America’s story is deeply marked by seasons when God moved in ways that reshaped the nation. These periods, known as the Great Awakenings were times when ordinary people were confronted with their sin, cried out to God, and saw their lives transformed. Whole towns changed. Churches filled. Social reform spread. You can’t understand American spiritual history without them.

Now many believers wonder if another awakening is possible in our own time. The culture is unstable. Morality is confused. Homes are struggling. Churches are shrinking. People are anxious, angry, and empty. The question is fair: Are we overdue for another move of God?

Before answering that, it helps to look back at the awakenings that came before, five major waves of renewal that shook the nation.

The First Great Awakening (1730s–1740s)

The spiritual jumpstart that woke up colonial America.

Churches had grown cold. Faith was mostly formal and lifeless. Then God raised up men like:

• Jonathan Edwards

• George Whitefield

• John and Charles Wesley

Their preaching wasn’t soft. It confronted sin, demanded repentance, and called people to personal conversion. Whitefield’s outdoor sermons drew tens of thousands. Edwards’ words pierced hearts.

Impact:

• People repented in massive numbers.

• Colleges like Princeton and Dartmouth were founded to train pastors.

• The colonies gained a sense of unity that later helped fuel the American Revolution.

This awakening opened the nation’s eyes to the reality of personal salvation and the power of the Holy Spirit.

The Second Great Awakening (1790s–1840s)

A nation spiritually drifting after the Revolution is pulled back to Christ.

After independence, America spiritually slumped. Alcoholism rose. Church attendance dropped. Materialism grew. Then came a wave of fiery revival across the frontier.

Key figures included:

• Charles Finney

• Francis Asbury

• Barton W. Stone (Cane Ridge Revival)

The Cane Ridge camp meeting drew over 20,000 people, unheard of for the frontier.

Impact:

• Methodists and Baptists exploded in growth.

• The missionary movement began.

• Christians spearheaded social reform, abolition, temperance, education for the poor.

This awakening didn’t just save souls; it reshaped the nation’s moral conscience.

The Third Great Awakening (1857–early 1900s)

A prayer movement that spread like wildfire.

The nation was strained. The economy faltered. The Civil War loomed. Then a small prayer meeting in New York City, six men in a church basement, led by Jeremiah Lanphier sparked something no one expected.

Within months, thousands were praying daily across America. Newspapers reported up to 50,000 conversions per week at the height of the movement.

Evangelist D.L. Moody became the era’s leading voice, preaching to millions.

Impact:

• Over a million people reportedly came to Christ.

• Sunday schools grew nationwide.

• Christian missions expanded globally.

• Urban ministries and rescue missions started.

This awakening showed what God can do when His people take prayer seriously.

The Fourth Great Awakening (1960s–1970s)

A spiritual shockwave during one of America’s most chaotic eras.

The Vietnam War. Sexual revolution. Drug culture. Confusion everywhere. Young people were searching for something real, and God met them where they were.

This era included:

• The Jesus Movement

• Campus Crusade for Christ (Bill Bright)

• Charismatic Renewal

• Billy Graham’s large-scale evangelism

Hippies were getting saved. Baptisms were happening on beaches. Churches that had been empty were suddenly full.

Impact:

• Modern worship music was born.

• Christian media exploded.

• Youth ministry and contemporary outreach took off.

• A renewed emphasis on evangelism swept the country.

It proved once again that God is never intimidated by cultural chaos.

The Modern Outpouring: The Asbury Revival (2023)

A small spark that points to what could come next.

In February 2023, at Asbury University in Kentucky, a normal chapel service turned into a two-week, nonstop prayer and worship gathering.

There were no big lights. No celebrity preachers. No marketing.

Just students praying, confessing sin, worshiping, and seeking the presence of God. Within days, tens of thousands came from around the country. Lines stretched for blocks. Churches reported a hunger for prayer and repentance spreading to their own communities.

Some call it a “fifth awakening,” though it was smaller than the historic ones. Others call it a “warm-up” a sign that God is stirring hearts again.

Impact:

• A surge in prayer among young people.

• Churches reignited in worship and repentance.

• A reminder that revival doesn’t need production, just hunger for God.

Whether or not it becomes a full national awakening is something only time will tell.

So What Are the Odds of Another Awakening?

Here’s the honest truth:

Looking at the culture alone: the odds seem low.
We’re drifting fast. Morality is unsteady. Families are strained. Many churches have grown lukewarm.

Looking at God’s pattern in history: the odds look very high.
He has always moved most powerfully when times were darkest.

Looking at the growing remnant, believers who are praying, repenting, and taking their faith seriously: the odds are rising.
God has never needed a majority. He has always used a faithful few.

What Would It Take?

Every awakening in history came from the same foundation:

• A renewed commitment to Scripture

• Honest repentance

• Serious prayer

• Bold preaching

• Christians living out their faith with conviction

• Churches willing to be faithful rather than fashionable

If that happens again, America could absolutely see another spiritual awakening.

Final Thought

We are not past the point of hope.
Not as long as God is still God.
Not as long as people still hunger for truth.
Not as long as prayers are still being prayed in living rooms, classrooms, and small churches across the country.

America has seen five waves of awakening.
The soil today looks an awful lot like it did before the others.

The real question isn’t “Will God move?”
It’s “Will we humble ourselves enough to receive it?