he went out to his brethren and looked at their burdens. And
he saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of his brethren. So he
looked this way and that way, and when he saw no one, he killed
the Egyptian and hid him in the sand.
Exodus 2:11–12
Some believers have drawn back from God’s upward call because at some time in their lives, they responded to it and things didn’t work out as they hoped. They jumped out to do what they thought the Lord was drawing them to do and they ran straight into a wall.
If that’s ever happened to you, don’t worry about it. You’re in good company. Some of the greatest faith heroes of the Bible didn’t respond to God’s call exactly like He wanted them to at first.
Remember Moses? We all know he was called to the office of the prophet. He was called to serve as a deliverer for Israel and he sensed that call within his heart. But initially he responded by murdering an Egyptian who was beating a Hebrew slave. Obviously that was not what God had in mind, and it took some years on the back side of the desert for Moses to get things all straightened out. But God helped him, and in the end, Moses fulfilled his role in the plan of God.
The young prophet, Samuel, had trouble at first understanding how to respond to God’s voice, too. The first few times he heard the Lord speak, Samuel thought he was hearing the voice of his mentor, Eli. So instead of responding to God, he went to Eli and said, “Did you call me?” But God didn’t give up on him. He just kept calling until Samuel got it right. He kept working with him until he matured so fully in God that everything he said came to pass.
That’s encouraging, isn’t it? It’s wonderful to know that no matter how many mistakes we make, if we will keep on responding to God’s call the best we know how, He’ll keep working with us.
Just like He did with Moses and Samuel, He will stick with us until we get it right!
Scripture Reading: 1 Samuel 3:1–10
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!”