What Makes the Difference?

by Lynne Hammond | Devotions for the Praying Heart

Now on the final and most important day of the Feast, Jesus stood,  and He cried in a loud voice, If any man is thirsty, let him come  to Me and drink! He who believes in Me [who cleaves to and trusts  in and relies on Me] as the Scripture has said, from his innermost  being shall flow [continuously] springs and rivers of living water.
  John 7:37 – 38 Amp 

All prayers are not equal.  Some move mountains. Others don’t. Some prayers are effective. Others aren’t. Some prayers delight the heart of God and bring an outpouring of blessing  from heaven to earth. Others don’t seem to touch Him at all. 

Why is that? 

It’s certainly not because some prayers are more eloquent than others. I’ve  seen eloquent prayers go unanswered while the simplest, childlike cry received  a miraculous response from God. It’s certainly not because of the maturity of the Christian doing the praying, because I’ve seen seasoned saints miss it and newborn believers pray prayers that prevail. 

What does make the difference? James 5:16 says it’s the “fervent prayer” of the righteous man that availeth much. Or as the Amplified Bible says, it’s the “earnest, heartfelt prayer” that makes “tremendous power available [dynamic in its working].” 

Powerful prayers are the prayers that come from the heart (not the head) of  a believer. They contain a sincerity and passion that springs from our innermost  being. They’re not dry prayers that are prayed out of duty. They are prayers that  overflow from the heart on fire for the Lord. They are prayers inspired by the  Holy Spirit that flow from within us like rivers of living waters. 

Scripture Reading: Jeremiah 29:13

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!”

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