God blessed mightily.? This continued week after week for seven years.? Physically and emotionally spent from faithfully laboring in prayer, it became evident that Nash was no longer able to go and pray physically,

Finney preached two more weeks and then left to take a church pastorate.?

Finney left itinerant evangelism merely two weeks after Nash could no longer pray because the power was no longer present in the meetings.?

Truly, Charles Finney was so successful because Father Nash was praying!? What a difference prayer makes.

So how about your prayer life?? How effective are your prayers?? The second half of James 5:16 says “The prayer of a righteous person is very powerful in its effect.”?

We sometimes forget that God can do in one day what we cannot do in 100 years.?

That’s the power of prayer.

Whether you own a business, work in the corporate world, are blue-collar or white-collar, are a full-time parent, or are in full-time ministry… the quality of your prayer life will determine your true success in life.

It is not surprising that Jesus’ disciples said, “Lord, teach us to pray.”

Everyone needs to learn to pray.?

Most people with great ambition want to be on stage and/or have great influence.? Few consider how important prayer is to that ambition. The idea of being mighty is highly attractive (and not inherently wrong.)

But “what” we are mighty in is what matters most.??

So here’s the million dollar question.? Would you rather be a Finney or a Nash?? For sure,

Finney has more accolades, prestige, remembrance, and fame, but Finney doesn’t happen without a Father Nash.?

The church Nash pastored is gone.? He wrote no books.? He has no real written history.? Almost nothing is known about his family. He never spoke at big conferences.?

He didn’t see thousands respond to his preaching. None of his sermons are quoted today.?

There is no real record of testimonies of those who were saved because of his life.?

All we have is the truth of what is written on his decrepit, neglected tombstone in upstate New York.?

“Laborer of Finney.? Mighty in Prayer.”?

Certainly…that is no small thing!?

And not truly forgotten.?

You can reach Jeff at [email protected].

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