The Finney-Nash Effect (part 1) by Richy Clark

Revival and Prayer Movements Taking Cities Together.

It’s been a while since America has seen entire cities converted to Christ, but it wasn’t uncommon during what was known as the second “Great Awakening.” (Early 1800′s) At the forefront of this move was Charles Finney, a lawyer who had had a dramatic encounter with the Holy Spirit at age 29. Finney’s meetings were marked by great supernatural conviction of the Holy Spirit. Saints who came to Christ in his meetings knew they had been “saved” from God’s day of wrath, (which is where we get the term “saved”) and had placed their faith in the righteousness of Jesus. These meetings had profound impact on cities. In 1830, in Rochester, a town of just 10,000, it was reported that 100,000 people had given their lives to Christ during a revival. Streets were emptied during the services, bars and theatres were permanently shut down and crime significantly dropped for years after the meetings. The Second Great Awakening also gave rise to the “Abolitionist Movement” which contributed to the end of slavery in the nation.

During his heyday, the religious establishment did not overwhelmingly support Finney. In fact, his strongest resistance was from the church. Today, he is widely celebrated, (as it goes) and it is said that some 80% of his converts stayed true to the faith!

Behind every great revival is great intercession. I cannot recall a single “earth-shaping” historical revival that was not proceeded with an intense season of burdened prayer. Most of these “revival birthing” prayer meetings consisted of nothing more that a bunch of intercessors huddled on a front porch, barn or down by a riverside, groaning under a sprit of prayer (or travail) for a spiritual breakthrough.

Hidden behind the spotlight of the Second Great Awakening was a man known as “Father Nash.” Born Daniel Nash in 1775, his prayer ministry began years after being a local pastor, when he was burned out and according to Finney, “backslidden.” Nash was struck with an illness that caused his eyes to become inflamed. The doctor’s solution; spend 3 days in the dark. With nothing to do, he began praying for souls and received a “burden of prayer.” Nash joined Finney, and the rest is history.

Finney writes about Nash:

(I was asked) “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,” I replied. “They just have a spirit of travail in prayer.”

In the coming days the church will mature into a greater understanding of what Finney and Nash experienced, as the body is being “fitted together.”