Statistically insignificant, Israel is inhabited by less than one percent of the world’s population. Yet every day it is featured in practically every major newspaper in the world. That in itself is evidence that we have stepped across the prophetic timeline into the last days.
Actually, the Jewish sages in Israel (those who scrutinize Old Testament prophecy intensely and understand in detail God’s appointed seasons) say that we crossed the last-days’ timeline several years ago. They point to September 11, 1999, as “the day everything changed.”
That date, according to the calculations of these scriptural scholars, marked the beginning of the final phase of the judgment of the nations. It was the start of a war cycle that will end in Israel’s final triumph and the coming of the Messiah.
Because they had foreseen it years in advance, the Jews who study the signs of the times were not surprised when, at the end of September 1999, a Jewish- Palestinian war began. They were not caught off guard when Ariel Sharon made his trip to the Temple Mount in Jerusalem and his presence there so inflamed the Palestinians that they launched the intifada.
Ever since that strategic September, more and more nations have been aligning themselves against Israel. The bloodshed wrought within its border by terrorists has been horrendous. The news reports we receive about it in the United States don’t even begin to convey the devastation and pain experienced by Israelis.
So appalling is the reality of it that a few years ago when I was visiting there with some friends and fellow ministers, we were practically overwhelmed by it. It so enraged and saddened us that we might have given into despair. But we didn’t because in the midst of it all, we met a man named Gershon Solomon. He reminded us that the time we are living in—despite its trouble—is a time to rejoice.
It is the time when the star of Israel will rise again and that God will reveal Himself to the nations.
Scripture Reading: Zechariah 13:1 – 9
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!”