One third. This is John Adams’s reported estimate for the share of American colonists in 1776 who supported independence from Great Britain. Another third were said to be loyal to King George III, and another third were neutral. Historians offer varying estimates showing a similar divide. More colonists no doubt would have joined the cause if not for the brutal punishment by the British for those deemed traitors.

Last week, while watching the powerful new film, “A Great Awakening,” I reflected on the miraculous outcome of the Revolutionary War in light of these divisions and began pondering the question: what gave so many colonists the courage to face down the world’s most powerful military 250 years ago?

The film tells the story of the spiritual awakening that swept the American colonies in the 1730s and 1740s and its role in giving birth to the American Revolution. In a dramatic scene, Ben Franklin attempts to persuade a British officer to take seriously the colonies’ pleas for relief from the King’s intolerable acts by pointing to the massive impact of spiritual renewal on the colonies. Franklin warns that many colonists had already dealt with the tyranny of sin from within, preparing them well to take on the tyranny across the sea. The officer scoffs that an American rebellion will not end any differently than the other rebellions put down by the British crown.

However, this was no ordinary “rebellion.” Why? The American people had experienced a great spiritual awakening that drew them back to a founding purpose that went far beyond achieving great wealth or serving the narrow interests of the monarchy.

Family Research Council President Tony Perkins recently shared with the FRC team how the Puritans laid the foundation for America. He noted that they believed they were in a covenant with God and quoted from a 1630 sermon by Puritan governor John Winthrop explaining well the motivation of these first arrivals:

“Thus stands the cause between God and us. We are entered into covenant with Him for this work. We have taken out a commission. The Lord hath given us leave to draw our own articles… Now if the Lord shall please to hear us, and bring us in peace to the place we desire, then hath He ratified this covenant and sealed our commission, and will expect a strict performance of the articles contained in it; but if we shall neglect the observation of these articles… and fall to embrace this present world and prosecute our carnal intentions… the Lord will surely break out in wrath against up. For we must consider that we shall be as a city upon a hill. The eyes of all people are upon us. So that if we shall deal falsely with our God in this work we have undertaken… we shall be made a story and a by-word throughout the world. We shall open the mouths of enemies to speak evil of the ways of God, and cause their prayers to be turned into curses upon us.”

The Great Awakening brought the colonies back to the Puritans’ faith in God and His word, the source of America’s strength. The patriots were doing more than rejecting the monarchy — they were moving into a future with a faith in God.

So, what can Americans learn from this today?

The challenges America faces today are at its core spiritual, and they call for the same response given to George Whitefield’s preaching of the gospel message. About 80% of the colonists heard Whitefield echo the words of Jesus in John 3: You must be born again. Kenyn Cureton, FRC’s vice president for Christian Resources, believes “that message had a great leveling effect. Just as Nicodemus, a religious ruler, a man of position and status, had to be born again, so everyone from the highest to the lowest place in society must be born again. That message of equality, combined with the promise of spiritual liberty from sin, provided a foundation for political equality and liberty from tyranny.” Yes, Whitefield’s impact could be seen even on staunch Diest leaders like Ben Franklin.

Simply put, we need another great awakening.

As Christians, we have a God-given role in bringing that about. Each of us has a calling to be salt and light to the world around us (Matthew 5:13). The path to making America truly great is the same spiritual path that the Puritans followed to America and the one taken by the colonies in the decades leading up to the American Revolution. This same path takes us back to Him.

Joshua Enck, the director of the “A Great Awakening” film, noted the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution might not even exist without the awakening, which he calls the “revelation before the revolution.” The same revelation is there for us now.

In a similar fashion, an awakening today will bring about transformation in our country. An awakening will permeate the way we live our lives and into public policy, creating a culture in which all human life is valued, families flourish, and religious liberty thrives.

As it did with 18th century Americans, let the awakening begin inside each of us so that we can move forward in prayer to awaken our nation. May courage be instilled within each one of us as it was in the patriot colonists who led the way in founding a truly exceptional nation. May we remember the eyes of the Lord are “upon us who fear Him.”

“The plan of the Lord stands forever, the designs of his heart through all generations. Behold, the eye of the Lord is upon those who fear Him, upon those who count on his mercy. To deliver their soul from death and to keep them alive through famine. May your mercy, Lord, be upon us; as we put our hope in you” (Psalm 33).