If you’re like me and you’ve always prayed for God to postpone judgment and prolong mercy, you may be wondering exactly how we should pray in times like these.
First and foremost, of course, we should pray being led of the Holy Spirit. As we do, He will lead us to pray for God to show Himself as God to the nations and thrust out laborers into the harvest. He will lead us to pray for kings and those in authority to submit to the will of God so that the Gospel can be preached in the darkest corners of the earth and people of every nation, tongue, and tribe can be saved.
But most important of all is simply the fact that He will lead us to pray!
Repeatedly in the New Testament, we are told that prayer is vital in these crucial and dangerous end-time hours. Again and again, we are admonished to “watch and pray.” That’s why I felt it was important for me to remind you of the prophetic events that are unfolding around us. They are the kinds of things we must be watching, and these are the days we must be praying. We must watch the fulfillment of prophecy as it appears on the horizon because it keeps us spiritually alert.
We must pray because even though the rebuilding of the Temple at Jerusalem is near at hand, until it is finished and the rapture takes place, the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ is the only temple of God in the earth. You and I are His dwelling places. We are the earthly seat of His authority and the center of His spiritual activity.
We are the ones preparing the way for the judgment of the nations and the removing of the veil from the eyes of those who have been blinded to the Gospel. We are the ones preparing the way of the Lord.
Scripture Reading: Isaiah 26:1 – 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!”