Don’t Play Favorites

by Lynne Hammond | Devotions for the Praying Heart

Pray at all times (on every occasion, in every season) in the Spirit, with all [manner of] prayer and entreaty …. Ephesians 6:18 Amp

As you begin to supplicate more and more, you may find yourself growing particularly fond of that kind of prayer. There may be times when you will pour out your requests with great intensity in tongues. There may be times when you weep over them before the Lord.

We all love that kind of prayer. But we must not begin to prefer one kind of spiritual river over another. We must learn to love the river God grants—no matter what kind it may be.

Remember what Ephesians 6:18 said? It said we should be “praying always with all prayer ….” The Amplified Bible says “with all manner of prayer.”  The Holy Ghost moves in many different ways in prayer and we must always yield to Him. Even if we think there are greater rivers of prayer than the river we are in right now, we must follow the Holy Spirit. We move only with Him. We must be grateful for any place in prayer He gives us, and we must rest there until He moves us to another place.

We shouldn’t be fretting in our hearts and thinking, “Come on! Let’s get moving! Let’s get out of this quiet river and into some intense supplication!” We must not try to pull the Holy Spirit in our favorite direction. When we do that, we grieve Him. He says, “Well, it seems they only like that one kind of prayer. Since I’m not working that way today, I guess I can’t use them.”

Although we’ve had many marvelous prayer meetings here at our church over the years, one thing I’ve noticed about them is they’re all different. One time, we may weep and groan and travail. The next time, we may pray loudly in tongues and make declarations in the Spirit. The next time, we might worship and sing in the Spirit. The time after that, we may sit in mute silence as the Lord moves on our hearts.

“But, Lynne,” you may ask, “when I go to prayer, how will I know which one of those things to do?”

The Holy Spirit will lead you. He will show you what to do each time you pray if you will be humble and honor Him.

Scripture Reading: Psalm 25:9

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!”

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