Prayer walking

“Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper.

How to prayer walk

• Prayer walk in small groups of 3 or 4, or you can also prayer walk individually.
• Plan your route ahead of time to cover as much of the area as possible.
• Ask God what He is already doing in your neighborhood. Ask Him to show you how you can pray with greater insight for the people, places and events in the community.
• Pay attention to what you see and hear and bring those things into prayer. If you see a child’s toy in a yard, you might be prompted to pray for the neighborhood’s children, for families or for schools in the area.
• Five areas of influence you may want to pray for on your walk are: government (pray for justice and godly wisdom for the leaders), businesses (pray for economic justice and opportunity and for generous and godly givers who put people before profits), education, relationships, spirituality/local churches.
• Pray aloud in a quiet, conversational voice, if you feel comfortable doing so. Or pray silently, letting your prayer partner(s) know what you are praying about. Don’t call attention to yourselves.
• Notice any nudges you feel from the Holy Spirit and pray about them.
• Pray God’s blessing and His Kingdom over the people, places and situations.
• See and feel what residents live with every day; offer intercession for those things that express brokenness and grieve God’s spirit, and give thanks to God for the blessings and gifts that exist in the community.
• Allow times of silence for God’s spirit to speak to you, or through you. Ask with confidence in the power of Jesus’ name.
• If anyone asks what you are doing, be prepared to respond: “We’re praying God’s blessing on this neighborhood. Can you think of anything in particular that we could pray for? Is there any special way we can pray for you?” Although it is not the primary purpose of prayer-walking, be open to opportunities to interact with and bless people you encounter. You can ask people if they would be comfortable with you praying for them right then and there.

Debrief:

1. What did you observe that caught your attention?
2. What did you learn about the neighborhood?
3. What did God reveal to you?

View other resources for this session