The following is a vision that one of our intercessors, Karen Gibson, had in the Sunday evening pre-service prayer meeting.

Yesterday during prayer, we were exalting the Lord, praying for awakening in the church. As we did, I began to hear our praises amplified, as though we were many, many people. I saw a picture of huge, mighty horses, as the kind used in war, twirling and stomping in their excitement. They were snorting and pounding the ground with their hooves, and I saw the breathe coming from their nostrils. I then realized there were riders upon them, as though freshly roused by a trumpet call.

Every rider had his eyes focused above in one direction where, exalted within a huge golden glow – blinding almost and filling the sky – was the Lord Jesus Christ standing with a staff raised in in His hand. He was saying, and I prayed: “Stir yourself as a man of war for I am a man of war! Awaken to who you are, mighty men of war! Look at the steed beneath you! Understand the power of it!” It felt like there was a commitment occurring within these riders, a changing of the will, a new mind for war! A new authority.

Kevin Shipp prayed about this time for for the church universal – that it was not just for this church or this area or this land, but for the church universal – not coming in pockets around the world but coming to the entire assembly.

I heard Him say but I didn’t get an opportunity to pray this so maybe this was personal to me (from Isaiah 42) “For a long time I have held my peace, but now I will cry out like a woman in labor!”

As he prayed (and possibly Isaac prayed after him, don’t recall) I saw the riders and their horses begin to align in ranks with a resolve difficult to explain – the fire and excitement became exponentially stronger but there was such an incredible order and unity – like a blazing fire which was nonetheless under complete control, knowing intrinsically what to burn and what not to burn. Every eye was completely focused on the Lord… in adoration, giving all glory to Him but with a fierce and victorious Presence. No one breaking rank, no one out of step, neither horse nor man. There was peace within but war against the enemies of God raged. I heard (felt?) a mounting roar which turned out to be voices shouting but sounding more like Niagara Falls, “THE ZEAL OF THE LORD HAS CONSUMED ME!!!!

I saw (heard, sensed) the Lord commanding His troops, and I saw a platoon – a flank going to the right, one to the left and one center straight ahead. He was proclaiming and I prayed “Every mountain brought down, every crooked thing made straight because they go forth in the power of My love! ” As I saw the three flanks and heard the declaration of the power of His unfailing, unbreakable love, I prayed, ” A three-fold cord is not easily broken! ”

I then saw a slithering shadow, which God showed me was the side-ward glance, and I felt led to come against comparing ourselves to others. God said: the Zeal of the Lord looks different in each one, do not compare, and I saw a person interceding on their face before Him, with a deep intense fire within them. Then another person, kind of outrageously “out there” preaching the word with a deep fire flashing all over them. The zeal looked different in each one.

My thoughts here for you to consider, confirm or not:

It seemed like God was showing us that Awakening included an immediate call and commitment to war.
The horses seemed (my impression) to represent the circumstances, disappointments, waiting, longing, even failures & barren ground in each rider’s life, and how God has transformed those into instruments of victory and power in the Spirit – but I am not so sure this is typically what horses represent in the Bible.

References to Man or Men of War seemed to be references to strength/power and not gender related. The riders all had helmets and armor so I could not see age or gender. Didn’t seem to matter.

The Zeal of the Lord includes prayer, cannot have the Zeal without it. So when they shouted out in deafening accord, “The Zeal of the Lord has consumed me!” – it was both a personal and corporate done deal – sort of like the psalm “I am prayer”.

The flanks (three) seemed to speak of both personal revelation of Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and of representing the many areas of warfare, the specificity of strategies.

I felt like this vision and the prayers had prophetic purpose to encourage and stir His awakening Bride.