The Bible confirms again and again that the power of God is released through the praises of His people.
When the Israelites shouted to the Lord for giving them the city of Jericho, His power came on the scene and the walls of that city fell down.
When king Jehoshaphat sent the praisers in front of the army of Judah, their enemies turned against each other and God’s people got the victory without even having to fight (2 Chronicles 20).
In Acts chapter 13, when some prophets and teachers at Antioch were ministering to the Lord with worship and praise, the Holy Spirit moved in power and launched the mighty ministry of the apostle Paul.
Wonderful things happen when God’s people praise Him!
In her book, His Healing Power, Lillian Yeomans tells of a missionary to China who contracted smallpox.2 The doctors told her that she would probably die, and even if she didn’t, she would be severely disfigured by the disease. Instead of weeping at the news, however, the missionary confounded the doctors by praising the Lord.
Her physicians thought she was delirious but she wasn’t. She was simply following the instructions of Jesus, the greatest physician of all.
He had given her a vision of two baskets. One of them, which was half full, contained her praises. The other, which was full, contained her praying. The Lord promised her that once the praise basket was as full as her prayer basket, the pox on her body would be gone. So she kept the hospital ringing with shouts and songs of praise.
Sure enough, in the end the smallpox vanished without leaving as much as a single scar.
Scripture Reading: Joshua 6:1 – 20
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!”