(1 John 4:9 – 10)
It’s impossible to separate our love for the Lord from our spiritual hunger for Him. The more we love Him, the more we will hunger for His presence. The more we treasure and reflect on all He has done for us, the stronger our desire for Him will be.
There’s a wonderful old hymn—you may have sung it when you were a child—and it is ringing in my heart right now. It’s a simple song written by some dear saint long ago whose heart was sweetly filled with love and desire for the Master. It says:
“There is a name I love to hear. I love to sing its worth.
“It sounds like music in my ear. The sweetest name on earth.
“Oh, how I love Jesus! Oh, how I love Jesus!
“Oh, how I love Jesus because He first loved me.”
If we want to stay spiritually hungry, we must ask ourselves every day if the affections of our hearts are turned toward our precious Lord. We must continually look inside ourselves and ask, “Do I love Jesus above all else? Is He the dearest thing in life to me or have I let other things—the busyness of life, the cares of this world, or even the work of the ministry—become foremost to me?”
“But, Lynne,” you might say, “I’m a pray-er! I pray every day about the people and the plans of God. Isn’t that proof that I’m still in love with and hungry for Jesus?”
Not necessarily. All of us, no matter what our service to the Lord may be, must constantly watch over our hearts. We must constantly stir the fire of our passion for the Lord and remind ourselves of how He has loved us, delivered us, and given His life for us.
We must never let ourselves get so busy praying about “things” that we forget to worship and adore the one who died for us. We must take the time to thank Him, praise Him, and weep in gratitude before Him for all the times He has rescued us from darkness and despair, for all the times He has guided our steps, for all the times He has touched our hearts and comforted us with His presence.
Nobody knows like you know what Jesus has done for you. If you will stir up your remembrance of those things, you will deepen your hunger for Him.
Scripture Reading: Hebrews 13:15
Excerpt permission granted by Lynne Hammond Ministries
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!”