Hebrews 10:25 NIV
Although the Holy Spirit does speak to each of us personally, we’ll never get all the revelations we need if we stay in our own, private prayer closet. Some things the Lord will only reveal to us when we’re together.
The reason is simple. As individuals, we don’t have enough spiritual strength to pray every prayer project through to victory all by ourselves. We need each other’s help—especially when we’re praying for issues beyond our own lives such as the body of Christ, the nations, or Israel.
I mention those three groups because they are specifically listed in 1 Corinthians 10:32. There, Paul wrote, “Give none offence, neither to the Jew, nor to the Gentiles [a.k.a. the nations], nor to the church of God.” In the early years of my prayer life, the Lord showed me those three groups represent the three major platforms of prayer. They encompass all the spheres that we, as believers, must watch over and pray about.
Some pray-ers seem called to spend most of their time praying on just one of those platforms. They may be led to focus primarily on praying for other believers and the development of the Church. Others may find themselves more drawn to pray about governments and nations because the Holy Spirit gives them continual revelation about that platform.
There are even pray-ers who are led to skip around from one platform to another. They might be praying about the government of Nepal one minute and the Jews in Israel the next. Or maybe they’ll pray about the Church a lot, but all the while, they’ll be carrying a particular nation in their hearts.
That’s the way it is with me. There’s one nation that rises up inside me almost every time I pray. All I have to do is get in the presence of God and it will come floating across my mind like a fish swimming across an aquarium.
Granted, there are times when we can pray effectively in our own private prayer closets even about global issues, times when we can pray personally for the Church, the nations, or the Jews. But often to generate the kind of prayer power that’s needed to change those realms, we must get together with other believers. We must tap into the corporate anointing because God created us to work together as a body.
Although He lives in each one of us as individuals, He dwells in greater fullness among us when we come together in His name. That’s why it’s so important for us not to forsake the assembling of ourselves together—especially as we see the day of Jesus’ return approaching. There is much prayer work to be done before He comes. And we do it best when we’re working together.
Scripture Reading: 1 Peter 4:7 – 11; Mark 13:26 – 37
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!”