What we have spiritually is always a direct reflection of the degree of hunger we have.
I’ve been in church services where I prayed for God to come in a big way. I’ve had Him open the eyes of my heart as I prayed and show me what He wanted to do there. But then I’ve seen those same services fall far short of what He showed me.
Why did they fall short?
Because the people attending weren’t hungry enough to receive the full measure of God that He wanted to give. When He was just getting started, we were already spiritually satisfied. We got a little blessing from heaven and we were filled to capacity. Then we were ready to go home and watch television.
But it doesn’t have to be that way!
There is more and we can have it.
We can develop a hunger that cannot be satisfied just with little blessings from heaven. We can receive from God a hunger that can only be satisfied with God Himself. That kind of hunger doesn’t just include God in one big sea of desire. It doesn’t say, “I want a new car, and I want a new house, and I want some new clothes, and I want God.”
No, that kind of spiritual hunger is so focused on God that every other desire pales by comparison. It brings us to that blessed place where nothing will satisfy us but Him.
Scripture Reading: Revelation 3:14 – 22
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!”