Even though we love Jesus, we must constantly guard against heartless praying. If we don’t, our prayers can become entrenched in and embedded with religion. They can become “a form of godliness but denying its power” (2 Timothy 3:5).
We might be praying words that come straight from the pages of our Bible. But even prayers that are based on the written Word of God can become rigidly religious and ineffective. They can be filled with scriptural truth, yet still be empty and powerless.
Don’t get me wrong. Truth is an important element of our prayer lives. Basing our prayers on the Scriptures can be a wonderful thing to do. But Jesus said that the Father is looking for more than just truth in our prayers and our worship. He is also looking for spirit because “God is a Spirit (a spiritual being), and those who worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth” (John 4:24 Amp).
Spirit praying is more than just speaking out scriptural facts. It’s more than rehearsing what we’ve learned in the past. It is responding to the revelation the Spirit of God is quickening to us right now.
“But what if God isn’t revealing anything to me?” you might ask.
If you are born again, God is always revealing something to you. He is always initiating interaction and inspiring you. After all, you’re the temple of the Holy Spirit. He is dwelling on the inside of you. What do you think He is doing in there? Sleeping or just taking a ride?
No! The Holy Spirit is on the inside of you to lead you, guide you, inspire you, reveal the Father to you, reveal Jesus to you, and quicken the words of God to you. And He is always doing His job. All you have to do is tune into Him and He’ll give you something fresh and new to pray about.
He’ll make some particular truth come alive in you so you can pray it sincerely from your heart.
Scripture Reading: John 14:15 – 26
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!”