Prayers come in different forms. Sometimes they are short breath prayers. Other times they are long conversations with God. Prayer has the power to move us beyond ourselves in to the world around us.
So it is with a prayer walk. Think of it as praying on-site with insight, as some have said. Sometimes we're too busy going about our day to recognize the needs of those in front of us. Have you stopped to wonder about the school in your neighborhood? Or the neighbors down the street? By going on a prayer walk, we open ourselves up to God's guidance and transformation for the community, and for ourselves as God's hands and feet to those we meet.
As you walk around the neighborhood by yourself or with a group, pray aloud in a quiet, conversational voice or silently. Offer prayers of comfort or peace or blessing as you encounter different spaces in your community. Perhaps you do this at the start of a new school year, or as you notice transition in the neighborhood.
Here are some ideas of what to pray for:
Discernment: Ask God how to see the community through a different lens. Where is God already at work? How can you join?
Blessing: Pray for each person, home and business you encounter.
Empathy: What are those things individuals in your community are experiencing? Brokenness? Joy? As Romans 12:15 says, "Be happy with those who are happy, and cry with those who are crying."
Maybe in praying this way, you, too will be transformed.
Photo: Flickr / @hejgustav / Creative Commons License
