I know of a church in North Carolina where the worship team abounds in heartfelt worship and praise. New songs flow freely from them and they are fluent with prophetic psalms and hymns.
When I asked the pastor what their secret was, he pointed me back to Colossians 3:16. “The Word of God dwells in them richly,” he said. “They spend time reading, meditating, and even memorizing the Scriptures each week. They get so full that when the Spirit moves on them they simply overflow.”
Oh, dear pray-er, let’s resolve right now to be more that way ourselves!
We must determine to saturate ourselves with God’s Word. Then let’s open our mouths and purposely let our hearts overflow in thanksgiving and praises to Him. And let’s endeavor to do it like Paul did—every single time we pray!
I’m convinced that as we do, our prayers will increasingly become more powerful and effective. They’ll bring God’s power on the scene even at the midnight hour when things seem hopeless and dark. Our praise-filled prayers, just like Paul’s and Silas’s, will shake demonic strongholds, loose shackles, and open prison doors.
They will surely set the prisoners free!
Scripture Reading: Psalm 45:1
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!”