I love to walk. During lockdown as restrictions lifted, I walked, and was so happy. Creation seemed brighter, cleaner, the bird song and colours more vibrant. As I walked I prayed, for the people, hospitals and care homes, schools and businesses I passed. I thanked God for this world he created. When I became Assistant Curate at St Andrews, Clubmoor I decided the best way to get to know the parish was to prayer walk across it. Taking this a step further I am now walking across the future parish of Christ our Hope! On the 7th May a small group of us walked and prayed in The Good Shepherd’s parish, and on the 11th June I’ll be in the parish of St Annes Stanley. It would be wonderful if you could join me at 12.30pm outside church for an hour.
But, what is a prayer walk? It’s exactly what it sounds like: a walk filled with prayer, an exciting and engaging way to pray. There’s something special about being in your community, being intentionally aware of your surroundings and asking the Holy Spirit to show you how and what to pray. You join in with what God’s already doing amongst the people and places around you. It is not strenuous, we go slowly, pausing and allowing time for God to speak to us.
I encourage you to make a habit of walking and blessing the places where you live and work. Adopt a street maybe the street you live on. Walk it perhaps once a week and keep speaking blessings over it! God told Joshua: ‘I will give you every place where you set your foot’ (Joshua 1:3 NIV). There is something powerful and significant about making our prayers physical: expressing our longings for places by being physically present. I pray you give it a go.
