One man who truly knew how to pray on the victory side was the Old Testament ruler King Jehoshaphat of Judah. During his reign, a great multitude came against his nation to destroy it. Militarily, King Jehoshaphat had absolutely no hope of prevailing against the invading armies. But do you think he started whining and whimpering about it? Do you think he started saying, “Oh God, our nation is going to be wiped out!”
Certainly not.
Jehoshaphat focused on God, not on his enemies. If you’ll study his prayer in 2 Chronicles 20:6 – 12, you’ll see that Jehoshaphat did several things to put himself on the victory side. First, he magnified God instead of magnifying his problem. He exalted God above it.
Second, rather than talking about impending defeat, he talked about victories God had given them in the past. He said, “Lord, You delivered Your people before and we know You will do it again.”
Third, he talked about their covenant with God. He put God in remembrance of His promise that He would hear and save.
Finally, he laid claim on the inheritance that belonged to them by virtue of the fact that they were children of Abraham.
Do you know what happened as a result of that powerful prayer? God gave them total victory. He wiped out Judah’s enemies all by Himself so that Jehoshaphat’s army never even had to fight. They just came in and gathered up the spoil.
Now that’s what I call a powerful prayer!
Scripture Reading: 2 Chronicles 20:6 – 12
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!”