By: Doris Applegate
The great awakening brought unity to the founding fathers and the colonies. When George Washington was commissioned he said good-bye to his mother who told him: “Remember to pray and trust in God.” Many records are kept of his prayer life and commanding his soldiers to honor and pay respect to times of special prayer and fasting.
Fifteen years after the battle George and a friend were surveying when they met an old Indian chief who had told his men to “shoot to kill” George and when God protected him the chief prophesied: “The Great Spirit protects that man and guides his destinies, he will become the chief of nations and a people yet unborn will hail him as the founder of a mighty empire.”
Sixty years after the move of God with revival, people started to regress into sin again so that the clergy said: “God has a controversy with this nation” and called for fervent prayer that started another spiritual awakening on the east coast and spread west.
In 1856 Charles Finney held meetings in Rochester that prepared the way of the Lord for the mighty revival that swept the nation in 1857. Finney would walk into a place and people would fall under the awesome power of God wanting forgiveness for their sins. Much prayer went up in New York starting with a few and soon prayer was covering the country from Boston, Baltimore, Washington D.C., Charleston, Mobile, Memphis, Chicago and other places.
During the six to eight weeks of great revival it was reported that 50 thousand were converted weekly. Soldiers of the war were part of the revival and in the south (confederate) 25% were converted. It is said that 150,000 converted of both North and South (soldiers), the prayers and Great Awakening saved our country because we were consecrated to God for the spreading of the gospel.
We are in great need now for another Great Awakening in our country and the world. Only prayer (much fervent prayers) is needed for this to happen. The sin, riots, hate, greed and lawlessness are reasons we need to turn back to God. Are you a person who can see the need and be committed to help in prayer?
