Psalm 118:23 “This is the LORD’s doing; it is marvellous in our eyes.”
II Corinthians 3:5 “Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think anything as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God”
II Corinthians 9:15 “Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift.”
James 1:17 “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.”
A year after the beginning of the 1857 Prayer Meeting Revival, Pastor Talbot Chambers observed the following:
“No devout or thoughtful mind can review the history which has been given, without being irresistibly led to the conclusion, expressed by the words of the Psalmist upon a different occasion: ‘THIS IS THE LORD’S DOING; IT IS MARVELLOUS IN OUR EYES.’ It is easy to trace the hand of Providence in every step of the course we have narrated. The appointment of the Missionary [Lanphier] just at the period when it was made, the upspringing in his mind of the conception of a business men’s prayer meeting, its peculiar features, the state of the times prompting men to pray, the absence of any unusual attractions, the extraordinary rapidity with which mid-day meetings for prayer were multiplied; all these indicate the immediate agency of the Most High. The Lord alone was exalted in that day. There is no room for human merit to insinuate itself.”
“But it can scarcely be doubted that the main cause of the general popularity of the meeting was the gracious purpose of the Lord, making use, in His adorable sovereignty, of this means to alleviate the gloom of temporal calamities, and lead the minds of the children of men to higher ends than ‘the meat that perisheth.’ In no other way can we account for the eagerness with which multitudes of men would flock together at an unusual, and to many most inconvenient hour, for the purposes of worship, to a place where there were none of the attractions which alone, in ordinary circumstances, move men in masses to attend a religious service. There was no eloquent orator, no noted revivalist, no display of intellectual abilities, native or acquired; nothing to gratify a refined taste, or stimulate a jaded imagination, or cater to itching ears. It was simply a gathering of men who turned aside from secular cares to consecrate an hour of prayer or praise – an assembly in which the chief part was taken by laymen, and these, persons not distinguished for any unusual gifts or culture.”
Pastor Chambers made very clear that God deserved all the credit and the glory for the results of the revival of which they were a part. It was the Lord’s doing, and it was marvelous in their eyes. The hand of Providence could be traced to every success, and it was all according to God’s gracious purposes. In no way could they account for the massive impact of the meeting; there was no room for human merit to insinuate itself.
Any good that happens in our lives, any positive impact we are able to make, or any great movement for the Lord of which we are a part, is totally and completely attributable to the hand of Providence. In no other way should we account for any success; there is no room for human merit to insinuate itself.
During this week of Christmas, may we reflect on God’s glorious love through His unspeakable gift. Our Saviour Jesus Christ is good and He is perfect, and His birth is marvelous in our eyes! May God rightfully earn all the credit, all the glory, and all the attention for the joy of this season. The hand of Providence throughout human history led to this glorious event as a part of His gracious purposes. In the salvation of man, there is no room for human merit to insinuate itself.
PLEASE PRAISE GOD FOR HIS UNSPEAKABLE GIFT DURING THIS SEASON AND THROUGHOUT THE YEAR!
ADMIN: The quotes above comes from the Talbot Chambers book “The New York City Noon Prayer Meeting: A Simple Gathering That Changed The World”.
