461 - Praying For Our Last Great Awakening

Our Hope and Prayer for a Last Great Awakening

There is no need to spend any time talking about the lukewarm condition of the church in the West. We all know. In fact, we are all part of the problem. And since we know and are part of the problem, we tend to just assume this is the way things are, and it’s best to just sit back, relax, and live with it. But that’s a recipe for even more failure. The spiritual event that will shock the church out of apathy and lukewarmness is what we call an “awakening.” What we need is another Great Awakening, like we experienced as a church and a nation in the past. And maybe this will be the last Great Awakening before the Lord comes.

But what is a Great Awakening and how does it happen?

A “spiritual awakening” can be defined as: “a socially transforming spiritual movement.” We can see “socially transforming spiritual movements” all across our land, but not for the better. The spirit behind the rioting, hatred, anger, and destruction is demonic, and not of God. It appears the dark side has beaten us to the punch when it comes to transforming our society. But, according to God’s Word, that can always change.

A “revival”, on the other hand, is an individual or personal “spiritual rebirth which transforms a person, church, or community into the likeness of New Testament Christianity.” But note, a personal revival must come before a national awakening. The smaller gives way to the larger, the personal to the corporate, but only after some time. It usually starts small before igniting.

How to Prepare Spiritually for a Great Awakening

As believers, our hope is for the Lord to bring a great time of revival and personal spiritual awakening to His church. Then, when the fires of church revival are burning, we hope for a national great awakening.

But how are we to prepare ourselves for this great event? What can we do to help bring this all about? Are there certain requirements the church has to meet in order for God to heal a broken, sinful nation? And, if so, what are these all-important requirements?

We find them in a familiar passage often taken out of context to mean something it doesn’t really say. And that passage is 2 Chronicles 7:14. In this passage, God is speaking to Solomon about His people and His land:

“If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.”

One Sentence, Two Verses

But notice, this verse is the second half of one long sentence. In order to understand 2 Chronicle 7:14, we must first read 2 Chronicles 7:13. And when we do, we see God bringing judgment and calamity to His people and the land in which they live. It is sobering. Revealing.

“When I shut up heaven and there is no rain, or command the locusts to devour the land, or send pestilence among My people.” And then the rest of the sentence which is a remedy for God’s judgment, “if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.” (2 Chronicles 7:13-14)

There is so much here that we need to know as we see the American experiment possibly come to a close. If you want to pray and prepare for our last great national awakening, then keep listening.

To download the slides to this message, click – HERE