How to Prayer Walk

QUESTION: How to Prayer Walk

ANSWER:

A prayer walk represents a person’s or group’s active commitment to pray for a neighborhood, community, or any place that is on their heart. Many times, churches have chosen a specific time to gather for the purpose of corporately praying for areas of their city. Some may walk together around their church building requesting the Lord’s blessings or guidance for their congregation or leadership.

The Bible tells us in Ephesians 6 to pray for others with persistence and in the power of the Holy Spirit. 1 Thessalonians 5:17 says “Pray without ceasing.” We can pray without formalities wherever we are such as walking, jogging, or driving our car. But to pray with others can muster encouragement, strength, and a demonstration of a unity of faith.

That belief may come from the verse that states “For where two or three are gathered together because they are mine, I [Christ] am there among them” (Matthew 18:20). There are numerous Scriptures that address unity and prayer but none specifically instruct us to ‘prayer walk’; neither are there scriptures that say we should not do so.

How to Prayer Walk - The Origins
The original idea for a ‘prayer walk’ may have come from the account in Joshua 6 where God directed the Israelites to march around the city of Jericho. After the designated number of trips around the city the people were told to yield up a loud shout and the priests were to blow the sound of their shofars. Their obedience brought down the walls of the city. However, a prayer walk does not include those two particular elements.

Regardless of the specific purpose in your prayer walk, you can know that the Lord hears and honors your request. He can change a neighborhood, community, and whole nations with unified prayer. As importantly, God can change individual hearts and lives. That is the beginning of changing everything else. If you want to pray for your declining neighborhood, for your town’s red light district, or for your own life to be changed by the power of God, pray and ask the Lord to honor your petitions.

On your prayer walk, you might keep this verse in mind, “We can be confident that he will listen to us whenever we ask him for anything in line with his will. And if we know he is listening when we make our requests, we can be sure that he will give us what we ask for” (1 John 5:14-15).