“Prayer will bring blessing upon a church. It will settle church quarrels, allay misunderstandings, root out heresy, and bring down gracious revivals from God. Dr. Spencer tells, in his ‘Pastor’s Sketches,’ how a great revival was brought down upon his church by the prayers of a godly old man who was shut up in his room by lameness. In Philadelphia during the pastorate of Dr. Thomas Skinner, three men of God came together in his study to pray. ‘They literally wrestled in prayer.’ From this meeting sprang up a powerful revival in that city. One of the most notable, wide-spread and enduring revivals ever known in this land, according to the account given by Mr. Finney, arose from the prayers of a humble woman who had never seen a revival but was led to lay hold of God for this. One of the greatest needs of the hour is that some of God’s children should devote themselves to calling upon God until He visits this land again with a mighty outpouring of His Spirit. There have been in times past great revivals without very much preaching, and with almost no machinery. There has never been a great and true revival without much prayer. Many modern so-called revivals are gotten up by man’s machinery. Genuine revivals are brought down by prayer.”
–R. A. Torrey – How to Obtain Fullness of Power in Christian Life and Service – Rev. Torrey died at his home in Asheville, North Carolina on October 26, 1928.