Matthew 6:33
God is sending out a call to His people in these days. It is an urgent call. It is a call that if left unanswered will cost individual believers, the Church at large, and the world itself a higher price than any of us want to pay. It is a call that rings in the heart of every Christian who has ears to hear.
God is calling His saints to prayer.
Some are heeding that call and making prayer the priority of their lives.
They are obeying the admonition in 1 Timothy 2:
Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior….
(vs. 1 – 3)
Others, however, are letting the busyness of life drown out that call. They’re saying things like, “One of these days, I’m going to take time to pray. But I have to get some other things done first.”
I’ll just be honest with you about that kind of thinking.
It’s wrong. It’s unscriptural and it has been introduced into the Church by Satan himself. He has a great interest in keeping people out of prayer because he knows it’s prayer that brings the power of God on the scene. It’s prayer that pushes back the forces of darkness and looses the hosts of heaven.
It’s prayer that fills the Church with supernatural power.
Scripture Reading: Matthew 6:19–33
Source: Devotions for the Praying Heart by Lynne Hammond.
Excerpt permission granted by Lynne Hammond Ministries
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!”