Facilitating Your Spiritual Breakout Part 6 – Praying With Others
01.19.04
Again I say to you that if two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them. – Matthew 18:19-20.
On July 1, 1857, Jeremiah Lanphier received an appointment as a city missionary in New York City from the Dutch Reformed Church. Lanphier was described as being a “quiet and zealous businessman.” How would he be able to make any kind of difference? He decided to begin by holding a prayer meeting at noon on Wednesdays and he randomly passed out a few invitations for others to join him. The prayer meeting was held on Fulton Street a few blocks from where the World Trade Center would eventually be located. Lanphier relates what happened, “Going my rounds in the performance of my duty one day, as I was walking along the streets, the idea was suggested to my mind that an hour of prayer, from twelve to one o’clock, would be beneficial to businessmen, who usually in great numbers take that hour for rest and refreshment. The idea was to have singing, prayer, exhortation, relation of religious experience, as the case might be; that none should be required to stay the whole hour; that all should come and go as their engagements should allow or require, or their inclinations dictate. Arrangements were made, and at twelve o’clock noon, on the 23rd day of September, 1857, the door of the third story lecture room was thrown open.”
Jeremiah had to pray by himself for the first thirty minutes but then a few men began arriving until eventually five had come making a total of six people. The next meeting was held on September 30th with 20 people attending. On October 7th, the meeting had grown to over 30 and it was decided to have the meetings daily. Within only a matter of months prayer meetings multiplied until there were over 10,000 people praying together in the city in these meetings. The movement spread across the country and to England, Scotland, Wales, and Ireland. The result was that over one million people came to know Christ as their Savior. Major social changes also were brought about because of these new believers.
God used one person to start one prayer meeting that changed the world! What would happen in your world if you asked a few friends to join you in prayer? Invite them to your home, or ask your pastor if you can meet at church and allow everyone to come that would like to be a part of it. What would happen if you were to do that? Most likely God would use you to change the world too! What a wonderful spiritual break out that would be!
(If you do start a prayer meeting please send me an email and let me know about it. I think it would be a great encouragement to us all.)