The Great Awakening Revival had a huge impact on the founding of our country.  Our founding documents reverberate with the heartbeat of revival sparked by Jonathan Edwards and George Whitfield.  Following the War for Independence, our Founding Fathers established a constitution based on a division of powers modeled after Isaiah 33:22, where we see the Lord of Israel as Judge, Lawgiver, and King.  I believe the impact of revival has helped preserve our country from revolution for more than 200 years.

Our gratitude for our Christian heritage has grown immensely since our mission trip to Russia this last summer.  We visited one of our church planting missionaries and preached in the two churches he founded.  We were saddened to see the toll that communism has taken on these people.  Yet, we were encouraged by the strength of the Christians who still remember the persecutions of their loved ones.

On our last day we visited Peter the Great’s summer palace in St. Petersburg which was built in the early 1700’s.  In grandeur, this magnificent palace rivals that of Versailles in France.  No Christian revival swept through France or Russia, but what did sweep both of these countries was revolution.  Someone said, “If the king does not give the people some of his money, they will eventually rise up in revolution and take all of his money.”  The Russian Revolution occurred in 1917 and the French Revolution in 1789.  The same year President George Washington was inaugurated as our first president, the people of France forced King Louis XVI to flee the palace of Versailles.

What a contrast between the United States vs. Russia and France!  Once President Washington completed his two terms, he retired back home to Mt. Vernon rather than becoming “King George” as was suggested by some.  Mt. Vernon represents a stark contrast of a servant of the people as compared to those kings who viewed themselves to be served by the people.  Today international visitors see the modest home of George and Martha Washington as compared to the ostentatious display of excess at Peterhof and Versailles.  But what they would do well to remember is the impact revival has on revolutions.  If there was ever a need for a fresh moving of God’s Spirit in revival upon our land it is today.  May God’s people stand up and be counted for Jesus Christ and shine as bright lights in this dark generation!