I love spiritually desperate people. People who are desperate not just for the things God can give them and for the benefits He bestows, but for God Himself. I love those kinds of people because I understand them. And I understand them because I am one of them.
Don’t get me wrong. I appreciate the benefits of salvation. I’m grateful for prosperity, and healing, and victory over the Devil. But like many other believers, I’ve found that once you deeply experience the presence of God, you cannot be satisfied anymore with His blessings alone. You have to have Him.
God’s presence can do in you what nothing else can. As wonderful as they may be, neither your pastor nor your friend, your husband nor your wife can do for you what the presence of God can do.
Sometimes when the presence of the Lord changes me, I can’t even tell you what He did or how He did it. All I know is that He operated on me, and as a result, I am different.
Once you experience God in that way, your heart begins to say what the psalmist said, “As the deer pants for the water brookes, so pants my soul for You, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God” (Psalm 42:1-2 NASB)
I’ve learned over the years that the Lord dearly loves that attitude. It blesses Him and draws Him in a very special way. He enjoys being appreciated not just for His gifts but for Himself.
Scripture Reading: Psalm 36:5-9
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!”