After these things I looked, and behold, a door standing open in heaven. And the first voice which I heard was like a trumpet speaking with me, saying, “Come up here ….”
(Rev. 4:1)
Every committed believer I know is sensing the upward call of the Lord these days. All who are tuned into the voice of the Spirit are hearing Him say in one way or another, “Come up!”
The level of spiritual sensitivity and power we enjoyed in times past simply isn’t satisfactory anymore. God is giving us a deeper hunger for a greater relationship with Him. He is igniting within us a fiery desire to more powerfully advance the kingdom of God. Why?
Because the end of this age is rapidly approaching. There is a great and mighty work for the Lord that needs to be done. And we must come up to higher spiritual places to do it. We must come up to higher places in God.
Some years ago during a prayer meeting in Colorado, a prophetic declaration came forth that perfectly captured what is happening right now with three unforgettable words:
Places are calling.
Oh, how true that is today! So many places and positions in the realm of the spirit are calling out to be occupied by members of the body of Christ!
Every single child of God has a calling to fulfill in this earth. Every one of us has a spiritual supply to give, prayers to pray, and territory to occupy for Jesus. We all have vital parts to play and places to fill in this end-time work of God.
In our hearts, every one of us can sense it. We have all heard, however faintly, our God-ordained places calling to us.
Now it is time for us to answer.
It is time for us to come up.
Scripture Reading: Exodus 3:1 – 10
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!”