In his wonderful book on prayer, Born for Battle, Arthur Matthews tells how Britain’s Royal Air Force (RAF) would be given the command to “Scramble!” during World War II when England was under enemy attack. To the RAF pilots, that command meant they were to take to the sky quickly and ascend as high as possible. For them to win the battle, they knew they must first gain a place of altitude above the attacking planes.
From that place, victory was virtually guaranteed.
Likening this to our position in prayer, Mr. Matthews reminds us that as believers we have already been raised up to the highest place of all. We have been raised up together with Jesus and seated with Him at God’s right hand, “far above all rule and authority and power and dominion and every name that is named … not only in this age and in this world, but also in the age and the world which are to come” (Ephesians 1:21 Amp). Admonishing us to take that place by faith, he said:
“From only one position is it safe to approach and resist Satan, and that is from this position in Christ in the highest heavenlies. From this position Satan and his hosts are completely vulnerable.
“So for us also altitude is a vital factor. Victory depends on it. Understandably, therefore, Satan’s craft is dedicated to luring us away from this place of advantage and causing us to forget his vulnerability. The significance of being made powerful in the Lord is directly connected to the faith that maintains its position ‘far above all’ in all circumstances and … puts on Jesus Christ as the only adequate armor of God.”6
Scripture Reading: Ephesians 6:10 – 18
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!”