In Acts chapter four, we see the Church gathered together in prayer again. Peter and John had been arrested, threatened, and charged not to preach anymore in the name of Jesus. So instead of going to the boardroom and devising some kind of manmade strategy, they went back to their own company of believers, and all together they lifted up their voices with one united mind to God.
They didn’t just pray for deliverance from present danger either. They prayed out plans for the future. They prayed for boldness. They prayed for freedom to declare the Gospel without fear. They prayed for healings, signs, and wonders. They prayed until the place in which they were assembled was shaken and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit!
Acts chapter five reveals the amazing results of their prayers. “Now by the hands of the apostles … numerous and startling signs and wonders were being performed among the people … More and more there were being added to the Lord those who believed … And the people gathered also from the towns and hamlets around Jerusalem, bringing the sick and those troubled with foul spirits, and they were all cured” (verses 12, 14, 16, Amp).
As wonderful as the early Church was, however, it wasn’t perfect. And in Acts chapter 12, we find the Devil sneaking up on them and stealing one of their primary leaders. Herod killed James, the brother of John, with the sword. “And when he saw that it was pleasing to the Jews, he proceeded further and arrested Peter also” (verse 3 Amp).
That incident alone is proof enough that for God’s full will to be done, somebody has to pray. It wasn’t God’s will for James to be killed! He was one of the three disciples closest to Jesus during His earthly ministry. He was one of the most thoroughly equipped ministers of the Church. God didn’t want him dead. He wanted him alive to teach, train, and minister to the saints!
But the Devil caught the Church sleeping and stole James from them. So here’s what they did: they prayed. Not just once or twice, either. They didn’t just say a word of prayer and go on with their normal activities. No, as long as Peter was in prison, “fervent prayer for him was persistently made to God by the church” (verse 5 Amp).
Those believers prayed day and night. They prayed and prayed and prayed until Peter himself showed up to join them. Actually, they were praying so intently that they wouldn’t even stop to let him in. They were determined to pray through!
Scripture Reading: Acts 4:31 – 33; 5:12 – 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!”