When the Israelites first came out of Egypt, God offered them a wonderful opportunity. He invited them to sanctify themselves so that when He came down on Mount Sinai, they could meet with Him and hear His voice. But, amazing as it may seem, they declined His invitation.When they saw the thundering and lightnings of God, they were too frightened to come near to Him. So they stood far away.
Then they said to Moses, “You speak with us, and we will hear; but let not God speak with us, lest we die.” And Moses said to the people, “Do not fear; for God has come to test you, and that His fear may be before you, so that you may not sin.” So the people stood afar off, but Moses drew near the thick darkness where God was. (Exodus 20:19 – 21)
The Israelites decided they didn’t want to go any further in God. They were content to stay right there where they were. But Moses drew near! And as a result of his experience there on the mountain, he came to know the power and glory of God in a way that others never did. He had the privilege of speaking with God face to face as a man speaks to his friend!
Someone might say, “Now, Lynne, that was Old Testament. Things are different now.”
No, they’re not. Spiritually, they are much the same. The book of Hebrews says that like Moses, we have come to the mountain of God, “to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God” (Hebrews 12:22). Like the Israelites were, we have been invited to “draw near.”
If we want to be the kind of believers God speaks with face to face, we must take Him up on His invitation. Instead of standing far off, we must follow in Moses’ footsteps. We must dare to go to the mountain of the spirit and fellowship with God.
Scripture Reading: Hebrews 12:18 – 29
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!”