Some Christians find it hard to believe that God will anoint unsaved government and military leaders to do His will. But the Bible is clear about it: He has done it before and He will do it again.
In the Old Testament, when God wanted to destroy the false religion of Baal worship that had taken over Israel, He began the process by anointing the prophet Elijah. Under that anointing, Elijah proved the deity of God by calling down divine fire on the altar and single-handedly killing 450 prophets of Baal (1 Kings 18).
That was quite an accomplishment for a preacher!
But it took more than just a preacher to get the whole job done. So God told Elijah to anoint two other men to continue the work—Hazael, a heathen king of Syria, and Jehu, a ruthless military leader from Israel. Amazingly enough, Elijah didn’t even have to anoint those men personally. God dispersed His power to them through other prophets that Elijah had trained. And, eventually, Hazael and Jehu finished what Elijah had begun.
God is still working the same way today. He is calling His Church to pray and disperse His anointing just as Elijah did. He is calling us to disperse it to government officials, to military leaders and, of course, to those in places of spiritual authority.
As we do, God will inspire and empower those leaders to remove that which has hindered the preaching of the Gospel. He will use them to level mountains, fill valleys, and make a highway that Jesus can use to reach the nations. He will use them to open up a highway for our God. Jesus said it will happen and it will!
Scripture Reading: 2 Kings 9:1 – 13
Source: Devotions for the Praying Heart by Lynne Hammond.
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!”