Jonathan Edwards on Prayer

“Thus says the LORD who made it, the LORD who formed it to establish it (the LORD is His name): ‘Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.’” Jeremiah 33.2, 3

Hypocrites Deficient in the Duty of Prayer
Jonathan Edwards (1703-1758)
“Hypocrites have no interest in those gracious promises which God hath made to his people, of those spiritual supplies which are needful in order to uphold them in the way of their duty to the end…But hypocrites have no interest in these and such like promises; and therefore are liable to fall away.”

It’s astonishing how cool and indifferent Christians can be to the exceedingly great and precious promises of God (2 Pet. 1.4). God promises to meet us in prayer, and show us “great things” and “mysteries” (the literal translation of “mighty things”) which we’ve never known before. He promises to answer us as we persist in calling on Him. Does that entice us? Do we get excited thinking that God awaits our coming to Him in prayer, that He might show us bigger and more “beyond” things than we’ve ever known before (Eph. 3.20)? That He might bring us into His promises with such presence and power, that we will actually partake of Him in a glory-filled way? If such prospects do not incite us to pray, then this says something about the genuineness of our faith, or at least, about our spiritual health and growth. God offers great and glorious promises, which He makes available to us through prayer – earnest, seeking, secret prayer. Do we have interest in such promises?

How would you summarize God’s precious and very great promises for a new believer (2 Pet. 1.4; cf. Gen. 12.1-3)? How consistent are you in holding these promises before the people you serve?

Men of the Church: A Solemn Warning, A Serious Call, An Amazing Hope
God is looking for men who will pray. The consequences of His not finding any are very serious, indeed. Download this free brochure, Men of the Church (click here), and let the voice of God call you to begin taking the work of prayer more seriously.

Revival Prayer Groups
Three groups of men from around the country meet once a month to pray for revival: The third Monday at 9:00 pm; the third Tuesday at 10:00 am, and the third Wednesday at 9:00 pm (all times Eastern). Join us as we look to the psalms to guide us in praying together for revival in our online conference room. If you’d like to join one of these groups, or if you’d like to talk about starting a new group at a different time, drop me a line at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., and let’s chat. In the meantime, order a copy of our book, Restore Us!, to learn more about the why and how of praying for revival (click here).

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Except as indicated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.All quotations from Jonathan Edwards, “Hypocrites Deficient in the Duty of Prayer” in Edward Hickman, ed., The Works of Jonathan Edwards (Edinburgh: The Banner of Truth Trust, 1834, 1995), Volume Two, pp. 71 ff.