I understand to a degree why the Holy Spirit delayed Paul’s ministry to Ephesus because of something the Lord said to me one time when I was praying for a certain group of people. I’d recently read the verse, “Ask ye of the Lord rain in the time of the latter rain” (Zechariah 10:1 KJV), so I was praying for God to send a flood of His Spirit upon them. Right in the middle of my praying, the Lord interrupted me.
“Don’t pray for a flood yet,” He said.
At first, I couldn’t figure out why He’d say that. Then I began to think about how natural, earthly places that have been in drought for a long time can’t handle floods of rain. The earth is too hard and crusty to soak up the water. Instead of being a blessing, it causes damage. Those areas need dew and light showers to soften the ground first so the earth can drink in the heavy rains when they come.
That was the case in Ephesus. It had been in a spiritual drought, locked up by demonic powers for years. The people there wouldn’t have been open at all to a ministry like Paul’s.
So what did Paul do?
We can assume that he prayed in tongues over the situation because he made no secret of the fact that tongues was a major part of his prayer life. He said to the Corinthians (the biggest bunch of tongue talkers around), “I thank my God I speak with tongues more than you all” (1 Corinthians 14:18).
We also know that he left a couple of his ministry coworkers, Priscilla and Aquila, in Ephesus. They helped disciple an up-and-coming young minister named Apollos who preached in the synagogues. He sprinkled spiritual water on the hard ground of Ephesus and prepared it for the flood Paul would bring upon his return.
It was an absolutely perfect plan. If Paul had gotten ahead of that plan and insisted on harvesting the field of Ephesus before the Spirit had prepared the way, he would have been sorely disappointed with the results. He wouldn’t have seen the increase he hoped to see.
The same is true for us. It’s true in our work for the Lord. It’s true in our finances. It’s true in every area where we long for increase.
So let’s follow Paul’s example. Let’s send our prayer out ahead of us. Let’s wait for God’s plans to unfold in every sphere of life. Let’s get on our knees and yield to the Spirit so He can get things ready for the flood!
Scripture Reading: Acts 18:18 – 28
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!”