We have to remember that revival has to do with God’s people—it happens in churches. America has had an unusual experience with revivals spreading from churches to whole regions and impacting our entire culture. You can’t understand American history without first understanding its revivals.
There was the Great Awakening from 1734 to 1760 which laid the foundation for our whole country. As a matter of fact, the writers of the Constitution, although not all Christian, were all affected by the Great Awakening. “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge.” Their phenomenal wisdom about human nature and government came right out of the national experience of the Great Awakening. It began with Jonathan Edwards, who was greatly influenced by his grandfather, Solomon Stoddard. Stoddard wrote and preached about seeking God for revival and soulwinning. Edwards preached a series on “Justification by Faith” in 1724 that sparked the first Great Awakening.
The Second Great Awakening came after the American Revolution. The Revolution gave us independence but left the country almost spiritually bankrupt. Morals were down, and unbelief was rising. Thomas Paine, the great patriot, wrote a book called Age of Reason which argued against orthodox theology and the Bible. Age of Reason became the most popular book in American colleges, and the country was being drained of its soul. In response, a group of Baptist preachers got together in 1794 and wrote a circular letter to churches of every denomination calling for everyone to have days of prayer for a new awakening. It happened in 1795 and by the end of the year whole towns were being converted. The Second Great Awakening became the longest lasting national revival in modern times (1795–1845).
The next big revival was 1857–1858. There had been an economic panic in 1857. To help many of the businessmen, Jeremiah Lanphier announced a prayer meeting at noon. Six men came the first day, but within weeks it had grown to hundreds. Every church in New York was open at noon, and great numbers of men were getting saved when they came to prayer meeting. The prayer revival then spread all over the United States.
(Adapted From Ministry 127) (By Pastor Wagenschutz)
