Notice Habakkuk did more than just write down what the Lord told him. He did more than just give us a glimpse of what it’s going to be like when the glory of God invades the earth. He didn’t just share His vision. He prayed about it!
We must do the same. We must take the vision of the glorious outpouring God has promised and stir our hearts with it—not just so we can say, “Hallelujah, isn’t that wonderful!” but so that we can help bring that vision into the earth by praying about it until it comes forth.
I believe we must be especially aware of the need for such prayer right now. We must be alert to keep ourselves, as pray-ers, stirred up because there is just enough spiritual rain falling in our churches, just enough of a refreshing taking place, that it would be easy for us to allow ourselves to settle down and be satisfied. It would be easy for us just to “park” here.
But we cannot afford to do that. We must press on. We must grab hold of the vision of this divine invasion and refuse to stop praying until it comes. Why?
Because even though we may already be experiencing the glory of God in our own devotional times or when we go to church, that in itself is not enough. There are millions of people outside our church walls who have never encountered that glory. There are millions who will spend eternity in a Devil’s hell unless the power and glory of God moves beyond our churches and invades this earth! It is our job to stand for those people.
It is our job to pray until the earth is filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea. Then and only then will the Lord fully reap the precious fruit of the earth. Only then will we see the great end-time harvest!
Scripture Reading: James 5:7 – 8
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!”