ELISHA'S PRAYER REVISITED

“Strike this people [these attackers], I pray, with blindness” (2 Kings 6:18).

A few weeks ago a friend called to ask Carol and me to join in praying about a kidnapping situation in northern Mexico very close to the U.S. border. Our friend is in relationship with a large ministry presence in one of the cities near the border. On the day of the phone call, a leadership meeting had just concluded and as the participants were leaving, two black SUV’s pulled up and machine gun-toting men jumped out. The gunmen grabbed one of the children of the staff leaders, pushed him into the SUV, and sped off. A short time later one of the kidnappers called the ministry office and demanded $180,000 before sundown or they were going to kill the child.

An emergency call for prayer went out to churches and ministries across the U.S. and Mexico. One of the calls was to our friend who in turn called and asked us to pray with them. Carol and I immediately began to pray together over this dangerous situation. As we prayed I felt very strongly that we should pray what Elisha did in 2 Kings 6:18. After our prayer time I called my friend to tell him about my impression of the importance of praying this prayer.

In Mexico the kidnappers called a second time, demanding to know how the parents were doing in getting the ransom money together. The father frantically replied that they just didn’t have that kind of money and couldn’t get it. The kidnapper exploded in anger and again threatened to kill the boy if their demands were not met before the deadline.

My friend told me later that right after my call to him about Elisha's prayer, he contacted the staff in Mexico and told them about 2 Kings 6:18. The staff member told him that they had received the same Scripture from another prayer partner and they were praying that prayer.

A few hours later, my friend called me to say that the kidnappers had called the parents about one hour before the deadline. They said that they were sorry, they had made a mistake and they were putting the child in a cab and sending him back to the ministry. Praise God for answered prayer!

On May 21, 2010, I posted an article about Elisha’s prayer when the Syrians attempted to capture him. Elisha’s servant saw the enemy army first and reacted in fear, crying out, “Oh, my lord, what are we going to do?” (2 Kings 6:15). (You can reread the original article by going to May in the archives that are listed on the left side of this blog page.)

And then Elisha did something that I want you to take special note of. He prayed for supernatural eyesight to come on his servant so that he could see the army of God. Elisha prayed and the servant saw the host of heaven (the horses and fiery chariots) that cannot be seen by the natural eye.

Not only did Elisha pray for his servant’s eyes to open, but he prayed blindness on the attacking Syrians. This was not physical blindness but mental confusion and bewilderment. Suddenly, confusion reigned in the ranks of the Syrians and they didn’t know where they were or who they were supposed to be capturing.

Again, this is an important point of understanding for us. When the enemy comes at us with overwhelming force, pray Elisha’s prayer: “Strike this people [these attackers], I pray, with blindness” (6:18). And He will do for us what he did for Elisha!

The rest of the story is almost humorous. The confused Syrians lost sight (pun intended) of whom they were to attack and capture. Elisha talked to them and they had no idea who he was. He told them that the man they were looking for was down the road and they should follow him for he would take them where they needed to be. Elisha then led them down the road right into the camp of the king of Israel. About this time the Syrians’ blindness lifted and they saw that instead of them surrounding Elisha, they were actually encircled by the Jewish army (vv. 19-22).

What happened toward the end of the incident in Mexico has a rather humorous ending, as well. Not only did the kidnappers call and apologize for what they had done but they put the kidnap victim in a taxi cab…and actually paid the cab fare back to the ministry headquarters.

I believe we are moving into even more dangerous days than we have previously seen. The recent elections here in the U.S. only prove the volatility of the political arena. The economic conditions of the world continue to disintegrate and evil activity continues to increase on every front. As the storms increase and the attacks come suddenly upon us in the coming days, we are to expect God to do the supernatural on our behalf.

“But now, this is what the Lord says—he who created you, (put your name here), he who formed you, (your name): “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze” (Isaiah 43:1-2 NIV).

(Elisha was not the only one to pray blindness and confusion on those who sought to destroy him. The Psalmist David also prayed “shame and confusion” on his attackers. Psalm 35:4, Psalm 40:14-15 and Psalm 70:2-3 are examples of David’s prayer for his enemies.)