1 Cor. 14:10
Years ago, before the fall of communism in Eastern Europe, I went to the Soviet Union with some friends to preach in an underground church. When we arrived in the city where we were to minister, we were whisked into the back seat of a car, instructed to crouch down on the floorboard and pray. The two Russian believers who were taking us to our destination sat in the front seat and spoke to one another in their native language making plans and decisions that would help us avoid the KGB and arrive safely.
Listening intently to the strange-sounding conversation taking place between them as we huddled in the back of the car, barreling down unknown roads in an unknown country at 100 miles an hour, I was distinctly aware of this one thing: although I couldn’t understand a word those Russians were saying, they were speaking things that would profoundly affect my destiny.
In the midst of that unusual situation, the Holy Spirit began to minster to me. He pointed out how the conversation between our Russian friends was like the conversations we have with the Lord when we are praying in the Spirit. Many times as we yield to the Spirit to pray in tongues or give other Spirit-inspired utterances, we don’t understand their significance. They seem as foreign to our natural minds as those Russian words seemed to me that night. Yet they are absolutely crucial to our destiny. They are the divine conversations which will bring forth the plan of God for our lives and for others.
As I thought about how precious those supernatural communications are, I sensed a keen desire to yield more to the Holy Spirit so that those communications could increase in scope. I realized how important it is for me to let Him express Himself more fully through me as I pray.
I decided right then and there to start stretching my spirit by faith and giving greater place to the Holy Spirit in my prayer life. I determined to let Him take me to spiritual places I’d never been before.
I set my heart to cooperate with the Holy Ghost in a greater way!
Scripture Reading: 1 Cor. 2:9 – 16
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!”