Exodus 17:11
Unlike Moses, the New Testament Church doesn’t use a literal rod to exert her authority today. You and I don’t have to climb to a physical hilltop and hold up our hands to restrain the forces of darkness. We ascend in our hearts to our place of spiritual authority and we lift our voices in prayer.
We exert our authority according to 1 Timothy 2:1–4 which says:
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, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.
This passage says, first of all, that we should pray for all men. In other words, through prayer we should restrain the forces of darkness operating against all men and loose upon them the influence of God. One effective way to do that is by praying for people who are in positions of authority and high responsibility. When we pray for people like that—presidents, prime ministers, kings, and other government leaders—we are helping all men because those individuals have influence over them.
Since our kingdom, the kingdom of God, is the kingdom with the most authority on earth, when we pray for people in positions of authority, we bring the highest kind of pressure to bear upon those offices. Under the influence of our prayers, people in positions of authority choose to rule God’s way. They cooperate knowingly or unknowingly with His will.
As our prayers bring heaven’s influence to bear upon such leaders, the effectiveness of Satan’s kingdom is weakened in the city or nation where that person governs. Satan’s plans are hindered. Divine doors are opened for the Gospel to go forth and even in the most unlikely places God can have His way.
Scripture Reading: Proverbs 21:1
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!”