Even if you don’t expect it, when you make room for the Lord, supernatural things start to happen in your life. That’s what the Shunammite woman discovered. She had no hidden agendas when she built that room for Elisha. She wasn’t trying to get him to meet her needs. She didn’t have a list of requests she wanted him to fill. She just desired his presence and the presence of the Lord that he brought to her home.
But when she made room for that presence, an amazing thing happened.
Elisha, through his servant, Gehazi, said to her, “You have been most painstakingly and reverently concerned for us; what is to be done for you?” (2 Kings 4:13 Amp).
The woman was so unprepared for the question, she couldn’t think of an answer. So she responded by saying in essence, “Nothing, sir. I am sufficiently blessed.”
Let the weight of this situation sink in on you for a moment. There was Elisha, the most powerful prophet of the Old Testament, the prophet who had double the anointing of Elijah, asking this woman what he could do for her. He was asking her to allow him to bless her!
When she couldn’t think of anything she wanted, Elisha didn’t give up. He said again to his servant, “What then is to be done for her?”
At that point, Gehazi reminded Elisha that the woman was childless and her husband was old. So Elisha called her in and declared to her, “About this time next year you shall embrace a son” (verse 16).
Although having a child was what this woman wanted more than anything else in the world, she had assumed it was impossible. For her to have a son after years of barrenness would require a miracle beyond her wildest imaginations. But because she made room for the supernatural, she received that miracle. By honoring and cherishing the presence of the Lord, she opened the door for God to give her the desire of her heart.
Scripture Reading: Proverbs 10:24; Psalm 145:17 – 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!”