When Lou Engle and his team at The Call announced a day for women specifically to gather and pray at Awaken the Dawn’s weekend in Washington, D.C., I knew it was appointed for me to be a part. They called the Monday prayer rally, “Arise. Prepare Like Ester. Arise Like Deborah.” I talked about the upcoming event to anyone and everyone. I asked others to participate with me, because when women gather and pray, things happen. We all agree that there’s a needed shift in the land, and the time is ripe.
I arrived on the National Mall at 9 a.m., one hour into the time of prayer and worship. The rain was constant, but the small crowd wore ponchos and carried umbrellas. Weather did not distract us from the one mission that united us: America’s needed return to God. One event coordinator came onto the platform saying, “What is it about women and water [the rain]? We birth things!”
I was very impressed with the progression of the day’s guided prayer and worship. I cannot recount the number of people who served on the platform; it was a steady progression of speakers, event coordinators and worship teams. There was an appeal to women from the national director of Promise Keepers to forgive the men who have wounded them. The director stood in proxy for all men who failed to protect women and asked for forgiveness. Brokenness as a result of wounded hearts became apparent around me. Yes, many women are hurting as a result of men who did not cherish them. God poured out healing in great measure that morning. Weeping turned to laughing. Kneeling changed to dancing.
We prayed for our nation, we prayed for our communities, and we prayed for one another as we joined hands and faith. It seemed nothing was left untouched: racial divide, violence, drug addiction, prodigal sons and daughters, and the cry of the unborn.
By early afternoon the rain had stopped and the number of those gathered tripled. We entered into a sobering, symbolic act of praying with mouths taped shut for the most defenseless in our nation-the children in the womb. For five minutes not a sound was heard except for one seemingly prophetic cry of a child in the crowd. I don’t know how the other women on the mall endured those five minutes, but I could only weep while I inwardly prayed. Something about the silence of thousands on the grounds of our nation’s capital solidified the sacredness and enormity of the moment.
To say that I experienced the potential of God Almighty’s power to miraculously change the landscape of America is an understatement. As I continue to pray and believe, I am watching with eyes wide open, because I know there was great activity in the heavenly realm as we met and prayed. One on the platform spoke of his vision that afternoon of angels surrounding us. Many of us attest to sensing the same. To stare directly at the Capitol Building throughout a day of concentrated prayer for the issues facing our country marked my life, and I believe that my intercession for the nation is intensifying as a result.
“The Lord announces the word, and the women who proclaim it are a mighty throng…” (Ps. 68:11).
Article Written By: Renee Beamer
