When Jesus sent out His disciples during His earthly ministry, He gave them the same mission He had been given by His Father. He sent them out to penetrate the darkness by bringing the light. He sent them out to take the kingdom of God to people who otherwise would have no access to that kingdom.
And He has given us that same mission.
That’s why we’re here on the earth! We’re not here just to live blessed, comfortable little Christian lives. We’re not here just to get together and have light parties at church every Sunday. We’re here so we can take God’s light to people who don’t have it. That’s our mission!
I don’t mind telling you, when I first caught sight of this, I was overwhelmed. I said, “Lord, exactly how am I supposed to be a missionary of light? My schedule is already packed to overflowing. I have meetings to go to and work to do, groceries to buy, meals to cook, kids and grandkids to tend, and lots of other stuff to do. How on earth am I ever going to find time to go out witnessing every day? Am I supposed to put the brakes on everything or what?”
My brain seized up just trying to think about how I was going to do it.
The Lord didn’t answer me for a few days. He let me settle down and put it in His hands. Then one day as I was praying about something else entirely, He said, “Do you remember what I said to you about taking your light to the world?”
I braced myself. I thought He was going to come on real hard and heavy and give me some burdensome thing to do. But Jesus is so sweet and gentle. He just said this to me.
“Lynne, the change you have to make is not in your schedule. The change is not putting the brakes on your life and taking on a whole new array of activities. The change is in your thinking. It’s in your mind.”
From that day on, He began to show me how to do everything with a whole new attitude. He showed me that if I saw my whole world as a missions field, I could take the light to people every day, everywhere I go. He showed me that all I had to do was step out into this sin-darkened world and shine!
Scripture Reading: Luke 1:76 – 79
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!”