Prayerwalking: Praying On-Site With Insight
by Pastor Ron Miyake
In the early afternoon before the start of our All Church Summer Conference, four of us gathered together to talk about how we were going to prayerwalk the BIOLA University campus. Then we split up into groups of two to pray for the various parts of the campus and for our church family and the conference activities that would happen in those various places.
But prayerwalking isn’t just an activity reserved for doing before a big event. It is something that we can do any time, anywhere we are.
So what is Prayerwalking?
Basically, Prayerwalking is Walking, Observing, Listening to God, and Praying for what we hear:
1. WALKING with God and with other people. Joining together with God to pray for and to bless the community, campus, work place, neighborhood, or whatever place we feel led to pray for. This can be done alone or by joining with other Christians to pray together.
2. OBSERVING what is around us as we walk. Using what we see direct what we pray for. For example, if we see a business or we see toys in a yard, then pray for that business or the family or children of that home. Or we might pray for all the businesses or for the families in that area. Or if we see graffiti on walls, then to pray for the gangs, crime, safety, the sheriffs, or whatever else God puts on our hearts to pray for. It is using what we see direct what we pray for.
3. LISTENING to God. This is asking God what to pray for as we walk. Then listening to what the Lord says to pray for. Remember that in John 10:27 Jesus says, “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.” So being intentional about listening to God, then praying for what the Lord puts on our hearts.
4. PRAYING for what we hear. Listening to the sounds around us. Such as, if we hear people speaking in a language other than English, we can pray for the people we hear and for the country or countries that speak that language.
Prayerwalking is something we can do wherever we are. It is a good way to see and learn about the community, campus, or place we are praying for. It is a good way to get to know and bless the people and area we are prayerwalking.
If you would like to learn more about Prayerwalking, I recommend the book, Prayerwalking: Praying On-Site With Insight, by Steve Hawthorne and Graham Kendrick.