The Power of Prayer: The New York Revival of 1858 (Samuel Prime)

The Power of Prayer

The New York Revival of 1858

The Autumn of 1857 saw New York in the midst of financial failure, which ruined many of its one million people. J. W. Alexander, returning there from Europe, found “a pall of mourning over every house.” But unlike other times of national disaster, this era was accompanied by a renewed spirit of prayer. The Power of Prayer soon came to be known.

Multiple prayer meetings were soon followed by a manifestation of the “marvelous lovingkindness” of God as thousands were brought from worldly sorrow to the possession of everlasting riches and life in Christ.

Samuel Prime’s work, written with the aid of other ministers, gives a first-hand record of the year that saw America’s last national awakening—a revival that, noiseless and unexpected, was in striking contrast with the idea that evangelism is primarily a case of human effort. In 1858, the great truths “made exceedingly prominent” were “the influence of the Holy Spirit and free salvation through the righteousness of the Lord Jesus Christ.”

This is largely the human story of people into whose lives God came. But the main lesson is abiding. Author Samuel Prime believed that the Holy Spirit intended this revival to be a lasting example of the vital relationship between His work and believing prayer. This rare title was the last which Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones urged for republication before his death. Few books can be more relevant for the church today.

About the Author

Samuel Irenaeus Prime was born in Ballston, New York, in 1812. He studied at Williams College and Princeton Theological Seminary before becoming a minister in the Presbyterian Church in 1834. The ill health that accompanied his pastoral labors led him to concentrate on a written ministry. So, from 1840 until his death in 1885, he was the editor of the influential New York Observer. The Power of Prayer: The New York Revival of 1858 was Prime’s most popular book.

Customer Review:

“Every Christian should read this, especially pastors. I read it aloud each night with my family. You will be in awe, cry, laugh, and at times perplexed. An amazing account of what God can do, and that through praying men and women, a praying church, and how sovereign his Spirit truly is over history. A timely read for our present generation. May God awaken a praying church where prayer dominates one more time!” — Sam