Isaiah 56:7 Amp
Astounding things happen when God’s people get together to pray.
Impossible victories are won.
Enemies that stubbornly resist the opposition of individual believers flee in terror when pray-ers assemble side by side, each one giving his or her own unique supply of the Spirit.
The Bible affirms it again and again. Both the Old Testament and the New tell us about times when the powers of darkness were driven back and defeated because people linked their hearts and their faith together and became a house of prayer.
That is what we are as born again believers, you know. We are a house of prayer. We are God’s temple. He dwells in us not only individually but “collectively as a church” (1 Corinthians 3:16 Amp). And these days, I sense in my heart that our collective power is most urgently needed.
As precious as our solitary times of prayer may be and as much as we may enjoy fellowshipping alone with the Father, we are living in a time fraught with challenges that can only be met by the corporate prayers of God’s people. We are in a season when we need not just lone prayer rangers, but “the church, in all its various parts, closely joined and firmly knit together by the joints and ligaments with which it is supplied…each part [with power adapted to its need]…working properly [in all its functions]…(Eph. 4:16 Amp).
In other words, during these last and greatest days of the Church, God is looking for pray-ers who will draw near not only to Him but to each other.
He is searching for those who will join hands and hearts and become a house of prayer.
Scripture Reading: Acts 1:12–15; Ephesians 2:18–22
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!”