04 - Chapter 04

Davies’ Pentecostal Movement: Chapter 4 The Beginning of the Pentecostal Movement in the Merthyr Borough by Davies, Price THE EFFECTUAL FERVENT PRAYER OF A RIGHTEOUS MAN AVAILETH MUCH (James 5:16) *

* Annie Griffiths, my grandmother, was born on 30 December 1883 (or possibly 1882). This voyage would have been when Moody and Sankey were returning to the United States after their 1882-1886 campaign.

Many may be interested to know that the World Famous Evangelist, D. L. Moody has held Annie Griffiths in his arms and very earnestly and fervently prayed for her, committing her to God’s care and keeping, and asking God’s blessing upon her when she was but a babe in arms on board a ship crossing the Atlantic Ocean going to America, following her father who had gone some time previously. Her mother was taken seriously ill on the voyage, and to all appearances would have been buried at sea, the doctor said she was dying. D. L. Moody and Sankey were there seeing all this, and Mr. Moody took the baby in his arms and prayed for the Lord’s blessing upon her, and her mother, and committed them to God’s care and keeping. Her mother recovered and they eventually reached America where they lived for about two years before returning to South Wales. I have often wondered whether the fervent prayer of that man of God has had very much to do with the great blessing Annie has been to hundreds of God’s people all along the years; in the Pentecostal movement especially where she was used in the ministry of the gifts of the Holy Spirit, Tongues, Interpretation, and Prophecy particularly in the last. Many leaders in South Wales can verify this, to name just a few-Pastor L. Jenkins of Newbridge, Pastor J. H. Phillips Bedlinog, Pastor William Owen Treharris.

EMOTION-YES ALL EMOTION! This was the verdict passed by three level-headed, highly intelligent, un-emotional deacons in a London chapel about the Revival. The mother of one of them lived in the Rhondda Valley, so they decided they would go down and stay a night or two in the mother’s house and then they would have a chance to prove that it was all Emotion, All Emotion. They caught the six p m from Paddington and arrived at their destination about eleven. One, whose mother it was, knocked open the door and they walked in. Seeing a girl who helped in the house, and not his mother, this one asked her "where is Mam?" "Oh!" she replied, "Down at the meeting in the Chapel, I just now came from there." She went on to add also, "It’s wonderful down in the meetings in the Chapel, nobody wants to come from there." "In the MEETING at eleven-o-clock at night" said the one "They must be going off their head right enough. Ridiculous! Nothing but a lot of EMOTION."

"Well said one of the others "Now is our opportunity to prove that it is all Emotion. Let’s go down to the meeting."

"To the meeting at this time of night? Not I. I’m not going to any meetings at nearly midnight."

"Well" said the same one again "This is what we came down here for, and here is our opportunity to prove it." So after some persuasion and pleading the three of them went to the meeting. They went in and found a seat and sat down. After a while listening to the wonderful singing, and the fervent praying, the hallelujahs, the Amen’s, and the Diolch Iddo’s; and seeing the meeting in full swing as if it were only six or seven, and not midnight-they began to wonder.

Then someone in the front noticed them, and asked them if one of them had a Word from the Lord. They had never been asked a question like that before-"A Word from the Lord?"

"Well" said one "He is the one to speak" and he pointed to his friend who was supposed to be able to speak spontaneously on any subject. The one in the front asked him if he had a Word from the Lord. He did not like to refuse so he got up to speak, but lo, to his amazement he could not utter one word. A lump had got in his throat, all he could do was to break down and cry and weep and asked them to pray for him. Now sooner had he asked for prayer than a number of young people surrounded then, and prayed for them. Praise the Lord, before that meeting closed those three level-headed, highly intelligent, sober-minded, un-emotional deacons had cried to God for mercy and were saved. Hallelujah.

Emotion had got them....