Praying for a Spiritual Awakening

God’s Word gives us many examples of the incredible things that happen when God’s people pray. For instance, in the book of Second Kings, the king of Syria surrounded the city where the people of God were. There was such a vast army that Elisha’s servant looked over the wall of the city and asked, “What are we going to do? They are more and mightier than we are!” (see 2 Kings 6:15).

“Elisha prayed, and said, ‘Lord, I pray, open his eyes that he may see” (2 Kings 6:17). In other words, “Oh, God, would You give vision back to Your people to understand once again that it is not by might nor by power but by Your Spirit?”

“Then the Lord opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw. And behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha. So when the Syrians came down to him, Elisha prayed to the Lord, and said, “Strike this people, I pray, with blindness” (2 Kings 6:17-18). In other words, “Confuse the enemy! Take away their vision, their unity, their strength. Do not let them accomplish their purpose.”

We, too, can pray that in our generation. “Lord, do not let the enemies of righteousness advance any further. Let their agenda drift away from them!”

“And He struck them with [spiritual] blindness according to the word of Elisha. Now Elisha said to them, ‘This is not the way, nor is this the city. Follow me, and I will bring you to the man whom you seek.’ But he led them to Samaria. So it was, when they had come to Samaria, that Elisha said, ‘Lord, open the eyes of these men, that they may see.’ And the Lord opened their eyes, and they saw; and there they were, inside Samaria” (2 Kings 6:18-20).

Not only were God’s people affected by prayer, the enemy was brought to an awareness of God’s power — a moment of conscience. This is what we need to pray for in our generation — a spiritual awakening — a sudden awareness of sin that can come into the heart of any society, any place, any person.

Carter Conlon joined the pastoral staff of Times Square Church in 1994 at the invitation of the founding pastor, David Wilkerson, and was appointed Senior Pastor in 2001.