John Hyde

John Hyde was born in 1865 in Carthage, Illinois. His father was a Presbyterian minister. After undergraduate training at Mc Cormack Theological Seminary, John sailed for India in 1892.

The images above (anticlockwise) are:  Chenab River – near Sialkot, Lahore Fort – Airknight, Nankana Sahib – Jeev, Faisalabad, Noor Mahal – Bahawalpur, Masjid Wazir Khan – Lahore.

 

Principles of the Punjab Prayer Union

At first, John Hyde was not an outstanding missionary. Then, in 1904, John and a small group of other missionaries established the principles of ‘Punjab Prayer Union.’ Those principles were:

1. “Are you praying for quickening in your won life, in the life of your fellow-workers, and in the life of the church?”
2. “Are you longing for greater power of the Holy Spirit in your own life and work, and are you convicted that you cannot go on without the power?”
3. “Will you pray that you may not be ashamed of Jesus?”
4. “Do you believer that prayer is the great means for securing this spiritual awakening?”
5. “Will you set apart one half-hour each day as soon after noon as possible to pray for this awakening, and are you will to pray until this awakening comes?”

They waited and tarried in prayer before God for one whole month. It is hardly surprising that a great spiritual revival came to Saikot which had far reaching reverberations throughout India. They came by there hundreds and then by there thousands. Thousands were brought into the kingdom of God through the prayers, the intercession of John Hyde as he wept for the lost.

Fascinated by the Cross

At an annual convention at Sialkot, Hyde said, “For a year now, I have been fascinated by the cross, I cannot speak on any other subject now.” Hyde very carefully and graphically outlined the meaning for cross. He would lead his listeners step to know the sorrow and suffering of Christ as he hung upon the cross. Hyde was immersed into the suffering  and death of Christ through meditation and prayer. he entered into a mystical fellowship with Christ’s sufferings. All of self was immersed into the crucified lamb of God at Calvary.

When Hyde emerged from the prayer room, he was bathed in such an incredibly heavenly presence. It was this heavenly presence of Christ that drew many souls to him. Before long, they were on their knees and Hyde was leading them to Christ.

After twelve years in the mission field Hyde received insight into sanctification of faith. Hyde said that we must observe our identification with Christ in His crucifixion, death and burial. If we take this position by faith, through prayer and meditation, then we shall also experience our identification with Christ – being revived, raised and seated with Him in the heavenly places. Hyde believed that this was the key that qualified Christian to become effective soul-winners for Christ.

A Holy Man who knew God

In prayer, John Hyde entered into the intercessions of Christ. He would often walk up and down as if an inward fire were burning in his bones. He would be so heartbroken and weighed down with the sins of the land that he would break out in weeping. Hyde would be called upon throughout the nation of India for revivals and spiritual life conventions. Many were swept into the kingdom of God through Hyde’s obedience to prayer.

John Hyde was recognized by the people of India as a ‘Holy Man’ who knew God. After Hyde had labored almost twenty years in the mission fields of India, he returned to the United States. The days of his sojourn upon this earth were drawing to a close. A higher heavenly calling was close art hand. John Hyde, the apostle of intercession went to be with the Lord on February 17, 1912.

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