Jonathan Edwards on Prayer

“The LORD your God in your midst,
The Mighty One, will save;
He will rejoice over you with gladness,
He will quiet youwith His love,
He will rejoice over you with singing.” Zephaniah 3.17

An Humble Attempt
Jonathan Edwards (1703-1758)
 “A time of great and universal joy, we are taught to expect, will take place through all the earth, when ‘from the utmost ends of the earth shall be heard songs, even glory to the righteous,’ and God’s people ‘shall with joy draw water out of the wells of salvation’…Yea, the Scriptures represent it not only as a time of universal joy on earth, but extraordinary joy in heaven, among the angels and saints, the holy apostles and prophets there…”

Many believers today have difficulty “connecting” – if I may put it that way – with the unseen realm which spreads out all around, above, beneath, and through us. Yet the Lord observes our every movement, peering even to the depths of our souls. Holy saints and angels surround us, watching as we run our race, and, the Scriptures indicate, are affected by our grief and joy. There is rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents, as we know. How much joy must there be in heaven – not to mention among the myriads of lost sinners, waiting to be redeemed – when revival engulfs and renews the people of God? Jesus intends to reap the whole earth for His glory (Rev. 14.14-16). As we pray for revival, joining our prayers with departed saints and holy angels, let us ask the Lord to embolden us to join Him in this great work.

How do you help the people in your church to practice the reality of the unseen realm, and to evidence their engagement with it as a vital aspect of their faith (Heb. 11.1)?

T. M. Moore

An Humble Attempt
If you have not read Edwards’ book on praying for revival, I urge you to do so. We’ll send it to you in a free PDF which you can print or download to your e-reader. Just email me at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.and request Jonathan Edwards’ An Humble Attempt.

Learn to Pray for Revival – and Pray!
We currently conduct three meetings to pray for revival, enlisting participants from around the country to come together in our online prayer room once a month – or once a week – to seek the Lord for revival. We use selected psalms to guide our time together, and spend around 30 minutes in prayer together. Join us. We’d like to begin a second weekly group, convening at 4:00 Eastern time each Thursday, to seek the Lord for revival. If you’d like to be part of this group, or if you would like to join an existing revival prayer group, send me an email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

The Fellowship of Ailbe is supported through the generous and faithful gifts of those who benefit from and believe in our work. Does the Lord want to use you in this way? Please look to Him in prayer over this question. You can contribute to The Fellowship of Ailbe by using the Contribute button at our website, or by sending your gift to The Fellowship of Ailbe, 19 Tyler Drive, Essex Junction, VT 05452. Thank you.

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 are from Jonathan Edwards, An Humble Attempt, &c. in Edward Hickman, ed. The Works of Jonathan Edwards(Edinburgh: The Banner of Truth Trust, 1834, 1995), Vol. Two, pp. 278ff.