When God Gave Increase: David Brainerd’s Fruitful Preaching | Jonathan Edwards

An episode of the Reformed Thinking podcast, hosted by Edison Wu, titled "When God Gave Increase: David Brainerd’s Fruitful Preaching | Jonathan Edwards" was published on December 23, 2025 and runs 28 minutes.

December 23, 2025 ·28m · Reformed Thinking

0:00 / 0:00

Summary

Deep Dive into The Life And Diary Of David Brainerd by Jonathan Edwards - Preaching Met with Remarkable SuccessThe diary excerpts provide a detailed look into the demanding life and profound spiritual experiences of David Brainerd during his missionary work among the Indians, primarily at the Forks of Delaware and during arduous travels to places like Susquehannah. Brainerd continually grappled with extreme physical fragility, enduring constant headaches, severe feebleness, and periods of overwhelming sickness, once even nearly perishing in a wilderness storm after his horse was incapacitated.Despite his bodily weakness, his spiritual life was marked by intense dedication. He spent extensive time in fervent, often prolonged, prayer, wrestling for the conversion of the poor heathen and the enlargement of Christ’s kingdom. His reliance on God was absolute, recognizing that without divine help, the task of converting the Indians was "as dark as midnight." Simultaneously, he struggled immensely with internal sin, frequently expressing anguish, guilt, and a powerful sense of his own vileness and pollution, often fearing that he mocked God through his wandering thoughts.Brainerd's journal chronicles intense cycles of spiritual experience: deep dejection and melancholy, often linked to his physical health, were interspersed with seasons of extraordinary spiritual joy, known as "sweetness," where divine truths were revealed with clearness and his soul was enlarged in prayer. He expressed a total mortification to the world, desiring to live only to gain souls for Christ, and often longed for death as a means to achieve perfect holiness and escape spiritual barrenness.His ministry was not without fruit. He noted instances of success, including attention and seriousness among his Indian hearers, and powerful awakenings among white congregations in New Jersey. Whether experiencing success or deep discouragement, he consistently dedicated himself entirely to God, ready to endure any hardship to advance his mission.Reformed Theologian GPT: https://chat.openai.com/g/g-XXwzX1gnv-reformed-theologianhttps://buymeacoffee.com/edi2730

Episode Description

Deep Dive into The Life And Diary Of David Brainerd by Jonathan Edwards - Preaching Met with Remarkable Success

The diary excerpts provide a detailed look into the demanding life and profound spiritual experiences of David Brainerd during his missionary work among the Indians, primarily at the Forks of Delaware and during arduous travels to places like Susquehannah. Brainerd continually grappled with extreme physical fragility, enduring constant headaches, severe feebleness, and periods of overwhelming sickness, once even nearly perishing in a wilderness storm after his horse was incapacitated.

Despite his bodily weakness, his spiritual life was marked by intense dedication. He spent extensive time in fervent, often prolonged, prayer, wrestling for the conversion of the poor heathen and the enlargement of Christ’s kingdom. His reliance on God was absolute, recognizing that without divine help, the task of converting the Indians was "as dark as midnight." Simultaneously, he struggled immensely with internal sin, frequently expressing anguish, guilt, and a powerful sense of his own vileness and pollution, often fearing that he mocked God through his wandering thoughts.

Brainerd's journal chronicles intense cycles of spiritual experience: deep dejection and melancholy, often linked to his physical health, were interspersed with seasons of extraordinary spiritual joy, known as "sweetness," where divine truths were revealed with clearness and his soul was enlarged in prayer. He expressed a total mortification to the world, desiring to live only to gain souls for Christ, and often longed for death as a means to achieve perfect holiness and escape spiritual barrenness.

His ministry was not without fruit. He noted instances of success, including attention and seriousness among his Indian hearers, and powerful awakenings among white congregations in New Jersey. Whether experiencing success or deep discouragement, he consistently dedicated himself entirely to God, ready to endure any hardship to advance his mission.

Reformed Theologian GPT: https://chat.openai.com/g/g-XXwzX1gnv-reformed-theologian

https://buymeacoffee.com/edi2730