Father Nash
In the battlefields of the spiritual world the true heroes are often
unseen by the world. These are the ones often touched by heaven,
who breathe the rarified air of the secret place of the Most High. Such
a one was Father Nash a partner to the much better known evangelist
Charles Finney during the Second Great Awakening.
Daniel Nash started as a preacher in upstate New York. His record there
is singularly unremarkable. At age 48 he decided to give himself
totally to prayer for Finney's meetings. Nash would come quietly into
towns three or four weeks in advance of a meeting, gather three or four
other like minded Christians with him and in a rented room start
praying and bringing heaven near. It is reported that in one town all
he could find was a dank, dark cellar, but that place was soon
illumined with holy light as he made in the place of intercession. In
another place as Finney relates:
When I got to town to start a revival a lady contacted me who ran a
boarding house. She said, "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."
When the public meetings started Father Nash would not usually attend
but kept praying in his closet for the convicting power of the Holy
Spirit to fall on the crowd and melt their hearts. When opposition
arose Father Nash would pray all the harder.
Once a group of young men promised to break up the meetings. Nash was
praying nearby and came out of the shadows to announce: "Now mark me,
young men! God will break your ranks in less than one week, either by
converting some of you, or by sending some of you to hell. He will do
this certainly as the Lord is my God!"
Finney thought his friend had lost his sense. But by next Tuesday
morning the leader of the group suddenly showed up, confessed his
sinful attitude before Finney and accepted Christ. "What shall I do Mr.
Finney?" he asked. Finney told him to go back to his companions and
tell them how Christ had changed his life. Before that week was out
nearly all of the original group had come to Christ.
In 1826 both Finney and Nash were burnt in effigy. The enemy recognized
the threat of Father Nash's prayers to their ways of wickedness.
Shortly before Nash died in 1831 he wrote:
I am now convinced, it is my duty and privilege, and the duty of every
other Christian, to pray for as much of the Holy Spirit as came down on
the day of Pentecost, and a great deal more?.My body is in pain, but I
am happy in my God?..I have only just begun to understand what Jesus
meant when he said, "All things whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer,
believing, ye shall receive."
It is interesting to note that within four months of Father Nash's
death Finney left the evangelistic field to take a Church in New York
City. His prayer partner in taking the enemy by storm was gone. He
whose prayers had been the strength of the campaigns was now in his
eternal home and the loss of power was felt.
Father Nash's grave in a neglected cemetery almost on the border of
Canada in northern New York. The tombstone reads.
Daniel NASH
Laborer with Finney
Mighty in Prayer
Nov. 17, 1775 - Dec. 20, 1831
Daniel Nash was not written up in the papers of the day. The elite of
his day took no notice of him. There was notice in Heaven of this
humble man. Like Paul, the demons knew him by reputation. In his heart
dwelt fully the burning Spirit of God. Great is his reward in Heaven.
People of God, can we do any less than to burn with such a passion to
see God's Kingdom advanced!
March 27th, 2006 at 8:57 pm
Thanks for the good work,may God continue to bless & strength you.I do appreciate it if i can get more material on Father Nash & Charles Finney .
July 17th, 2006 at 1:17 pm
I would like more information on Father Nash and Charles Finney. I have been to his grave site. Thank you
January 8th, 2007 at 2:39 am
thanks for the insight.
December 9th, 2007 at 4:41 am
dear friend, I am an intercessor , not by my choice.To me prayer has 3 streams: one can pray in words, in tongue and in groaning. I was taught by God about groaning. I did it very often ,groaning bring me into the dimension of birthing in the spirit, it trigger pain, pressure, grief within me.though I did it without feeling anything initially, it will eventually be brought into this dimension of travail pain. because of pain, I wanted to quit, but God had been leading me into it. I wish to meet someone who share the same experience to get to know how he is doing,
January 10th, 2008 at 9:28 am
Why am i so concerned with reputation and noteriety? Very convicting.
February 18th, 2008 at 10:13 pm
Father Nash is gone, and his work well done. As a thinker, I wondered how Moody, such an ardent soul winner, when compared with Finney in soul-winning, was recorded to have had only about 30% retention of souls ten years after, while Finney had about 85%. It took me to want to know who Finney’s comrade was and on finding out, I knew I had found out the reason Finnney made a very remarkable success of his evangelical ministry. More men like Father Nash are needed who like him, will leave all else and give themselves to prevailing prayer alongside other men of God just to see to it that heaven is touched and hell depopulated. Let’s be more desirous of a life of, prevailing prayers. Father Nash has left us a legacy.
April 9th, 2008 at 4:45 am
expect the revival he prayed for cos prayers are eternal sactrifice always producing
April 15th, 2008 at 1:40 am
thank you for enabling christian to access the people of God like Father Nash. May the Lord bless you richly.
June 14th, 2008 at 11:55 am
i have visited this grave and its a powerful place to be… i could only pray to have the power of God thios man once had. thank God for Finney and Nash.>!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
January 4th, 2009 at 7:51 pm
We need warriors in prayer today that will believe GOD to step down and show Himself alive in the midst.
January 25th, 2009 at 4:53 am
Check out the link below to find out what Finney really believed. All the stuff about Finny is utter hype. He was a TOTAL heretic. I have personally read his entire systematic theology, and know what I’m saying. He denied outright that Christ’s righteousness can be imputed to anyone, and consequently denied that our sin was imputed to Christ on the cross as a satisfaction of justice, both of which the scriptures emphatically and repeatedly teach. See IICor.5:21. This is not a minor departure from the faith. This is everything. If you don’t have an imputed righteousness, you’re doomed.If Jesus didn’t personally answer for our sins to satisfy justice, we’re not reconciled. So far as I’m concerned…. Finney is in hell. People who can wink at such heresy (once they know it), are either new believers or no believers at all. This is wickedness. I hope it matters to you, reader!
Check out this link:
http://www.spurgeon.org/~phil/articles/finney.htm
Charles
January 30th, 2009 at 11:21 am
Response to Charles Church.
Hey Charles, many thousands of people were brought to know and live for Christ through the ministry of Finney and Nash. History recalls a powerful presence of God when they ministered and people were brought to real repentance.
Finney’s theology was not perfect… neither is yours or mine. If you are going to make certain heresy claims against Finney could you please include quotes and references please?
Peace
February 9th, 2009 at 3:54 am
I want to visit Daniel Nash’s gravesite. Can anyone direct me to it? We all will need to have more of his power in prayer in the close future.
March 14th, 2009 at 4:56 am
the greatest gift we can have now in our days are men who can go before God on their knees and groan in Prayer till heaven kisses the earth in mercy. Such fellas are rare yet the few are taking things by force. father Nash is one who can never be forgotten. Behind the hills of obscurity, he bows in prayer and fights for the revival. The hand of the Lord surely was strong upon Him. May God give us more of such men.
March 19th, 2009 at 1:16 am
we need people of like passion as Nash in this endtime. I bless God for him.
March 30th, 2009 at 7:23 am
My pastors in family Worship Center, Abuja, Nigeria..recently have been talking a great deal about these men of God. I feel motivated by the acts of Finnely and Nash to start praying feverently about the souls of Men for the grace of salvation to reach them. I believe this should be the preocupation of all Christians worldwide,
April 29th, 2009 at 9:28 am
In Gods word it says touch not my anointed. God worked through these men in a mighty way. Gods anointing was upon them. Satan is the father of lies. What a better way to try to quench what God has done through Finney and Nash than to have lies come forth about them. People need to pray for discernment about all. Be careful Charles Church, even if any of what you say is true “touch not Gods anointed.
May 3rd, 2009 at 8:56 am
Father Nash and Rees Howells helped me to understand that I am normal and to be used by the Lord in this deep place in prayer is okay. I ran from this for years and considerd it womans work as I would come to pray and I would sometimes be the only man there. Groaning,travailing, quaking and giving birth under the power of the Holy Spirit is okay but seldom accepted in church, better to have a few close friends who understand you than to be involved in large scale operations with religous formulas. 1 Cor 1:26-29 speaks of things God chooses to use foolish ,weak,lowly,despised and things that are not. These are His intercessors. Take heart and dont make it so serious it is God who is praying through you anyway.
September 1st, 2009 at 4:28 am
now, i go back to God’s army of prayer men!
September 9th, 2009 at 7:42 am
may the LORD stir the Hearts of Men to be men of PRAYER even as he has for Father Nash who is a man like us. Prayer is the Key to every thing and not religion. Praise Jesus
September 28th, 2009 at 11:32 pm
Though I have read about Father Nash and Charles Finney’s Ministry, and have been blessed, I felt I had call to be an Intercessor but I have been strugling with prayers, I need more material to get started.
Wale