American Christians are very familiar with the Word of the Lord recorded in II Chronicles 7:14: 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 will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land. But just three generations after God spoke these words to King Solomon, He again spoke the following words to His people: The Lord is with you, if you are with Him. If you seek Him, He will be found by you. But if you forsake Him, He will forsake you. For a long time Israel was without the true God, without a priest to teach them, and without the law. But in their distress they turned to the Lord, the God of Israel, and sought him, and he was found by them. II Chronicles 15:2–3 Is it possible that American Christians today, like God's people of the past, have been for a long time without the true God, without a teaching priest, and without the law? Many Christians have been praying for the next Great Awakening without really understanding what it is they have been asking for. What exactly is a Great Awakening? History tells us that Great Awakenings are about more than stirring up our emotions. A truly Great Awakening is a point in time when there is an abrupt change in the hearts and in the lives of the people, over a sustained period of time. In a truly Great Awakening there is something that we are awakened to, and this book is about identifying what that something is.
