WHAT IS PRAYER WALKING?
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Prayer walking is exactly what it sounds like: walking and praying. It involves taking our prayers to the very places where we desire to see God at work. Many people describe it as “praying on-site with insight.”
Oftentimes, when you pray for the needs of the world from your own familiar places, your knowledge and understanding of the needs remain vague. When your senses experience the sounds, sights, smells, and feel of a particular place, you understand better how to pray for the people in that location. You see the faces of people, hear the words they speak to one another, and smell the food from their kitchens. You might see signs, graffiti, buildings, or groups of people that indicate significant needs or dynamics for which to pray.
The benefits of prayer walking extend to the community, but also to those who are praying. Consistent prayer walkers often find their hearts becoming more committed to the places for which they pray. The Spirit guides their hearts, directs their efforts, and leads their actions of compassion.
HOW DO I BEGIN PRAYER WALKING?
1 – FIND A TEAM
While it is okay to prayer walk on your own, prayer walking tends to work best with a small group of 2-3 people. This number can keep you focused while remaining low-profile as you walk. If you have a larger group, split into smaller groups and assign particular streets, areas, or times.
2 – DECIDE ON AN AREA
Will it be a small part of your own neighborhood, a potential place of ministry, a popular park, or an unengaged part of your town? Ask God to guide your prayer focus.
3 – PREPARE AS A GROUP
Before going out to walk, gather and decide as a group if you will be following a topic, a scripture, or simply praying based on what you observe. Pray that God will grant you awareness of your environment, sensitivity to his Holy Spirit, and protection from danger.
4 – WALK AND PRAY
There is no one method for this, but here are a few practical tips:
- Keep your eyes open and be observant. Ask for God’s eyes and agenda for this place.
- Be low-profile. Your goal is not to make a scene or draw attention to yourself.
- Pray aloud as a conversation with God and your team. Verbalizing your prayers helps you focus.
- You can also pray silently at times.
- Walk slowly to allow time to observe and cover the community in prayer.
- Remain open to the thoughts and ideas God may be speaking to your heart about what you see, Scripture that comes to mind, or insights about people in the area.
5 – DISCUSS…
…what you observed and experienced with your group.
- What did you observe or learn?
- Where did you see God at work?
- Did you experience any spiritual challenges?
- What do you feel God saying?
- Is God calling you to do something or be a part of the answer to these prayers in a specific way?
6 – DO IT AGAIN!
Make this a consistent part of your group’s experience and missions engagement. The more you pray, the more committed you will become to God’s work in this area.
IDEAS FOR PRAYER WALKING
Be sensitive to everything going on around you, and be inspired by what you observe and experience. As you walk, you might smell the freshness of a recent rain and ask God to refresh people with his Word. You might hear children playing and ask God to make himself known to the children of the neighborhood. Anything that you observe (or research beforehand) can lead to prayers of worship, blessing, or intercession.
Pray for people, marriages, families, businesses, government leaders, civic leaders, children, senior adults, churches, spiritual awakening, God’s Word to spread, and people to know and accept Jesus as their Savior.
To make prayer walking an act of worship, practice 1) thanksgiving, 2) praise, and 3) repentance.
Pray Scripture. Carry a copy of God’s word with you and read it out loud. You can take turns reading and praying based on that verse, or you can choose selected passages like Paul’s prayers, Psalms, etc. For some examples, check out the Ways to Pray series on waymakers.org.
Pray for God’s blessing using the BLESS method:
B – Body: physical needs
L – Labor: all the labor of their hands
E – Emotions: their emotional needs
S – Social: their relationships and society
S – Spiritual: their spiritual needs and growth
RESOURCES AND INFORMATION
Pray Different: Praying Great Things
Prayer Walking: A Way to Pray Specifically for Our Neighborhoods