An Iowan from our past who inspires our future

"Prayer is the greatest force that we can wield. It is the greatest talent which God has given us. He has given it to every person... We may differ among ourselves as to wealth, as to our social position, as to our education, as to our ability, as to our inherited characteristics; but in this matter of exercising the greatest force that is at work in the world today, we are on the same footing."
-John Mott

John R. Mott was a pretty regular guy like us. Grew up in Postville, Iowa. Went to Upper Iowa University and then transferred to Cornell University. Started praying a lot when he was a student, like the above quote talks about.

Mott lead the Student Volunteer Movement which was about getting college kids excited about missions and taking the gospel to the nations. SVM also focused a lot on getting people to pray.
Put together the first ever "World Missionary Conference" in Scotland in 1910. Mott kept praying.
Wrote a book called The Evangelization of the World in this Generation. John cried out to God for more in prayer. Became the leader of the Young Men's Christian Association, or YMCA. His prayers increased as they were answered.

At the twilight of a life of crying out to God and mobilizing students to be ambassadors for the gospel, Mott was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts and the ways that God answered his prayers. As you can see, his life was pretty simple. Kid from Iowa goes to college, strikes up a conversation with the Lord, and keeps going where that takes him. This simplicity was summed up this way by the man who was presenting John Mott with the Nobel Prize:

"He was an apostle of a simple Christianity, presented in a form which made it living and real to the people to whom it was addressed."

Lord, give us a simple faith to pray simple prayers. They are powerful in and of themselves. May our relationship with You be living and real to all those around us.