Prayer walking
Have you considered pray walking where you live?
Simply praying as you walk and being attentive to God’s spirit is a wonderful thing to be doing at any time, but particularly at the moment. Our buildings our closed. We are a church without walls. Unlimited exercise has been permitted. As we move around our communities, we can pray.
Ali Boulton encouraged us in a recent prayer broadcast to “pray continually”. In doing so, she wondered where our prayers focused. (link)
“Are our prayers being closed down as we find ourselves in smaller spaces at home?” she asked. “Or are we praying, being led by the Spirit, beyond ourselves and beyond our situation?”
Praying as we walk is a wonderful opportunity to pray beyond ourselves and our situation. It enables us to be attentive to where God is moving in the very place where we live.
So we would encourage you to do it! And we are not the only ones. The Evangelical Alliance has produced some helpful and detailed guidance on prayer walking.
The introduction to the guidance states:
In the absence of physical church gatherings, we have an opportunity to revitalise the scattered church. For as long as our church buildings are closed, we can serve those in our communities through prayer in our everyday comings and goings.
We invite you to embark on regular prayer walks during the lockdown. This will be a time when you are attentive to God’s presence in the places you walk, seeing God’s heart for the people and challenges around you and responding to His Spirit as you seek to love your neighbours.
If we’re able, let’s walk, and let’s pray.
The Walk and Pray resource from the Evangelical Alliance is available here
Image | Jon Tyson | Unsplash