John Nelson Hyde
Encyclopedia
John Nelson Hyde was an American
missionary
who preached in the Punjab
.
Born in Illinois, the son of a Presbyterian minister. This minister prayed that God
would raise up more missionaries. John Hyde passed college and became a member of the faculty. Strangly, he resigned and entered into McCormick Theological Seminary
. His elder brother Edmund was also in the seminary. Edmund dreamt of being a preacher, so in pursuit of this dream
he went to preach in Montana but suddenly died of a fever
. John wondered if he would take his brother's place. In his senior year he asked a fellow student, Mr. Konkle, for his argument supporting missionary work. That night he decided to become a missionary at last.
He came to believe that God was calling him to India
. He departed to India
in 1892 to preach in the Punjab region. While he was heading to Punjab, he read a letter from a friend who said he would ask God to fill John with the Holy Spirit
. Angry at the suggestion that he did not already have the Spirit he threw it away. However he then humbled himself and prayed to God for help.
As he was partially deaf he struggled to learn the native languages. Also while in India he continued to focus his study mostly on scripture. His mission at first gained few converts, and endured persecution. So he began to pray very intensely. From 1899 he began to spend entire nights in prayer to God. Starting in 1904 he began to attend a conference at Sialkot
. He formed the Punjab Prayer Union, the members of which set aside half an hour a day to prayer for spiritual revival. In 1908 he told the conference his dream that there would be one conversion a day. A year later over 400 more converts had been made. He came to be called 'Praying Hyde' for his passionate prayers to reached lost souls. Near the end of Hyde's life, it was discovered that he was very unwell. His heart had moved from its normal position (in the left) to the right. He went home to America. He died there, in February 1912. His last words were "Shout the victory of Jesus Christ!"
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
missionary
Missionary
A missionary is a member of a religious group sent into an area to do evangelism or ministries of service, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care and economic development. The word "mission" originates from 1598 when the Jesuits sent members abroad, derived from the Latin...
who preached in the Punjab
Punjab region
The Punjab , also spelled Panjab |water]]s"), is a geographical region straddling the border between Pakistan and India which includes Punjab province in Pakistan and the states of the Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Chandigarh and some northern parts of the National Capital Territory of Delhi...
.
Born in Illinois, the son of a Presbyterian minister. This minister prayed that God
God
God is the English name given to a singular being in theistic and deistic religions who is either the sole deity in monotheism, or a single deity in polytheism....
would raise up more missionaries. John Hyde passed college and became a member of the faculty. Strangly, he resigned and entered into McCormick Theological Seminary
McCormick Theological Seminary
McCormick Theological Seminary is one of eleven schools of theology of the Presbyterian Church . It shares a campus with the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago, bordering the campus of the University of Chicago in Chicago, Illinois...
. His elder brother Edmund was also in the seminary. Edmund dreamt of being a preacher, so in pursuit of this dream
Dream
Dreams are successions of images, ideas, emotions, and sensations that occur involuntarily in the mind during certain stages of sleep. The content and purpose of dreams are not definitively understood, though they have been a topic of scientific speculation, philosophical intrigue and religious...
he went to preach in Montana but suddenly died of a fever
Fever
Fever is a common medical sign characterized by an elevation of temperature above the normal range of due to an increase in the body temperature regulatory set-point. This increase in set-point triggers increased muscle tone and shivering.As a person's temperature increases, there is, in...
. John wondered if he would take his brother's place. In his senior year he asked a fellow student, Mr. Konkle, for his argument supporting missionary work. That night he decided to become a missionary at last.
He came to believe that God was calling him to India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. He departed to India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
in 1892 to preach in the Punjab region. While he was heading to Punjab, he read a letter from a friend who said he would ask God to fill John with the Holy Spirit
Holy Spirit
Holy Spirit is a term introduced in English translations of the Hebrew Bible, but understood differently in the main Abrahamic religions.While the general concept of a "Spirit" that permeates the cosmos has been used in various religions Holy Spirit is a term introduced in English translations of...
. Angry at the suggestion that he did not already have the Spirit he threw it away. However he then humbled himself and prayed to God for help.
As he was partially deaf he struggled to learn the native languages. Also while in India he continued to focus his study mostly on scripture. His mission at first gained few converts, and endured persecution. So he began to pray very intensely. From 1899 he began to spend entire nights in prayer to God. Starting in 1904 he began to attend a conference at Sialkot
Sialkot
Sialkot is a city in Pakistan situated in the north-east of the Punjab province at the foothills of snow-covered peaks of Kashmir near the Chenab river. It is the capital of Sialkot District. The city is about north-west of Lahore and only a few kilometers from Indian-controlled Jammu.The...
. He formed the Punjab Prayer Union, the members of which set aside half an hour a day to prayer for spiritual revival. In 1908 he told the conference his dream that there would be one conversion a day. A year later over 400 more converts had been made. He came to be called 'Praying Hyde' for his passionate prayers to reached lost souls. Near the end of Hyde's life, it was discovered that he was very unwell. His heart had moved from its normal position (in the left) to the right. He went home to America. He died there, in February 1912. His last words were "Shout the victory of Jesus Christ!"