Latest / Voices Of Life / Did You Know? - September 23: Perseverance • Mission • Faithfulness • Prayer

Transcript

Did You Know? - September 23: Perseverance • Mission • Faithfulness • Prayer · Voices Of Life

• 0:00
  Welcome to the Did You Know series of the Voices
• 0:04
  of Life podcast, a ministry of the Church for
• 0:07
  Life. A place where faith speaks, where history
• 0:11
  breathes, and where hope finds its voice again.
• 0:15
  Each episode is crafted to inspire, to strengthen,
• 0:18
  and to guide you on your walk with God. And now,
• 0:22
  to lead us through today's journey, here is your
• 0:27
  host. Pastor David. Welcome to the Voices of
• 0:31
  Life, a ministry of the Church for Life. I'm
• 0:34
  Pastor David. In today's Did You Know, that September
• 0:39
  23rd carries three stories of courage, completion,
• 0:43
  and prayer. A captain who refused to surrender,
• 0:47
  an expedition that finally came home, and a businessman
• 0:51
  who prayed alone until others joined him. September
• 0:55
  23 reminds us that the mission isn't finished
• 0:58
  just because the moment is difficult. Let's begin
• 1:02
  with a battle that became a symbol of determination.
• 1:08
  On September 23, 1779, Commodore John Paul Jones
• 1:15
  engaged the British warship HMS Serapis off the
• 1:20
  coast of England. Jones commanded the Bonhomme
• 1:23
  Richard, a former French merchant vessel armed
• 1:27
  for combat. The battle was brutal. The ships
• 1:30
  collided, became entangled, and fought for more
• 1:34
  than three hours. The Bonhomme Richard was sinking,
• 1:39
  but Jones refused to surrender. When asked if
• 1:43
  he had struck his colors, he reportedly answers,
• 1:47
  I have not yet begun to fight. Historians debate
• 1:52
  the exact wording, but the meaning is clear.
• 1:55
  Jones would not abandon the mission simply because
• 1:58
  circumstances were overwhelming. Eventually,
• 2:02
  the Serapis surrendered. Jones transferred his
• 2:05
  crew to the captured ship as Bonhomme Richard
• 2:09
  sank beneath the waves. This moment speaks to
• 2:15
  perseverance not stubbornness but faithfulness
• 2:19
  sometimes the mission god gives us doesn't look
• 2:23
  victorious sometimes it looks damaged exhausted
• 2:26
  even sinking in this case but perseverance says
• 2:31
  i'm not finished yet galatians 6 verse 9 declares
• 2:36
  let us not grow weary in doing good and paul
• 2:41
  writes in second timothy Verse 47, I have fought
• 2:49
  the good fight. I have finished the race. I have
• 2:54
  kept the faith. Very important words. Moving
• 3:00
  up to 1806. So on September 23rd, 1806, the Corps
• 3:07
  of Discovery returned to St. Louis after one
• 3:11
  of the most extraordinary journeys in American
• 3:13
  history. Led by Captains Meriwether Lewis and
• 3:17
  William Clark, the expedition had traveled across
• 3:21
  the continent, reached the Pacific Ocean, and
• 3:25
  then made the long journey home. Two years, four
• 3:29
  months, and ten days. As they approached St.
• 3:31
  Louis, the men fired their weapons in salute.
• 3:36
  Crowds gathered along the shore and gave three
• 3:39
  cheers. Lewis wrote to President Jefferson, announcing
• 3:44
  their safe return and reporting they had carried
• 3:47
  out every instruction given to them. The Corps
• 3:50
  documented 122 animal species and 178 plant species,
• 3:59
  mapped vast territories, and recorded invaluable
• 4:03
  scientific and cultural information. And even
• 4:07
  after returning home, their mission continued.
• 4:11
  organizing records, reporting findings, and preparing
• 4:14
  to meet with President Jefferson. This moment
• 4:18
  speaks to completion. Sometimes perseverance
• 4:21
  means refusing to surrender, but sometimes perseverance
• 4:26
  means simply continuing the journey until you
• 4:29
  finally arrive home. A long road does not mean
• 4:32
  the destination has disappeared. For the Church
• 4:36
  of Life, this connects beautifully to our message
• 4:39
  of hope. And meaning, the journey matters because
• 4:43
  the destination is real. And now we move up to
• 4:47
  1857. What was known as the Fulton Street Prayer
• 4:53
  Meeting begins. On Wednesday, September 23, 1857,
• 4:59
  Jeremiah Landfire opened a noon prayer meeting
• 5:03
  in New York City. He had invited merchants, mechanics,
• 5:07
  clerks, strangers, and business people. anyone
• 5:10
  who needed a moment to stop in the middle of
• 5:14
  their workday and pray. The meeting was scheduled
• 5:17
  from noon to 1, but people could stay 5 or 10
• 5:23
  minutes if work demanded it. At noon, Lanphire
• 5:27
  opened the meeting. Nobody came. He waited. He
• 5:34
  prayed. For 30 minutes, He was all alone. Then
• 5:40
  one person arrived. Then another. By the end
• 5:45
  of the hour, six people had gathered. That small
• 5:49
  beginning became the Fulton Street Prayer Meeting,
• 5:52
  a movement that spread across New York and then
• 5:56
  across the nation during 1857 and 1858 for a
• 6:01
  prayer revival. Lionfire didn't know six. would
• 6:07
  come. But he started anyway. This moment speaks
• 6:12
  directly to faithfulness in prayer. Landfire
• 6:15
  didn't measure success by attendance or applause.
• 6:19
  He measured success by obedience. Matthew 18
• 6:23
  verse 20 says, Where two or three are gathered
• 6:28
  in my name, there am I along with them. James
• 6:33
  5 verse 16 declares, the prayer of a righteous
• 6:38
  person has great power as it is working. And
• 6:43
  Zechariah 4, verse 10 reminds us, do not despise
• 6:50
  these small beginnings. Six people praying became
• 6:55
  a movement. Faithfulness matters even when the
• 7:00
  room is small. And you know, I'll share My particular
• 7:05
  viewpoint and experience with this, when the
• 7:11
  Church for Life decided to start the podcast,
• 7:15
  and we started Voices of Life, we had zero. Just
• 7:20
  like him. No different. And it took time. But
• 7:24
  we started to build an audience. Build an audience
• 7:27
  within the United States. Build an audience around
• 7:31
  the world. Because we have... People that listen
• 7:34
  from several different countries. And it's not
• 7:39
  important that we started with none. It's important
• 7:44
  that we persevered and continued. And that we
• 7:50
  did. September 23 gives us three pictures of
• 7:55
  perseverance and faithfulness. John Paul Jones
• 7:58
  said, I have not yet begun to fight. Lewis and
• 8:03
  Clark said, we completed the journey and came
• 8:07
  home. And Jeremiah Lamphire said, I will pray
• 8:12
  even if nobody comes. Sometimes perseverance
• 8:17
  means refusing to surrender. Sometimes it means
• 8:19
  continuing the journey. And sometimes it means
• 8:21
  simply doing what God has placed before you,
• 8:25
  even when you stand alone. Faithfulness isn't
• 8:29
  measured by numbers. Faithfulness is measured
• 8:32
  by obedience. Thank you for joining us on this
• 8:37
  Voices of Life Did You Know broadcast. Perseverance,
• 8:41
  mission, faithfulness, and prayer. Three stories,
• 8:46
  one message, a life of meaning. This is Voices
• 8:51
  of Life. I'm Pastor David, and I'll see you next
• 8:55
  time. Thank you for joining us today. On the
• 8:59
  Voices of Life podcast, a ministry of the Church
• 9:02
  for Life. As we close, may the stories we share
• 9:07
  strengthen your faith, steady your heart, and
• 9:10
  remind you that God is present in every chapter
• 9:13
  of your journey. If this episode encouraged you,
• 9:17
  share it with someone who needs hope. And until
• 9:22
  we meet again, walk in truth, stand in courage.
• 9:27
  And keep listening for the voice that leads you
• 9:29
  forward. This has been Voices of Life. Peace
• 9:33
  be with you.