As a dearly beloved child of God, I never have to be pressured by the needs around me. I need never be tormented by uncertainty about God’s will. At times, when the demands of life and ministry make me feel I must be in two or three places at once, when I can’t figure out what I should do or how I should do it, I must remember this: Pressure and torment was never a part of Jesus’ life or ministry.
Although He bore the greatest responsibility any man had ever known, He fulfilled it in perfect peace. Although He faced the most perplexing challenges, He resolved them all—one by one—as He simply walked in the light of the Father.
Best of all, He bequeathed to me and to all believers the power to live the same way. “Peace I leave with you,” He said. “My peace I give to you.” With those words, He abolished forever Satan’s right to bind me with the torment of uncertainty. In essence, He said to me, “Just as I have walked peacefully in the light of My Father’s revealed will, so shall you.”
Therefore, when I pray and seek the Father’s will in any situation, I will do so fully expecting Him to reveal it to me. When doubts assail I must ask myself, “Would a loving earthly father leave his willing child guessing about such matters? How much less would our heavenly Father do such an unkind thing!”
If, upon asking, light does not immediately come, it may be that the decision doesn’t need to be made today. Can the matter be put on hold? If it can, I will simply go about my life in quietness, expecting the wisdom to come when it is needed. I will trust God that when it is time to act, He will quicken my heart and let me know. He will provide an inner witness to show me the way of His choice.
I recall the peaceful story of the cloud that led the Israelites through the wilderness. Whether it was two days, a month, or a year, as long as the cloud tarried, the people stayed where they were and journeyed not. But when it was taken up and began to move, they always followed.
What a picture of the life of the believer! Truly I can confidently say of the Lord, “In all my ways, I acknowledge Him and He directs my paths!”
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!”