Do you need confirmation that we as believers are called to Jesus’ ministry of resurrection?
Then consider what Jesus said when He was on earth to the Jews who gathered in Jerusalem during the Feast of Tabernacles. On the last day of that great feast, just as the priests were about to tip over the urns and send water cascading down the Temple steps to remind the people of the water God provided for the Israelites in the wilderness …
Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. (But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.) (John 7:37 – 39)
When Jesus delivered that prophecy, He was looking ahead to our dispensation. He was seeing a time when a deluge of resurrection life powerful enough to defeat every demonic force and reverse every deadly attack of the Devil would be poured out all over the earth. He was foreseeing the day when born again, Holy Spirit-baptized believers would become veritable fountains of resurrection power.
He was seeing the day in which we live.
Praise God, we’ve seen His words come to pass in a limited measure. We’ve seen trickles and streams of resurrection power in our churches and in our lives. But we’re still waiting for the fullness of it. We’re still looking forward to the time when that power will flood through us into all the cities and nations of the world.
When will that time come?
It will come when we finally realize that we ourselves are the reservoirs that contain the floodwaters of God’s resurrection power. It will come when we release “…what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe. These are in accordance with the working of the strength of His might which He brought about in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places…” (Ephesians 1:19-20 NASB). The fullness of the divine rivers Jesus talked about on the Temple steps will be released when we as His people fully open the gates of our spirits and let those rivers flow.
“But, Lynne,” you might say, “I don’t know how to do that!”
Yes, you do. In fact, as a pray-er, you are already doing it to a degree. Every time you open your mouth in prayer and speak by the power of the Holy Ghost, streams of living water are flowing from your innermost being. Every time you pray in other tongues, you are releasing rivers of resurrection power.
What you need to do now is step up the pace by sharpening your revelation of that fact. Meditate on what is truly happening when you pray. See with the eyes of your heart the waters of the Spirit flowing out of your prayer closet until they are not just ankle deep, or knee deep, but deep enough for people to swim in!
Let the Lord make you ever more aware that when you pray for those who are in need of the power of Jesus, His resurrection life is flowing to them through you.
Scripture Reading: Ezekiel 37:1 – 9; Isaiah 12:1 – 4
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!”