Prayer Walking With Passion

Here are a few things to consider as we walk the streets and pray for the city God has currently placed us in:

  1. Know your purpose.
    1. Jesus urged us to pray for the will of God to be done on earth.
    2. We pray for real people in real places, using all the insight and resources available.

As we pray, may we seek to BLESS those around us by lifting them to our heavenly Father.

B – Body – Health, Protection, Strength

L – Labor – Work, Reward, Security

E – Emotions – Joy, Peace, Hope, Love

S – Social – Marriage, Family, Friends, Community

S – Spiritual – Salvation, Faith, Growth

  1. Pray and walk.
    1. There is something powerful about tramping the ground you are praying for.  You can pray as you walk, or you can walk and then pray.  Either way, your prayers will be shaped and informed by what you see and experience.  You don’t have to do all your praying outdoors, but you can use prayer walks to let the outdoors influence your indoor prayers.
    2. Prayer isn’t about escaping your surroundings to dream of God’s elsewhere. It is about seeking God’s blessing for the territory he has placed you in.
  1. Pray God’s promises.
    1. At its most basic, prayer is a bridge between heaven and earth; between a realm where the will of God is done and a location where it isn’t.
    2. “It is always the will of God for the will of God to be done.” – Jeff Fountain
    3. If you don’t know what that might be, go to scripture. Locate the promises of God in the Bible and apply them to your areas of concern.
  2. Learn to listen.
    1. As well as applying the broader promises of God to your area, you can listen for his word.
      1. You can’t assume that everything you hear – in your head or from someone else’s mouth – is from God, but you can learn to listen.
    2. When you sense God speaking, write it down. Keep a journal/list of God’s words to you.  Test them out with other believers.  Learn to discern the voice of God.
  3. Widen your world view.
    1. At times, God may call you to pray for the growth and success of your church. This is good, but it is not enough.
    2. If we are praying for God’s will to be done, then there is no limit to what we can pray for. What does God want for your local schools?  For hospitals?  For business life?  Culture and civic life?
  4. Practice persistence.
    1. Many of Jesus’ parables on prayer focus on persistence. You don’t just ask, you keep asking.  You knock until the door opens.
  5. Commitment to unity.
    1. Our prayers are not on behalf of one group or church; they are the cry of the people of God for the places in which he has set them. Perhaps God is urging us to bless each other so that together we can bless the city.

 

“But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere.”

2 Corinthians 2:14

*most of these ideas are taken from the article “Living on a Prayer” by Gerard Kelly, Premier: Christianity, May 2015.