Some people have the idea that only believers who spend all day in their prayer closets can watch and pray. But that’s not right. Watching is for everybody who is born again and baptized in the Holy Spirit. Watching is for people who mow lawns and own businesses and work on computers. If we’ll just tune into the Spirit within us, we can all watch and pray—all day long, every day of our lives!
“Is that really necessary?” you might ask.
Absolutely, it is!
If you doubt it, read what the Bible says about the days we’re living in. It says, “But understand this, that in the last days will come (set in) perilous times of great stress and trouble [hard to deal with and hard to bear]” (2 Timothy 3:1 Amp). “For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places … And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold” (Matthew 24:7, 12).
There’s no way around it; some bad days are coming upon this earth. But if we will watch and pray, much harm can be averted. The body of Christ can be protected, and we can walk in great blessing and peace even in the midst of turbulent times.
To do that, however, we must stay on the alert. We can’t afford to be so caught up in our natural, earthly lives that we miss the cues the Holy Spirit gives us. We must watch in every sense of the word.
Scripture Reading: Matthew 24:1 – 42
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!”