Hebrews 13:15 KJV
Notice that verse says it is by Him—by the Lord Jesus and by the indwelling Spirit of God—that we offer up our prayers and our praises. We don’t come up with them all by ourselves. God initiates something in our spirits. He inspires us and we respond by lifting up to Him what He has quickened to our hearts.
I remember one time, for instance, when I was fellowshipping with the Lord and I got inspired about the fact that Jesus is my Savior. I know that’s a simple, basic truth, but the Holy Spirit made it come so alive in my heart that it thrilled me in a totally new way. He breathed on the word Savior, and I suddenly saw that Jesus was not just my Savior the day I got born again; He is my Savior every day. He is especially anointed and equipped to save me at all times in
every situation.
That revelation inspired such praise within me that I prayed and worshipped the Lord over it for days and days. God used that truth to initiate in me real, heartfelt prayers.
Why don’t we receive that kind of revelation and inspiration all the time?
I can answer that question with one simple word: routine.
We take revelations that were originally initiated by the Holy Spirit and drain the life out of them by turning them into rote religious rituals. Instead of continually going back to the source of our inspiration, we get stuck doing and saying the same old things again, and again, and again.
Don’t let that happen to you. Every time you start to pray, remind yourself that God is anything but routine. He is always alive and new. He is always on the move. He is unusual, surprising, creative, and original. So if you are truly in fellowship with Him, your prayer life will be that way too.
Every day will bring you new adventures with Him!
Scripture Reading: Ephesians 1:15 – 23
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!”