Anything we do by faith, we must do in accordance with the Word of God. So to build our faith for expanded expressions of the Spirit, we must find out what the Bible says about it. Does it tell us about people yielding to the Holy Spirit and praying in unusual ways? Does it show them giving forth varied expressions of the Spirit?
Yes, it does.
Take Hannah, for example. In 1 Samuel chapter one, we see her praying for a baby. She had been barren many years and the only way she would ever have a child was for God to work a miracle. My, how desperately she wanted a child! The Bible tells us she “was in distress of soul, praying to the Lord and weeping bitterly” (verse 10 Amp).
Hannah demonstrated that weeping is one expression of the Spirit in prayer. She also demonstrated another unusual expression of the Spirit—one that Eli, the priest who was watching her pray, initially misunderstood. According to verses 12 – 15, … as she continued praying before the Lord
… Hannah was speaking in her heart; only her lips moved but her voice was not heard. So Eli thought she was drunk. Eli said to her, How long will you be intoxicated? Put wine away from you. But Hannah answered, No, my lord, I am a woman of sorrowful spirit. I have drunk neither wine nor strong drink, but I was pouring out my soul before the Lord. (verses 12 – 15 Amp)
Notice that as Hannah gave herself to this intense kind of prayer, she didn’t make any sound. She just moved her lips. She must have been weaving back and forth and acting strangely as well because the priest was convinced that she’d been drinking.
That’s an unusual expression of the Spirit, isn’t it? Yet we know it was effective because God granted her request.
Scripture Reading: 1 Samuel 1:1 – 20
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!”