Who was Daniel Nash?
Boiling this down to a drop, Daniel Nash was the forerunner prayer partner of Charles Finney, oftentimes traveling and travailing for lost souls along the side of a man named Abel Clary.
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| Daniel Nash |
Daniel Nash Pastor for multiple years with fruitful revival in his own Church was ousted by vote 3 to 9. With little to no reason but as it reads they were looking for a younger pastor. Truth behind the veil, the Pastor had a high calling on his knees to a place of prayer.
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| Charles Finney (They said just by looking him in the eyes would strike the fear of God in you.) |
While linking up with a rather unelequent but desperate preacher named Charles Finney. The first encounter can be described from Finney as so…
“At this meeting of the presbytery I first saw Rev. Daniel Nash, who is generally known as ‘Father Nash.’ He was a member of the presbytery. A large congregation was assembled to hear my examination. I got in a little late, and saw a man standing in the pulpit speaking to the people, as I supposed. He looked at me, I observed, as I came in; and was looking at others as they passed up the aisles. As soon as I reached my seat and listened, I observed that he was praying. I was surprised to see him looking all over the house, as if he were talking to the people; while in fact he was praying to God. Of course it did not sound to me much like prayer; and he was at that time indeed in a very cold and backslidden state.”
After this meeting Finney saw something that maybe no one else saw. Washed up Pastor dwelling on himself, thinking maybe he wasn’t good enough. He was put out of his 2 last Church congregations, and probably not up for a round 3. He was left out to dry, and with no resources, no congress, no building, no job, and potentially no money. But he still had something that takes only time, space, and a heart posture to accomplish. Prayer. So this letter was written.
“When Mr. Finney and I began our race, we had no thought of going amongst ministers. Our highest ambition was to go where there was neither minister or reformation and try to look up the lost sheep, for whom no man cared. We began and the Lord prospered…. But we go into no man’s parish unless called…. We have room enough to work and work enough to do.”
In agreement they sent off for a series of revivals that would last the next 7 years that spurred a holy transformation across the United States. Yeah they didn’t teach us this in schools…
The routine would go like this… Nash and another prayer partner, oftentimes Able Clary, would go into a city about 3 weeks prior to Finney's preaching. One of his customs was to write down some of the most demonized and wicked people in the town, and ask the Lord to apprehend them. They would agonize in prayer. This can be described by Finney himself.
“I have never known a person sweat blood; but I have known a person pray till the blood started from his nose. And I have known persons pray till they were all wet with perspiration, in the coldest weather in winter. I have known persons pray for hours, till their strength was all exhausted with the agony of their minds. Such prayers prevailed with God. This agony in prayer was prevalent in Jonathan Edwards’ day, in the revivals which then took place.”
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| Jesus sweated blood in prayer. LUKE 22:44 AND BEING IN ANGUISH, HE PRAYED MORE EARNESTLY, AND HIS SWEAT WAS LIKE DROPS OF BLOOD FALLING TO THE GROUND. |
These series of revivals have for a great portion is our standard and template of what revival looks like here in the United States. Wondering what it would look like for the United States to repent and turn to God? During the 7 years of revival, 1825 to 1831, revival struck America.
When Nash died, so did the revivals. I can picture the great Finney standing in front of everyone preaching. He wasn’t known as the best affluent well versed preacher. He would depend on the power of God to touch the people. Just like Paul wrote in 1Corinthains 2:4 “And my speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power.” The glory of God was so powerful during those times, it was said that even immigrants getting off the boats into America would be struck by the power of God and fall down as if they were dead. Welcome to America!
He may have tried to preach until the power of God fell as other times, but without the prayer partner of Daniel Nash, the revivals that once were came to a close. He went back to being a Pastor.
Nash entered into glory at the age of 56. He once remarked, “I have felt a little like praying that I might be overwhelmed with the Holy Ghost, die in the operation, and go to Heaven thus; but God knows.”
Due to the accounts of agony of prayer, most believe this is what happened. In one account this is what one person said…
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| On the road! |
“Said a good man to me: ‘Oh, I am dying for the want of strength to pray! My body is crushed, the world is on me, and how can I forbear praying?’ I have known that man go to bed absolutely sick, for weakness and faintness, under the pressure. And I have known him pray as if he would do violence to Heaven, and then have seen the blessing come as plainly in answer to his prayer as if it were revealed, so that no person could doubt it any more than if God had spoken from heaven. Shall I tell you how he died? He prayed more and more; he used to take the map of the world before him, and pray, and look over the different countries and pray for them, till he expired in his room, praying. Blessed man! He was the reproach of the ungodly, and of carnal, unbelieving professors; but he was the favorite of Heaven, and a prevailing prince of prayer.”
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| Getting there! |
Personally I believe there was a depth to Nash that no one could understand. He didn’t care for anyone to understand. I picture him alone with the Lord, breaking ties with people to people relationships, taking on burdens of most lost people, and stressed himself to agonize in a similar way as the man among the tombs yelling out to the Lord. I believe he obsessed this vocation in the Spirit over food and other natural tendencies. He never went back to public ministry, but stayed in the place of prayer and travail. Many times in the dark, sincerely believing this was his portion from the Lord and knowing this foundational indispensable principle of prayer. Literally to the world wasting away his life.
Unfortunately for many of us Christians we have arrested the heart of prayer and replaced it with meetings to talk, the schemes of man for our Easter service, distractions of this world, board games, barbee Q’s and fun outings. At times some of these things can be good, but many of these being distractions of the enemy. God
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| Almost there! |
If the life of Nash teaches us something from Scripture it is that the prayers of the upper room were instrumental to the outpouring. If Nash teaches us something in our modern day, it is that a few people of prayer can change Kansas City; Corey Ruseel, Allan Hood, and Mike Bickle. It has transformed the city to a body of united believers, made way for Christian leaders on the Kansas City Chiefs NFL football team, built a chapel next to the stadium, and has caused a movement to birth houses of prayer in other cities across the United States and in the world. Praise God for places like the International House of Prayer.
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| Made it! |
About 6 months ago the Lord called me into a fresh vocation in the Spirit of being a prayer intercessor. Although we are all called to prayer, the Lord was taking me deeper. Since then I have grown in the knowledge of Christ in fresh facets, in the understanding of the Word of God, and growing to know those who have also made impact simply by the power of prayer. Going out there, I wanted to honor the man, meditate and reflect on this vocation of the Lord, and to ask God to deepen and strengthen me in this calling.
May you also be inspired to op out of this rockstar Christianity that we have divisively developed here in the United States, staged Pastor or seen on the worship team, and live from the inside out. Fulfill the words of Jesus when He says this in Matthew 6:6 “But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.”
One practical change? For me it has been the anticipation and excitement about going to the prayer meeting to cry out to God with other believers. These days I have high esteem, value, and am excited to gather together with mutual minded followers of the Way.
Stay prayerful.
Grace and Peace,
Soldier of Christ Jarid
AWAKEN THE NASHERITES!!!
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