One thing that will help expand your prayer life is to enlarge your definition of prayer. Keep in mind that prayer isn’t something you do only in your prayer closet or on your knees. Prayer doesn’t have to be just speaking in tongues or saying certain scriptures. Your whole life can express prayer.
There may be times, for instance, when you are deeply in prayer about a certain thing but because of time restraints, you have to leave your normal place of prayer and take care of other responsibilities. As you do, you may notice your heart still reaching out to God, lifting that thing to Him. You may find you are still groaning or making some other inward expression in your heart.
Traditionally, most of us have thought those kinds of expressions don’t really count as prayer because we aren’t in our normal prayer mode. But we need to put away that kind of thinking. Those expressions of our hearts do count as prayer!
If we will walk in an attitude of prayer, lifting up our hearts in faith to God, we can be moving in places of prayer throughout our days. Instead of being in the spirit for a while, then leaving that place and going on to natural things, we can do what Paul said. We can “walk and live [habitually] in the [Holy] Spirit [responsive to and controlled and guided by the Spirit …” (Galatians 5:16 Amp). Prayer can become our way of life.
One person who understood that was Dr. Lillian Yeomans. A wise praying woman and minister of years gone by, she once wrote to a friend and said:
“I cannot resist answering your letter … at once though I have no time to do it. I ought to be praying but I ask God to let me pray all the time I write it. I knew of a man who was a chef—at least that was what people called him—but he was really a pray-er.… He was particularly burdened about the Spanish-American War and Sister S. believed that God gave America victory in answer to his petitions. If he was making fancy rolls it was a prayer making them … and they always turned out all right.”
No doubt, the same will be true of us, dear friend. If we will let the Spirit teach us to pray without ceasing, if we will allow Him to pray through us even while we do all the natural things God has given us to do, those natural things will surely turn out all right. And we will spend every moment in the presence of the Lord.
Scripture Reading: Luke 1:74 – 75
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!”