The first time I went to the grocery store with the mindset of bringing God’s light to someone who needs it, there was one particular person who caught my attention. She was a mother with three small children. One of them was pulling on her yelling, “Mommy! Mommy!” Her baby was sitting in the grocery cart crying, and her eight-year-old was on the floor throwing a full-blown tantrum.
Any other day, I would have just wheeled my grocery cart down another aisle to get away from that mess. But this day was different. I was on a mission.
I went up to that mother and said, “Can I help you?” (About that time, the baby spit out the pacifier and it went whizzing past my head.)
I knew this wasn’t the time to tell her she should come to my church. It wasn’t the time to give her a scripture. It was the time to be kind, helpful, and loving. It was not the time to speak light. It was time to be light.
So I knelt down on the floor beside the screaming little boy, put my hand on his head and said, “What’s your name?”
“ANDREW!” he screamed.
Looking up at his mother, I said, “Can I give him a mint?”
She shrugged as if to say, If you think that will help.
Seconds later, little Andrew was calm and quiet. The peace of God had come near him. I said to the mother, “Can I pray for you and your children?”
She said, “Here?”
“It’s as good a place as any,” I answered. Then I just prayed a blessing over her. I didn’t ask her to pray the sinner’s prayer. I didn’t sense any leading to do that. I just brought a little light to her.
Later as I was waiting in the checkout line, I looked up and saw her across the store. She caught my eye and silently mouthed the words, “Thank you ….”
Smiling back, I realized that in some small way, the light of Jesus had shined on her and Operation Grocery Store had been a success.
Scripture Reading: Luke 6:31 – 36
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!”