Do you know what the Israelites did when they got fed up with the oppression of Jabin?
They cried out to the Lord.
In other words, they began to pray.
“But, Lynne, I’ve already done that,” you may say. “I’ve prayed for my neighborhood. I’ve prayed for my city. I’ve prayed for my nations. I just didn’t see any results, so I got discouraged and quit.”
That happens to most all of us at one time or another. We’ve all been inspired to pray about some ungodly condition we’ve seen around us, but when things didn’t change right away, we started thinking our prayers weren’t doing any good.
What we need to do at times like that is follow the advice I once heard given by former President George W. Bush. When he was asked why certain changes hadn’t yet taken place in government, he said, “Be patient and let the system work.”
I realize he wasn’t talking about prayer when he said that, but it’s good prayer advice anyway. Be patient and let God’s system work.
Some prayer assignments require endurance. They have to be worked on a little every day for long periods of time. That’s why we must be “strengthened with all might: according to God’s glorious power unto all patience and longsuffering with joy.” Very often in prayer, we must just keep marching … marching … marching toward victory.
We can’t just have emotional outbursts of prayer in times of crisis. We must be constant and consistent, refusing to give up until the enemy is routed and righteousness prevails.
That’s what the Israelites did when they got sick and tired of Jabin. They did more than just cry out to God once or twice. They stayed with it until God raised up the leaders they needed. Then they assembled an army and fought until “the Lord routed Sisera” (Judges 4:14). They stayed on the offensive until victory was won.
Scripture Reading: Judges 4:11 – 16
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!”