Prayer Walking
Resources > Encouraging prayer > Prayer groups > Prayer Walking
Prayer Walking
In prayer walking we want to bless Muslim communities as we go, receive fresh insights from God as we pray ‘with eyes open’, and ask for many to come to know him. There are no rules for prayer walking but here are six useful pointers from our friends at 24-7 Prayer www.24-7prayer.com :
Prayer walking is a great way to get active in prayer and is as simple as it sounds – you pray as you walk. Why not try it and learn more about a place and God’s heart for a community. There are many ways to do it but here are our suggestions for giving it a go with your church.
Start and end together: agree a place and time to meet to start walking and talking to God together. Begin by explaining why you’ve gathered to pray and a few pointers for those who haven’t prayed this way before. If you’re going to split into smaller groups at any point, then agree a place and time to end together.
Planned route or a wild goose chase? You can decide ahead of time where you are going to go or you can simply ask the Holy Spirit to lead you as you walk. Just make sure you don’t get lost!
Try going out in twos: Jesus sent his disciples out in twos. It’s not intimidating or as conspicuous as a large group can be, and it is safer than people going on their own. If you have a larger group, breaking into pairs can help you cover more ground. For safety’s sake you might want to make sure that at least one person on each team has a mobile phone in case you need to contact each other.
To be seen or not to be seen: you can pray quietly or in a volume that doesn’t draw attention if you’re on a covert prayer mission. Silence is okay too. It’s not about being seen to be praying, it’s about seeing and praying. Having said that, if you feel confident sometimes the Lord can ask us to pray boldly in public!
Pray the positive: even in areas that are considered ‘dark’ or ‘desperate’, try to pray blessings rather than ‘tearing down’ prayers. Focus on God’s plan, purpose and destiny for the place and the people that live there. "Your Kingdom come, your will be done..." makes an excellent start!
Ending well: if you’ve gone in different directions why not meet up at the end to share what you’ve felt, seen, prayed and heard from God. If you can, keep a record of what you share so you can build on it next time.
Some suggestions for prayer
Be open to the Lord highlighting what you should pray - you might already be aware of needs but ask for fresh insight.
Pray scriptures as they come to mind or you could use the Lord’s Prayer, praying out of each line in turn.
Pray for key places you pass – mosques, schools, community centres, churches, etc, and those who lead, teach and attend there.
Put yourself in the shoes of local people. See real people with real needs who Jesus came for. Pray for the different generations within the community and their particular needs.
Use this acronym to help guide your prayers:
“For those who find me find life and receive favour from the LORD.” Proverbs 8:35
F amilies
Pray that whole families would hear the good news and come to know Jesus
A ppreciation
Thank God that he has brought diverse cultures to this area so that they might find him
V isions and dreams
Pray that God would reveal himself to Muslims in visions and dreams
O pportunities
Pray for opportunities to engage meaningfully and open doors for the gospel
U nderstanding
Pray for good understanding between Christians and Muslims and church and mosque leaders; for barriers to come down and friendships to grow
R adicalisation
Pray for those who are susceptible to radical/extremist ideologies. Pray that they would not be led astray but would find God’s way
As you walk and pray be open to being asked what you are doing. Be ready to say you are praying God’s blessing on families and the neighbourhood. That might well lead to a fruitful spiritual conversation!