When you look at it in light of the Word, it’s not really surprising that God gave us a variety of patterns for the New Testament Church. Even in the Old Testament, He had more than one pattern for His house. In Exodus 25, for example, He spoke to Moses about how He wanted the first Tabernacle constructed. He said:
Let them make Me a sanctuary, that I may dwell among them. And you shall make it according to all that I show you, the pattern of the tabernacle or dwelling and the pattern of all the furniture in it. (verses 8 – 9 Amp)
Those verses tell us that God provided very specific directions for the Temple in the wilderness. It was built according to a certain pattern so that it could accommodate God’s purposes on the earth for that season of time. Exodus 35 tells us that He even anointed craftsmen and artists with the ability to bring that pattern forth to perfection.
Most likely, when the Israelites saw the pattern for the wilderness Tabernacle, they thought it was the last word in Temple building. They assumed God would always want His house to be built according to that pattern and look exactly that way.
But when the spiritual season changed and it was time for the Temple in Jerusalem to be built, God provided an entirely different pattern. He gave it first to King David:
Then David gave to Solomon his son the pattern of the porch, and of the houses thereof, and of the treasuries thereof, and of the upper chambers thereof, and of the inner parlours thereof, and of the place of the mercy seat, and the pattern of all that he had by the spirit, of the courts of the house of the Lord … All this, said David, the Lord made me understand in writing by his hand upon me, even all the works of this pattern. (1 Chronicles 28:11 – 12, 19 KJV)
Obviously, our God is a God of patterns both in the Old Testament and the New. For each spiritual season, He has a perfect plan for us as individual believers and for the Church as a whole. If we will ask Him, He will show us as surely as He showed Moses, David, and Solomon how we are to pattern our lives and the work of the kingdom at this particular time. He will show us how to accomplish His perfect will for today.
Scripture Reading: Exodus 24:15 – 18; 25:1 – 9, 40; 1 Chronicles 28:1 – 19
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!”