In many churches, the troops of God are already well prepared for battle. The pastors have faithfully taught them about their spiritual weapons. They are armed and ready to fight.
All they need now is a military leader. They need the pastor to assemble them in corporate prayer and tell them where to shoot.
I saw a demonstration of that a few years ago when I was ministering in a church in the United States. During one church service I attended, the pastor first began ministering to the congregation functioning only as a shepherd. He lovingly taught the Word to them and operated in the gifts of the Spirit, calling out various individuals, giving words of wisdom or knowledge to some, and ministering healing to others.
When he finished that part of the service, he opened his Bible again, intending to feed the sheep some more. Then something amazing happened. The look on his face changed. When he turned back toward the congregation, it was as if something in him had clicked and he’d been transformed from a kindly shepherd into a military commander.
The people instantly responded. Apparently, they had seen that look before, so they switched from the sheep mode and became a prayer army awaiting the leader’s command.
Sure enough, it came. “I see a wave of violence coming against this nation,” said the pastor. “Let’s meet it in prayer!”
Right then and there, the people began to pray. They didn’t pray long but they prayed with power and authority. They prayed in unity and one accord, and they got their job done.
No doubt, hell trembles at the sight of such congregations.
Lord, raise up more of them and shake it to the core!
Scripture Reading: Judges 5:24 – 31
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!”