The Grace of God in the Suffering of Jonathan Edwards by Pastor Charlie Handren

Jonathan Edwards served for twenty-one years (1729-1750) as the preaching Pastor of the Church of Christ in Stockbridge, Massachusetts, a position held for about fifty years by his father-in-law and immediate predecessor, Solomon Stoddard. After decades of fruitful ministry, the congregation, along with area leaders, fired Edwards over issues related to the theology and practice of communion.

History has shown that Edwards was right on the issues and that the congregation was wrong to fire him, but at the time, this decision plunged his family into a season of suffering. I cannot explain here the details of their predicament or suffering, but I would like to highlight several ways in which God used these things in Edwards’ life.

First, God used this time to humble Edwards. As modern people, it’s hard for us to imagine this, but Edwards could not just pick up his family and move from Northampton. Travel was difficult, and moving an entire house-full of possessions was very difficult, and so Edwards was forced to live for over a year in the town that had just fired him—he had to interact with these people, do business with them, endure the on-going criticisms of his ministry, and find some way to bless those who were cursing him. Although this was exceedingly difficult for him, God used this experience to form a more humble heart in Edwards and thus to mold him all the more into the image of Jesus. 

Second, in due time, Edwards took another position at a church in Stockbridge, Massachusetts. This little church of around 100 people was situated on the edge of the “wilderness” and was therefore a missionary outpost to the Native Americans who lived in that area. Some years before, the Edwards’s had hosted the pioneering missionary David Brainerd in their home and watched him succumb to illness and die. This personal relationship to Brainerd, as well as the experience of editing and publishing his now famous journal, put a burning desire for missionary work into Edwards’ heart. Because of the difficulties at Northampton, Edwards was able to give vent to this fervent desire for about seven years.

Finally, because Edwards had only one-tenth of the people under his care in the Stockbridge church, he was able to write several of his most enduring books, namely, Freedom of the Will, The End for which God Created the World, The Nature of True Virtue, and Original Sin. These works in large measure are what caused Jonathan Edwards to become the towering figure he is today, and they likely would not have been written if his ministry in Northampton continued.

So what can we learn from Edwards’ difficult experience? Mainly that God can be trusted and that we should heed the wisdom of 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 to rejoice, pray, and give thanks at all times, for God will work all things for his glory and our good in Him (see Romans 8:28-30).