creative prayer journeys
prayer walk
What is a prayer walk?
The WayMakers website summarizes the meaning of prayer walking well by saying that it is about "praying onsite with insight".
The WayMakers website summarizes the meaning of prayer walking well by saying that it is about "praying onsite with insight".
Ideas for prayer walks
Intercessional Prayer Walks
(ideas for leading a prayer walk around your city or town)
Before the walk
1. Plan a route round your city that takes in significant places and buildings. Examples of this might include the seat of local government, at least one school or college, the shopping centre and where people congregate, and any other important landmarks or historic places.
2. Are there any projects that your church (or local churches) are involved with in the town? E.g. youth outreach work, foodbanks, "street pastors" or "city angels", work with the homeless, etc. Remember to contact the leaders involved with these groups and see if there are any current issues in need of prayer.
3. Print out a map of your route (Google maps are useful for this) and mark with "x"s some prayer stations where people can stop and pray. Also prepare a list of prayer points for these places. For example, "At the council offices stop and pray for your local councillors, for wise decision making and godly leadership".
4. Make sure that your walk is not too long. About an hour out and about is usually a good length of time to aim for.
5. Arrange a venue to meet in before you go out. You may want to return here at the end for drinks and snacks, so remember to check this is OK with whoever you have asked to host the event.
When you walk
• Begin by explaining what you are going to do. Hand out the maps and prayer points and brief everyone about the route, and your suggested places for stopping and praying. Inspire people to pray by looking at an appropriate scripture or reading this quote from Watchman Nee:-
" Our prayers lay the track down which God's power can come. Like a mighty locomotive, his power is irresistible, but it cannot reach us without rails."
• Split the group into two's or three's. People are more likely to pray in small groups like this than pray out loud with a large group in public. (Also, avoid sending people out on their own if it is night time).
• Explain that prayer can be out loud, although it's also OK for prayer to be in silent as well. There may be some in group who are more comfortable with this, especially in public spaces.
• Pray! Pray before you go - for discernment, protection, and inspiration in prayer. Pray that God would reveal things to you as you are walking around your town and in amongst it's people.
• When you send people out, stagger the groups so that not everyone goes at once! Also consider sending one group clockwise around the route, and another anticlockwise.
• Arrange a time for returning to the house or meeting place. When people arrive back ask everyone how things went and if God spoke to them about anything as they prayed. Commit to praying about these things for the rest of the week.
come, o spirit of god
A prayer for an awakening of hearts to God, based on Isaiah 61:1-3. You may find this film useful to play after your prayer walk as you invite the Holy Spirit to come into the streets of your neighbourhood (the lyrics and chords are available here):-
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Devotional Prayer Walks
Here the focus is on our relationship with God. It's about drawing near to Him and listening for His voice. One way of doing this type of walk is in solitude. Here we think of Jesus:-
Here the focus is on our relationship with God. It's about drawing near to Him and listening for His voice. One way of doing this type of walk is in solitude. Here we think of Jesus:-
You may wish to plan a walk through a local nature trail, (your local tourist office should have a brochure on this) using points of interest on the map as places to pause and thank God for the beauty that you see around you. Here you may also want to stop and meditate on a scripture and allow God's voice to speak to you. Here is a suggested bible verse to reflect on:-
“Make me know Your ways, O LORD; Teach me Your paths. Lead me in Your truth and teach me, For You are the God of my salvation; For You I wait all the day.
Psalms 25:4-5 (NASB)
Group devotional walks
Using a local nature trail (as above) can also work well with small groups, provided that the members of your group are happy to worship God in a more public way. Consider splitting the group into smaller numbers of two or three if you want your devotions to be less conspicuous! If you are planning a prayer walk with children (e.g. with a primary or high school class) then walk the route yourself first and prepare a handout with questions and short prayers that the children can say (or read to themselves) at each stop. This site has a number of suitable sample prayers for children, with some short prayers for different age groups.
Getting out into the countryside.
There is something very special about getting out into the open country and leaving city life behind. Here you are physically further away from the stresses and strains of everyday living, and closer to the wonders of creation and the fresher country air. With all this comes the opportunity to worship God and hear his still voice speak to us.
• Consider organising an Equinox prayer walk. This is the time of year when there is an equal amount of light and darkness (usually around the 20th March and 22nd of September). Plan your walk so that you have a place to stop and see the sunrise. (Maybe on the top of a local hill if you have one). You may even want to take a guitar with you and sing an inspiring song of worship together as the dawn breaks across the land!
• Easter Sunday morning is also a great time to hold a walk like this.
related resources
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related film
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