Do you know the story of the Great Awakening?
Back in 1720, the American colonies were in moral decline. Pastor Jonathan Edwards was greatly grieved by the condition of his church- the worldliness and dryness of his flock. He began to passionately pray for God to send revival.
One Sunday, God moved. Edwards was preaching his now-famous sermon “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God”. Suddenly, the congregation fell in a great repentance and conversion. People were saved. Lives were changed.
The revival swept through the colonies. Thousands came to know the Lord or renew their walk with Him. The culture was changed- jails sat empty, pubs were neglected. People kept busy with their churches, their families, their work, and their devotion to God.
Several preachers traveled through the colonies, used by God to carry the Great Awakening. One of them was George Whitefield. He preached some of his most famous sermons in Philadelphia near what is now called Independence Hall.
Benjamin Franklin enjoyed Whitefield and brought his friend, Lawrence Tribble to hear him. After a moving sermon, Tribble went home and wrote a poem describing the movement of the Great Awakening.
One man wakes, awakens another.
The second one wakes his next door brother.
Three awake will rouse the town and turn the whole place upside down.
Many awake will cause such a fuss, it will finally waken all of us.
One man wakes with dawn in his eyes,
Truly then it multiplies.
What if we all took this poem and made it a prayer? We could pray it for our country: That folks would wake with dawn in their eyes, that God would multiply an awakening, a revival!
Will you not revive us again, that your people may rejoice in you? –Psalm 85:6
One of my favorite journals is Revive Magazine. It is dedicated to personal revival and renewal with God.
Revive talks about 2 types of revival:
1) little “r” revival: when God personally does a special work in one person’s heart that leads to humility, repentance, forgiveness, obedience, and fervent prayer
2) big “R” revival: when the Holy Spirit sweeps through an area, transforming communities, regions, even nations
Sometimes, when a group of little “r” revivals happen at once, it is a sign that God is preparing to work in a church, city, and/or nation.
We can’t make revival happen, but we all sure need one (who doesn’t?). Our nation and our world could benefit from some supernatural Divine intervention. We can’t make it happen but can make ourselves available.
A good project to take on would be to pray for God to give you a picture of what personal revival would be like. Ask Him, “What would my life be like if I experienced a personal revival?”
Posted by vicki on Aug 19, 2011 in
Asking God for Stuff Your Father knows what you need before you ask Him.
Matthew 6:8
Did you ever pray a prayer that God answered so quickly that it was surprising?
I was at a meeting recently where someone shared about a need that had arisen quickly and without warning. It was a problem that was unsolvable without Devine intervention.
As soon as she found out about the problem, the phone rang and the answer was provided. (And the person who called had no idea about the problem!)
What a wonderful story and a praise to God!
Of course, often God has us wait for answers. He might be developing our character or fruit of the Spirit- or something else. That is good, too.
However He answers, glorifies Him.
Here’s a project to try:
Write down your needs- little and big. Pray about each and write the date.
When the answer comes, write down what the answer was and the date.
Then praise the Giver of Gifts!