Jonathan Edwards on Prayer

We are of God. He who knows God hears us; he who is not of God does not hear us. By this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error. 1 John 4.6

Distinguishing Marks
Jonathan Edwards (1703-1758)
“The spirit that operates in such a manner, as to cause in men a greater regard to the Holy Scriptures, and establishes them more in their truth and divinity, is certainly the Spirit of God…A spirit of delusion will not incline persons to seek direction at the mouth of God. To the law and to the testimony, is never the cry of those evil spirits that have no light in them; for it is God’s own direction to discover their delusions.”

In times of revival, people turn to the Word of God with new fervor, conviction, diligence, consistency, and joy. They don’t have to be coaxed or cajoled into reading, meditating in, and studying the Bible. They hunger for God’s Word, and long for the Spirit to open its treasures to them, and by it, to transform them into the image of our Lord Jesus Christ. When people set aside the time for being with God in His Word; when they show real delight in studying the things of Christ, in hearing the Word preached and taught, and in growing in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ, then we can know that the Spirit is working in our midst for true revival. We should pray for this, that God would make His people conscious of their need for the pure milk of His Word, and that He would stir in them a hunger and thirst for righteousness, so that they plunge into the Word daily, taking it in and living it out, and eagerly sharing their discoveries with one another. Let this be our vision, and let it be our prayer, and it may please God to revive us in our day.

How would you describe the Bible reading and study practices of the people entrusted to your care? Ask a few.

Jonathan Edwards on Prayer
We have put together our 8-week series of Jonathan Edwards on prayer into a 28-day morning and evening meditation entitled, Give Him No Rest. To each of these 56 meditations we have added a prayer prompt, to guide you in taking the words of Scripture and Edwards to heart. This is an excellent resource for personal use, family devotions, or a staff-and-church-leaders study in prayer. And it’s free. For your copy of Give Him No Rest: Jonathan Edwards on Prayer, simply send me an email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Pastors’ Webinar on Forgiveness
Our Spring Pastors’ Webinar will feature Dr. Stan Gale speaking on the subject, “Finding Forgiveness.” We have space for 15 men to join, and all you have to do to secure a spot is drop me a note at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Dr. Gale brings many years of pastoral experience to this subject, and he will be speaking on the role of forgiveness in the life of the individual believer and the local church. We’ll follow his presentation with Q & A and discussion, so if you’d like to participate, let me know right away.

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, Distinguishing Marks of a Work of the Spirit of God, in Edward Hickman, ed. The Works of Jonathan Edwards(Edinburgh: The Banner of Truth Trust, 1834, 1995), Vol. Two, pp. 257ff.