Ephesians 2:10 Amp
God has a specific plan for each one of us. He has a divine destiny for all of us to fulfill.
How do we find it?
We find it by following the example of the sparrow in Psalms chapter 84. Just as that little bird continually returned to her nest, we must return continually to our place of fellowship with God. We must go back again and again to the tabernacle of our hearts—the place within us where God has chosen to make His home. We must sincerely say as the psalmist did:
How lovely are Your tabernacles, O Lord of Hosts! My soul yearns, yes, even pines and is homesick for the courts of the Lord; my heart and my flesh cry out and sing for joy to the living God. Yes, the sparrow has found a house, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay her young—even Your altars, O Lord of hosts, my King and my God. Blessed … are those who dwell in Your house and Your presence; they will be singing Your praises all the day long …Blessed … is the man whose strength is in You, in whose heart are the highways to Zion. (vs. 1 – 5 Amp)
Look again at that last phrase. Let it sink deeply into your spirit so you will always remember that the highways of Zion (the roadmaps to your divine destiny) are hidden in your heart. God’s plan for your life isn’t in your head. It hasn’t been given to somebody else. God has put it in your own heart, and the Holy Spirit is in there to reveal it to you.
Once you truly understand that, you’ll see why rote form and repetition in prayer doesn’t work. You’ll understand why you can’t just copy somebody else or recite prayers from a book. Your roadmap is unique. God has different revelations and impartations for you at different points along the way. Only He knows what you need and exactly when you need it. Only He knows how to get you where He has destined you to go.
So stay in living contact with Him. Refuse to let religion creep into your prayer life and rob you of your relationship with God. Pray heartfelt prayers inspired by the Holy Spirit. Those are the kinds of prayers that make much power available, dynamic in its working.
Those are truly the prayers that work.
Scripture Reading: Psalm 84:1 – 12
Source: Devotions for the Praying Heart by Lynne Hammond.
Excerpt permission granted by Lynne Hammond Ministries
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!”