One thing that can easily put a kink in our spiritual hose is getting (and staying) offended at people who hurt us. No matter how spiritually mature we become, people will still “tick us off” at times. When that happens, to get the water flowing from our innermost being again, we must do exactly what Jesus told us to do:
…love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. (Matthew 5:44–45)
Sometimes when we first start praying for such people, our prayers don’t seem very genuine. They’re tainted with residue from the past. They’re like the rusty brown water that comes out when you first turn on the faucet at a lake house. They’re full of the junk that’s not fit to drink.
What do we do about it?
The same thing we do at the lake house. We don’t pack up our bags and go back to the city. We don’t cancel our vacation just because there’s rusty water in the sink. No, we keep the water running until it washes the junk out of the pipes.
That’s what we do in prayer! We let the people who hurt us drive us to Jesus. We let them be a stimulus that keeps us praying and fellowshipping with God until the flow of His Spirit cleanses us, heals us, and rids us of the residue of the past.
We keep our prayer river flowing until the waters of our spirits are running clean and pure again.
Scripture Reading: Luke 6:27–38
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!”