Let me give you an example from my own prayer life of how the Holy Spirit operates. During the month of June before the Gulf War began, I began to pray for someone named Guy Hunter.
I had no idea who Guy Hunter was. I found out later that he was a Marine. He would also be the pilot of the first plane shot down in the Gulf War. But I didn’t know that at the time. The Holy Spirit just gave me this unknown man’s name and impressed me to pray for him.
The Holy Spirit will do that for you. He’ll give you names of people you don’t know. Now, you don’t start off with experiences in prayer like that because if you did, your head would go “Tilt.”
You wouldn’t know what to do with that kind of supernatural information. But once you’re more familiar with how the Holy Spirit operates, you’ll begin to receive names of different people, places, and situations that your mind knows nothing about. That’s when prayer becomes a marvelous adventure!
So I began to make mention of this man in my prayers. I never prayed long prayers over him. I never got on my knees to pray for him. But for three months, I’d lift him up in prayer as I walked through my day.
Then one morning I was listening to the news about the war and heard that the first pilot from America had been shot down. That night they released his name – Guy Hunter!
When I heard that name, I shouted praises to the Lord because I knew Guy would be fine. I knew he was in the hands of God and that God would protect him and bring him home safely. I was so happy in my heart.
Well, that’s exactly what happened. Guy was released from captivity, and he did come home.
About four years later, someone sent me a newspaper article about Guy Hunter because she had heard my testimony about praying for him. This article revealed the miraculous provision of God, who does superabundantly above all we could ever ask or think (Eph. 3:20).
The article was entitled “Retired Marine Recovers Wallet.” In the article, Guy Hunter related that when he was shot down and the enemy was approaching him to take him captive, he buried his wallet in the sand because he didn’t want them to find out his family’s name or any other information about them.
Four years later, someone found Guy’s wallet in the desert and sent it to him, perfectly intact! All the money and family photos were still there. Everything was just as it was when he buried the wallet four years earlier.
That’s just one of hundreds of miracles that have occurred since I began to walk with God and stay continually aware of the Holy Spirit’s leading in prayer. And I’m no special case. The truth is, miracles happen all the time when believers learn to walk in God’s presence on a daily basis.
Excerpt permission granted by Harrison House Publishers
On the chilly March night in 1972 when Lynne Hammond took her first step into a life of Spirit-led prayer, she had no idea what was about to happen. All she knew was the hunger in her heart for God wouldn’t let her sleep. In the few short months she’d been born again, her desire to fellowship with Him had grown so strong she could hardly contain it. “Help me, God!” she cried. “I want to know you. I want to be able to talk to you. Please, teach me to pray!”
Suddenly, a heavenly presence flooded the room. Lynne sensed waves of spiritual fire sweeping over her and a beautiful language began to flow like a river from within her. Although she’d never heard of the baptism of the Holy Spirit, she knew instantly, without a doubt—this was God!
What began that night soon blossomed into a life of prayer that ultimately became a ministry of prayer when, in 1980, Lynne and her husband, Mac, founded Living Word Christian Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Under Lynne’s leadership, the prayer ministry at Living Word has become an internationally recognized model for developing effective pray-ers in the local church.
A teacher and an author, Lynne publishes a newsletter called Prayer Notes, has written numerous books, and currently serves as the national prayer director for Daughters for Zion. Her passion for inspiring and leading others into the life of Spirit-led prayer continues to take her around the world to minister to believers whose heart cry, like hers, is “Lord, teach me to pray!”