Prayer Challenge: Jonathan Edwards on Prayer

Thanks to Brian Overstreet for suggesting and also lending to me a copy of "A God Entranced Vision of All Things: The Legacy of Jonathan Edwards," edited by John Piper and Justin Taylor. I told Brian that I'd try to read a couple chapters by this Sunday when I present a lesson on the life of Jonthan Edwards. He gave me the book yesterday evening and I have read half of it already! In short, I highly recommend it to anyone interested in the life and theology of Edwards.

The following excerpt is from a chapter by Don Whitney, "Pursuing a Passion for God Through Spiritual Disciplines." It concerns the spiritual discipline of prayer and so I thought it would be good to post in light of our "Prayer Challenge."

"Edwards was so devoted to prayer that it is hard to find a daily routine for him that wasn't permeated with it. He prayed alone when he arose, then had family prayer before breakfast. Prayer was a part of each meal, and he prayed again with the family in the evening. He prayed over his studies, and he prayed as he walked in the evenings. Prayer was both a discipline and a part of his leisure...

"Prayer was so essential to Edwards's Christianity that the idea of a Christian who did not pray was preposterous. Some of the most sobering words he ever spoke were directed toward those who claimed to be followers of Jesus but who never prayed in private. In his sermon on "Hypocrites Deficient in the Duty of Prayer," Edwards solemnly declared: 'I would exhort those who have entertained a hope of their being true converts - and who since their supposed conversion have left off the duty of secret prayer, and ordinarily allow themselves in the omission of it - to throw away their hope. If you have left off calling upon God, it is time for you to leave off hoping and flattering yourselves with an imagination that you are children of God.'...

"It seemed contrary to Edwards's understanding of Scripture that anyone could be indwelled by the Holy Spirit, who causes God's children to 'cry out Abba Father!' (Romans 8:15) and yet not cry out to the Father in regular private prayer. Edwards testifies that when a person has a passion for God, he prays."