“For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him.”
2 Chronicles 16:9a (NKJV)
The Gentle, the Rude, and the Great Awakening
Dear Friends,
Many years ago, the Holy Spirit began speaking to me about three dimensions of awakening: the gentle awakening, the rude awakening, and the great awakening. What He showed me then has remained in my heart for more than twenty years, and I believe we are living in a time when these prophetic insights are especially relevant.
I shared portions of this revelation in the book The Call to the Elijah Revolution, which I wrote with Lou Engle. In the chapter entitled “Revive Us Again,” we considered the ways God prepares His people for a mighty move of His Spirit.
We must understand that God’s ultimate desire is not destruction. His desire is redemption, restoration, and awakening. He is looking for people who will respond to His invitation and become vessels through whom His purposes can be accomplished.
The Gentle Awakening — God’s Invitation
The first dimension is what I call the gentle awakening. This is the tender wooing of the Holy Spirit, drawing hearts back into intimacy with the Father.
Second Chronicles 16:9 tells us that the eyes of the Lord search throughout the earth to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose hearts are loyal to Him. God is looking for people who will say yes to His invitation.
In Ezekiel 33:11, the Lord declares that He takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked. His heart is that people would turn from their ways and live.
That is the heart behind the gentle awakening. The Lord is extending mercy. He is calling people into repentance, prayer, worship, and renewed devotion to Jesus Christ.
We have witnessed the emergence of prayer movements, worship gatherings, and expressions of renewed hunger for God across the nations. These are not merely activities. They are opportunities to respond to the movement of the Holy Spirit.
When the Lord begins to stir hearts, we must not despise the small beginnings. What starts with a handful of hungry believers can become a movement that touches cities, regions, and nations.
The Rise of a Global Prayer Movement
One of the great signs of the gentle awakening has been the emergence of prayer and fasting movements across the earth. The Holy Spirit has been calling believers from different nations, generations, and expressions of the Body of Christ to seek the face of God.
I believe we are seeing the restoration of a people who understand that prayer is not simply a program of the Church. Prayer is foundational to the purposes of God in the earth.
In Acts 20:20, Paul spoke of ministering publicly and from house to house. I believe we are going to see a fresh expression of this pattern as believers gather in homes, communities, and public places to proclaim the gospel and seek the Lord together.
God is raising up intercessors who will stand in the gap. He is awakening watchmen who will refuse to remain silent. And He is calling His Church to pray, “Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”
But what happens when the gentle invitation of the Holy Spirit is resisted? What happens when people continue in their own ways and refuse to respond to the mercy of God?
The Rude Awakening — When God Allows a Shaking
The second dimension is what I call the rude awakening.
There are times when the gentle invitation has been extended, but hearts remain hardened. In those moments, God may permit circumstances that shake the foundations of what people have trusted.
Isaiah 26:9 declares, “For when Your judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness.”
We must understand the redemptive purpose of God’s dealings. His desire is not simply that people experience difficulty, but that they turn to Him with their whole hearts.
There is a difference between turning toward God for a moment and turning to God in genuine surrender. A temporary response to crisis is not the same as lasting repentance and transformation.
I believe the shaking of nations, institutions, and human systems can expose the things in which we have placed our confidence. The Lord is calling His people to build upon the foundation that cannot be shaken: Jesus Christ Himself.
In Amos 7, the prophet describes the Lord standing with a plumb line. It is a picture of God’s standard and His examination of what has been built. The Church must allow the Holy Spirit to examine our hearts, our priorities, and our foundations.
We cannot merely pray for the world to change while resisting the work of God within ourselves. Awakening must begin in the household of faith.
Awakening the Heart of the Church
At one point, the Lord gave me a prophetic picture that I have never forgotten. I saw what appeared to be electric paddles, like those used to restart a heart.
I understood that this picture concerned the heart of the Body of Christ. The Church needed a fresh awakening, a divine intervention that would bring renewed spiritual life.
Sometimes we become accustomed to the way things have always been. We can continue with religious activity while losing the fire of our first love. But the Lord is not content for His people merely to maintain a form of godliness. He desires a living, vibrant relationship with His Son.
We need the Holy Spirit to awaken our hearts again. We need a fresh passion for holiness, compassion for the lost, and a willingness to obey the voice of the Lord.
And I believe this awakening of the Church is connected to something far greater than any one congregation, ministry, or nation.
The Great Global Awakening
The third dimension is the great awakening. This is where I believe the gentle invitation, and even the shaking of the nations, is leading us: toward a mighty harvest of souls and a great demonstration of the glory of God.
Years ago, while ministering at Life Center in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, I had a prophetic experience involving the words “Third Great Awakening.” This encounter helped establish within me a conviction that God was preparing His people for another extraordinary move of His Spirit.
In another remarkable experience, I asked the Lord a question: “Lord, what is Your dream?”
I awoke sitting upright with my hands extended, declaring the words of Isaiah 60: “Arise, shine; for your light has come! And the glory of the LORD is risen upon you.”
Isaiah goes on to describe darkness covering the earth and deep darkness the people, but the glory of the Lord arising upon His people. Nations are drawn to that light.
Think about that! Even in the midst of increasing darkness, God has promised that His glory will arise. The darkness does not have the final word.
I believe we are being prepared for a harvest that will touch the nations of the earth. This is why we must continue to pray for laborers.
Jesus declared in Luke 10:2 that the harvest is great, but the laborers are few. He instructed His disciples to pray earnestly that the Lord of the harvest would send out laborers into His harvest.
Joel 3:13 also speaks of the harvest being ripe. We are living in days when the urgency of the hour should move us beyond passive observation and into active participation with the purposes of God.
We must prepare our hearts. We must pray. We must proclaim the gospel. And we must be willing to go wherever the Lord sends us.
A Call to Arise and Shine
My friends, I believe that some of the greatest days of the Church are still ahead of us. Yes, these are perilous times. Yes, there are shakings taking place. But I refuse to allow the darkness to define my expectations for the future.
Our God is the God of revival and awakening. He is the Lord of the harvest. And He is looking for a people who will cooperate with His purposes.
Will we respond to His gentle invitation? Will we allow Him to search and purify our hearts? Will we become vessels through whom His glory can shine?
Let us arise with renewed faith, renewed consecration, and renewed expectation for a great global awakening.
Arise, shine, for your light has come!
With faith and expectation,
James W. Goll
