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John Hyde's prayer life ranks in a league with the prayer lives
of men like Andrew Murray, George Mueller, Charles Finney, and
Rees Howells. Draw near to brother Hyde’s prayer closet and you
will see the tears coursing down his face—and hear the groaning
and sobs as he pleads, “O God, give me souls or I die!” And
indeed the Lord did—thousands of them. If you want to pray
effectively, you can do with no better example than to read the
life of John Hyde. |
 John
Hyde 1865-1912 - John Hyde, better known as "The Praying Hyde,"
was born in Carrollton, Illinois. His father was a Presbyterian
minister who faithfully proclaimed the Gospel message and called
for the Lord to thrust out laborers into His harvest. He prayed
this prayer not only in the pulpit but also in the home, around
the family altar. This made an indelible impression on the life
of young John, as he grew up in that atmosphere. John graduated
from Cathage College with such high honors that he was elected
to a position on the faculty. He had heard the divine call to
the regions beyond, however, and was not disobedient to the
heavenly vision. So he resigned his position and entered the
Presbyterian seminary in Chicago. He graduated in the spring of
1892 and sailed for India the following October.
His ministry of prayer in India during the next 20 years was
such that the natives referred to him as "the man who never
sleeps." Some termed him "the apostle of prayer." But more
familiarly he was known as "the praying Hyde." He was all these
and more, for deep in India's Punjab, he envisioned his Master,
and face to face with the eternal, he learned lessons of prayer
which were amazing. Often he spent 30 days and nights in prayer,
and many times was on his knees in deep intercession for 36
hours at a time. His work among the villages was very
successful, in that for many years he won four to ten people a
day to the Lord Jesus Christ.
Hyde was instrumental in establishing the annual Sialkote
Conferences, from which thousands of missionaries and native
workers returned to the stations, empowered anew and afresh for
the work of reaching India with the Gospel. Hyde's life of
sacrifice, humility, love for souls and deep spirituality, as
well as his example in the ministry of intercession, inspired
many others to effect these graces in their own lives and
ministries. He died February 17, 1912. His last words were,
"Shout the victory of Jesus Christ!"
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