Jonathan Edwards on Revival

Seek the LORD and His strength;
Seek His face evermore! Psalm 105.4

An Humble Attempt
Jonathan Edwards (1703-1758)
“Now therefore, if this is what Jesus Christ, our great Redeemer and head of the church, did so much desire, and set his heart upon, from all eternity, and for which he did and suffered so much, offering up strong crying and tears, and his precious blood, to obtain it; surely his disciples and members should also seek it, and be much in prayer for it.”

Everything Jesus did was motivated by love and designed to purchase and redeem a people for God’s own possession. Consider to what lengths He went to obtain this! When we hear that something like this – some greater measure of what Jesus Himself sought, some deeper and more widely known measure of His great salvation – may be realized through united, specific, extraordinary prayer for the Spirit of God and revival, how can we not respond to this summons, and make every effort to be found seeking what Jesus sought, with fervor appropriate to what the Lord commands? Is this too much of an offering to ask, for Him Who offered His all? Find or start a group that will meet at least monthly to seek the Lord and His strength, and to cry out for His face and Spirit, until revival sweeps up the churches, and awakening breaks out all around.

How would you explain to a new believer what it means to seek the Lord for revival and renewal, and why he should?

T. M. Moore

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..

Ready for Revival?
Are you praying for revival? Are you gathering others to pray with you? Are you preparing your church for the coming harvest? You can, and you should. Two resources from our bookstore can help. The book, Restore Us!, can provide the rationale, resources, and encouragement you need to take up this calling as an ongoing aspect of your walk with and work for the Lord. Order your copy by clicking here. And our book, Preparing Your Church for Revival, shows you how to ready the hearts of church members and leaders for the work we look to God to do in our community. Order your copy by clicking here.

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.