In the early 1970s, Jim Cymbala, a former basketball player from Brooklyn, New York, found himself leading a small, struggling congregation in a rundown part of the city. The Brooklyn Tabernacle had only about 20 members, and Jim felt ill-equipped and on the brink of giving up. He cried out to God for guidance, and God revealed to him that the church should be built on prayer. Jim understood that if he and his wife would lead God's people to pray and call upon His name, they would never lack for something fresh to preach.
The church embraced this calling, and Tuesday night prayer meetings became the lifeline of the congregation. This shift in focus led to an astounding transformation. The church began to grow, with countless testimonies of lives changed through prayer. By 2012, the Brooklyn Tabernacle had expanded to over 16,000 members.
One of the most touching stories of transformation was that of Jim and Carol Cymbala's daughter, Chrissy. During a turbulent period in her teenage years, Chrissy turned away from her faith, leaving her parents heartbroken. But they didn't give up. During a Tuesday night prayer meeting in 1991, a church member gave Jim a note saying that tonight was Chrissy's night. The congregation prayed fervently, and soon after, Chrissy experienced a profound encounter with God. She returned to her parents, confessing her sin and sharing how God had woken her up in the middle of the night, showing her she was heading toward a chasm with no bottom. He put His arms around her and showed her that He loved her and had a plan for her life.
Chrissy's life was restored, and she later directed the music program at a Bible school, marrying a man of faith and joining him in ministry. Jim and Carol Cymbala's ministry continues to emphasize the power of prayer, impacting lives across the globe. As Jim often shares, persistent calling upon the name of the Lord breaks through every stronghold of the devil, for nothing is impossible with God.
