Uncle John Vassar

As I have continued to read the book, Our Faithful God: Answers to Prayer, I have been introduced to a man by the name of John Vassar who was called, by those who knew him, Uncle John Vassar.

I will have to say that I had never heard of John Vassar before but, in the little bit that I read about him, I came to realize that he was certainly a man of prayer. (Click here to read a brief biographical sketch about John Vassar.)

Of John Vassar it was written:

"...the last thing at night before his eyes closed was prayer, and the first when his eyes opened. After an experience of twenty years, I am free to say that I never knew a man who prayed so much, and I never knew a man who lived so constantly in the sunshine of a Saviour's presence and love. If ever a man lived Christ, it was John E. Vassar."

"In Uncle John's heart the deepest emotion was love for his Saviour. Deeper than the love of home, deeper than the love of kindred, deeper than the love of country, aye, deeper than the love of life, was his affection for the Redeemer who had first loved him and given Himself for him."

In reading that, I was reminded of the words of our Savior:

"If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple.” Luke 14:26

It is recorded that Billy Sunday, in one of his messages, said of John Vassar:

"John Vassar was one of the greatest personal workers of the nineteenth century. He never preached a sermon, but he did personal work. He was a wonder."

The American Tract Society, in the mid 19th century, published a book about John Vassar that was written by his nephew. I am currently working on locating that book so that I can read it with an eye to, in the future, make it available to our church family.

Until next time...Reach 1!