Jonathan Edwards on Prayer

As for me, I will call upon God,
And the LORD shall save me.
Evening and morning and at noon
I will pray, and cry aloud,
And He shall hear my voice. Psalm 55.16, 17

An Humble Attempt
Jonathan Edwards (1703-1758)
“The greatest effusion of the Spirit that ever yet has been, even that which was in the primitive times of the Christian church, which began in Jerusalem, on the day of Pentecost, was in answer to extraordinary prayer…according to Christ’s direction, after his ascension, they returned to Jerusalem, and continued in united fervent prayer and supplication…till the Spirit came down in a wonderful manner upon them…”

Edwards, remember, is insisting that we must invest “explicit agreement and visible union of all God’s people in extraordinary prayer for the revival of religion” if we are going to realize what God so earnestly desires for us to know. As J. Edwin Orr points out in his extraordinary and concise overview of modern revivals, great outpourings of God’s Spirit have always begun with people uniting to pray. This means getting together with a single focus, praying at unusual times, and praying fervently, even for extended seasons – all pleading with the Lord and “giving Him no rest” until He pours out His Spirit on us anew, not for salvation, but for revival. This movement has begun again in our day. Won’t you devote a portion of your time to being part of it?

What is preventing you from joining or beginning such a prayer effort in your own church? What will it require of you to do so?

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.