(2 Cor. 5:18 Amp)
How easy it is to slip into the mindset that our sole purpose on earth is to have a happy life and enjoy God’s blessings! How easy it is to get so content in our own salvation that we forget that’s not all God has in mind for us. If it were, He would have taken us straight to heaven the moment we were born again. He would have caught us up to His throne room as soon as we received Jesus as Lord so we could live happily ever after in His presence.
But He didn’t do that.
He left us here on this sin-ridden planet because He has a job for us to do. He has a ministry for each one of us to carry out. He left us here on planet earth so that we could live in such a way that—by word and deed—we bring others into relationship with Him.
In other words, He left us here to finish the ministry of reconciliation that Jesus began.
That’s a staggering thought, isn’t it? It almost makes us want to throw our hands in the air and say, “I can’t do it! I don’t have what it takes!”
And it’s true. On our own, we don’t.
Oh sure, we can roll up our spiritual sleeves and go to work trying to win the world for Jesus. But we won’t get very far, because in ourselves, we don’t have the resources to get the job done. We don’t know what to pray, what to say, where to go, or what to do to effectively reach the billions that are still living in spiritual darkness. It’s an overwhelming task!
How, then, are we supposed to do it?
Second Corinthians 5:15 reveals the secret. It says that Jesus “died for all, so that all those who live might live no longer to and for themselves, but to and for Him…” (Amp). Notice, we’re supposed to live to God (or in fellowship with Him) before endeavoring to live for Him. To succeed in our ministry of reconciliation, we must go to Him before we reach out to others because He alone has the wisdom and divine might to light up this whole planet with the Gospel. He alone can generate the life-giving power the nations so desperately need.
That’s why He has invited us to come boldly every day to His throne of grace. That’s why He has promised that as we draw near to Him, He will draw near to us. In those times of fellowship, His life-generating power flows into us in abundance and equips us to go forth and—by words and deeds—light up the world with His life.
As we fellowship with Him, we receive what we need to live for Him. In His presence, we find the power to finish the work He has called us to do.
Scripture Reading: 2 Corinthians 5:14–21
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!”