Step Into Prayerwalking

Whitney Hopler

When you walk through a particular place as you pray, you invite God to transform that place and all the people there. Prayerwalking is a great way to usher God's power into places in need.

Here are some ways you can prayerwalk:

• Prepare by confessing any sins you need to confess to God and asking Him for the grace to live in ways that are pleasing to Him. Ask God to fill you with His Holy Spirit to give you wisdom and knowledge about how He would like you to pray. Read the Bible often and ask God to bring verses to your mind when they relate to a particular situation.
• Invite God to show you where he wants you to prayerwalk, and be willing to visit the places He reveals.
  
  
• If you can, find a friend who will prayerwalk with you.
• Praise God while you're walking, thanking Him for His presence and worshipping Him.
• Feel free to pray either silently or aloud.
• Be alert to what the Holy Spirit reveals to you as you walk, and also to what you observe about your surroundings. Pray accordingly.
• Claim God's Scriptural promises for the people in that place, and ask God to bless them.
• If you sense evil's presence in the place you're prayerwalking, resist it through prayer in Jesus' name.
• Look for opportunities to speak to people. If someone approaches you, explain that you're praying for people in that area, and ask if there is anything that person would like you to pray about for him or her. Pray for the requests you receive right then.
• If someone asks you about your faith, be willing to share a brief testimony about what Jesus has done in your life.
• Pray with trust and eager anticipation, expecting God to answer your prayers.
• Expect God to transform you as well as the people you pray for, and be open to how God might want to grow you through the process of prayerwalking.
• Help your church serve the community through regular prayerwalks in local neighborhoods. For example, your congregation might send postcards to local residents letting them know the date and time of an upcoming prayerwalk and asking them to e-mail or call the church with specific prayer requests. People will likely be watching for prayerwalkers at the appointed time and may decide to visit the church sometime afterward.
• As a congregation, pray about God's vision for your community, and adjust your church's vision to incorporate that broader vision.
  

Adapted from Follow Me: Lessons for Becoming a Prayerwalker by Randy Sprinkle, copyright 2001 by New Hope Publishers, Birmingham, Ala., www.newhopepubl.com, 1-800-968-7301.

Randy Sprinkle has experienced the power of prayerwalking firsthand. As director of the International Mission Board's Prayer Strategy Office, he has led prayerwalking teams in Ethiopia, Lesotho, Botswana, Tibet, Bhutan, Nepal and the United States. He lives near Richmond, Va., with his family.

Have you ever participated in a prayerwalk? If so, what was it like? How did God answer the prayers you prayed then? Why would you recommend prayerwalking to others? Visit Live It's forum to respond, or read what others have to say. Just click on the link below.