Prayer Walking
Prayer Walking Basics
“By the blessing of the upright the city is exalted: but it is overthrown by the mouth of the wicked.” (Proverbs 11:11)
Prayer walking or “praying on site with insight” is about intercession. Those who practice it believe that God answers prayer and that prayer is one of the most powerful tools of evangelism that God has given us. Those who have participated in prayer walks can share some incredible stories of how God moved before, during, and after their prayer walks. God honors prayer because it focuses on Him and not on us. Prayer walking is not a program, a process, nor a prayer event. It is intercession that transforms the intercessor and his/her praying. Let me encourage you to begin where you are.
Why prayer walk?
It proclaims our reliance upon the Lord of the harvest, for a harvest.
It is a type of prayer-evangelism.
It bears fruit that lasts.
It opens the eyes and hearts of the intercessor.
It prepares hearts for the gospel.
It grants a vision and a burden for the target area.
Is there more than one type of prayer walking?
Yes, there are several types of prayer walking. One is the “House-to-House,” this type involves going from house-to-house and asking for prayer requests and then praying with the people on site. “Strategic,” involves praying from strategic locations within the target area. Examples of “strategic prayer walking” could include parks, city squares, high points, crossroads, and other high traffic areas. “Key Building” prayer walking requires entrance into a building. The prayer walk is conducted from within the building. Examples of this type of prayer walking could include schools, churches, government agencies, factories, and businesses. The most common is the “Street” prayer walking. This is conducted by walking, driving, or riding through a target area and praying. Many times the emphasis is to pray for everyone on every street of the target area.
How do we start?
1. Beginnings
Pray.
Identify the target area.
Set a date and time for the event.
Recruit prayer walkers.
Recruit team leaders.
Train prayer walkers.
Prepare necessary materials for the event. (i.e. Maps of assigned areas, Prayer prompts, Selected Scripture, Assignments, Music, etc.)
2. The Event
Introductions.
Orientation and assignments.
A season of prayer and personal preparation as a group.
Prayer as small groups. (Normally triplets work well.)
Prayer walk.
1. Open your eyes. Remember you are seeking to intercede where the Son and Holy Spirit have and are interceding. Look for items that can help you to pray, i.e. Children’s toys, indicators of who live there. Watch the people you encounter and look for what God is doing. Pray with your eyes wide open physically and spiritually.
2. Open your mouth. Remember you are praying as a team, so it is helpful if you pray out loud. Stop and concentrate as you pray. Pursue conversational praying. Pray Scripture. Perhaps even read Scripture at times. Stop to talk about what you are feeling, seeing, and sensing. Prayer walking is not about praying constantly.
3. Open your mind. Listen for God. Let Him communicate through the prayers of the others in your team, your surroundings, and through His Spirit. Meditate on Scripture that seems to be appropriate for the area. Remember the battle is not against flesh and blood.
3. Conclusion
Regroup at a designated time and place.
Share feelings, impressions, Scripture, prayer concerns.
Allow for expression of questions.
Praise and Pray.
God is at work. Prayer walking is just another way of joining Him in what He is doing. It is praying that enlightens and educates us so that we may intercede with internationality and a heart for the people of our target area. The primary reason for prayer walking is God. We are being obedient to His command to pray for one another.Guidelines for Prayer Walking
Prepare your heart. Consider fasting before your walk.
Ask God to guide, direct, lead and impress you with His agenda for the people.
Pray scriptures for effectiveness.
Expect God to help you see the true spiritual needs and battles that need to be won for people who need a breakthrough.
Walk and pray inconspicuously either individually or in pairs. Take the approach of, “Not to be seen, but to see.”
Be sensitive to the thoughts and ideas God may be speaking to your heart and then record them.
Invite the presence of God to be made known wherever you walk.
Pray positive things over the area. Don’t stay focused on the negative.
Prayer Walking Scriptures
FOR THE CHURCH TO MOVE IN POWER
15 And he said to them, “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation. 16 Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. 17 And these signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will cast out demons; they will speak in new tongues; 18 they will pick up serpents with their hands; and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will recover” (Mark 16:15-18, ESV).FOR THE PEACE OF THE CITY:
“But seek the welfare [wholeness, prosperity, peace] of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the LORD on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your
welfare” (Jeremiah 29:7, ESV).FOR HEARTS TO BE OPENED:
“One who heard us was a woman named Lydia, from the city of Thyatira, a seller of purple goods, who was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart to pay attention to what was said by Paul” (Acts 16:14, ESV).FOR DOORS OF OPPORTUNITY TO OPEN:
“At the same time, pray also for us, that God may open to us a door for the word, to declare the mystery of Christ, on account of which I am in prison – that I may make it clear, which is how I ought to speak” (Colossians 4:3-4, ESV).FOR THOSE IN AUTHORITY:
“First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth” (1 Timothy 2:1-4, ESV).FOR GOD’S FAVOR TO BE RELEASED:
“The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me, because the LORD has anointed me to bring good news to the poor; he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; to proclaim the year of the LORD’s favor, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn; to grant to those who mourn in Zion– to give them a beautiful headdress instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, the garment of praise instead of a faint spirit; that they may be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he may be glorified. They shall build up the ancient ruins; they shall raise up the former devastations; they shall repair the ruined cities, the devastations of many generations” (Isaiah 61:1-4, ESV).FOR TURNED HEARTS:
“…and he will go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready for the Lord a people prepared” (Luke 1:17, ESV).FOR REMOVAL OF OBSTACLES:
“And it shall be said, “Build up, build up, prepare the way, remove every obstruction from my people’s way” (Isaiah 57:14, ESV).FOR PROSPERITY:
“When it goes well with the righteous, the city rejoices, and when the wicked perish there are shouts of gladness. By the blessing of the upright a city is exalted, but by the mouth of the wicked it is overthrown ” Proverbs 11:10-11, ESV).FOR SALVATION:
“…I will appear to you, delivering you from your people and from the Gentiles – to whom I am sending you to open their eyes, so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me” (Jesus’ words to Paul in Acts 26:16b-18, ESV).FOR THE HEALING OF THE LAND:
“…if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land” (2 Chronicles 7:14, ESV).KINGDOM ADVANCEMENT:
“From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven has been forcefully advancing, and forceful men lay hold of it” (Matthew 11:12, NIV).FOR THE LIFE OF THE KINGDOM TO COME:
1 “The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad; the desert shall rejoice and blossom like the crocus; 2 it shall blossom abundantly and rejoice with joy and singing. The glory of Lebanon shall be given to it, the majesty of Carmel and Sharon. They shall see the glory of the LORD, the majesty of our God.
3 Strengthen the weak hands, and make firm the feeble knees. 4 Say to those who have an anxious heart, “Be strong; fear not! Behold, your God will come with vengeance, with the recompense of God. He will come and save you.”
5 Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf unstopped; 6 then shall the lame man leap like a deer, and the tongue of the mute sing for joy. For waters break forth in the wilderness, and streams in the desert; 7 the burning sand shall become a pool, and the thirsty ground springs of water; in the haunt of jackals, where they lie down, the grass shall become reeds and rushes.
8 And a highway shall be there, and it shall be called the Way of Holiness; the unclean shall not pass over it. It shall belong to those who walk on the way; even if they are fools, they shall not go astray. 9 No lion shall be there, nor shall any ravenous beast come up on it; they shall not be found there, but the redeemed shall walk there. 10 And the ransomed of the LORD shall return and come to Zion with singing; everlasting joy shall be upon their heads; they shall obtain gladness and joy, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away” (Isaiah 35: 1,3,4,8, ESV).FOR GOOD FRUIT:
14 “The sower sows the word. 15 And these are the ones along the path, where the word is sown: when they hear, Satan immediately comes and takes away the word that is sown in them. 16 And these are the ones sown on rocky ground: the ones who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with joy. 17 And they have no root in themselves, but endure for a while; then, when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately they fall away. 18 And others are the ones sown among thorns. They are those who hear the word, 19 but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches and the desires for other things enter in and choke the word, and it proves unfruitful. 20 But those that were sown on the good soil are the ones who hear the word and accept it and bear fruit, thirtyfold and sixtyfold and a hundredfold” (Mark 4:14-20, ESV).THE DEFEAT OF SATAN:
9 “And the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world– he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him. 10 And I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, “Now the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ have come, for the accuser of our brothers has been thrown down, who accuses them day and night before our God. 11 And they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death. 12 Therefore, rejoice, O heavens and you who dwell in them! But woe to you, O earth and sea, for the devil has come down to you in great wrath, because he knows that his time is short” (Revelation 12:9-12, ESV).
Prayer Walking in Your Church
Go to each of the following places and pray for those who frequent the area. Pray blessings on the ministry and on the person involved in the ministry.
Places:
Sound booth – PA system, video, overhead, online service
Platform – instruments, musicians, praise singers, pulpit, area where leaders sit, baptismal, pastor, guest speakers, service leaders
Sanctuary
Altar – where people commit their life to God and come for prayer
Pews – pray for the saints who sit on the pews and for God to fill the empty seats with new peopleFellowship Hall – children’s church, children’s pastor or leader
Sunday School Rooms – teachers, Sunday school superintendent, students
Preschool and School Rooms – students, school principal, teachers, parents
Youth Room – youth, youth pastor, youth staff
Hosting Room – new converts class, meetings that take place
Gym/recreational area – families of your church, youth functions, outreach tool, senior saints
Offices – church staff, church finances, nursery, bookstore, hosting ministry
Board room – that church board/leaders will make wise decisions
Church entries – that all who enter will be receptive to God’s Word and its power in their lives.
EC office – that every ministry and leader of the church be blessed and effective.
Front doors – for all visitors to feel welcome, loved, at home and the Hosting Ministry
Nursery – that the children will be taught and walk in the way of the Lord all their lives
Bookstore – that the Word of God will be planted permanently in the hearts of all who hear His Word
Ushers – that God will reward their efforts and commitment to the ministry and that they will be effective in helping people
Outreach Room – the daughter works (Warrenton and Harvester), Nursing Home Ministry, etc.
Deaf Ministry – That the ministry will become an outreach to the community and that God’s Word will be communicated effectively
Goal:
To go on a prayer walk without leaving the church.
To pray through the entire church praying for each specific ministry.
Instruction:
Talk about the many ministries of your local church. Make a prayer list with the different ministries listed. Divide your group into small groups of three of four and send them throughout the church praying for the different ministries.
Give them a list and include some prayer points for them to pray.
Prayer Walking on the Platform
Go to each of the following places and pray for those who frequent the area. Pray blessings on the ministry and on the person involved in the ministry.
The Platform:
Instruments
Pray for the musicians (call as many by name as you can)
Praise Singers Mics
(Call as many by name as you can)
Keyboard
Pray for your keyboard player and music director
Choir – both adult choir & youth choir
pray for adult choir and director
pray for the youth choir and director
Pulpit
the preached word to go forth
Area where leaders sit
blessings upon YOUR CHURCH’S leaders
pray for those leading a ministry
Pastor’s Chair
Pray for your pastor and their family.
Pray for your assistant pastor and their family.
Guest Speakers
evangelists
missionaries – any missionaries who may visit throughout the year
Service Leaders
Pray for service leaders
Pray for sensitivity to the leading of the service
Baptismal
Praise God for those that have been baptized so far this year
Pray for souls to fill the baptistery every service
Biblical Background for Prayer Walking
The Bible offers many models of effective ways to pray. Although prayer walking, as a term, is never mentioned in Scripture, Jesus prayerfully looked over the city of Jerusalem (Matt. 23:37-39). Also, the Apostle Paul’s “…spirit was being provoked within him as he was beholding the city [of Athens] full of idols” (Acts 17:16).
“Arise, walk about the land… for I will give it to you” (Genesis 13:17)
As we prayerfully look at our city, God will burden our hearts, provide discernment, and release strategies to bring the city of Jesus.
The Old Testament has many passages relating to walking an area for God’s glory. Three passages give us a spiritual picture connected with walking. The story of Joshua taking the city of Jerico (Josh. 6) is probably the most familiar Old Testament account of the powerful act of walking and praying. Walking around the city seven times before the walls fell flat is a model of extending God’s Kingdom through man’s humble availability and faith joined by God’s miraculous ability. Our prayers and obedience can be a means of releasing God’s power to cause the walls of unbelief, violence, strife and evil to come down.
God spoke to Abraham, “Arise, walk about the land through its length and breadth; for I will give it to you.” (Gen. 13:17). Speaking to Joshua, God said, “Every place on which the sole of your foot treads, I have given it to you…” (Josh. 1:3)
These passages obviously refer to God’s promise of the Holy Land to the Jewish nation. Nevertheless, the physical act of walking was a prophetic statement of declaring God’s sovereignty over the earth. Today, our only desire for prayer walking a city is to claim the area for God’s glory and to pray for the spiritual freedom of those living there.
It is important to catch the spirit of prayer walking rather than simply adopt the method of prayer walking. Scripture clearly instructs us to pray for our city:
“And seek the peace of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the Lord on its behalf; for in its peace you will have peace” (Jer. 29:7)
Although this verse does not indicate walking and praying through our city, there is probably not a better way to systematically cover a community with prayer than to literally walk and pray through its neighborhoods. May we, the Church of the Pikes Peak region, pray like never before for a spiritual awakening in our midst.
Prayer Walking in the Sanctuary
Go to each of the following places and pray for those who frequent the area. Pray blessings on the ministry and on the person involved in the ministry.
The Sanctuary:
Altar
As you are in the area where people come forward to commit their life to God, ask God to fill the altars with unsaved people every service
Pray that you will receive an intense burden for the lost
Pray for YOUR CHURCH to be sensitive and skillful in praying in the altars with people
Aisles
Pray for people to have the courage to step out when they have a need
Pray that the needs will be met for those who step out in faith
Pray for miracles
Pray for those in the church who currently have a need for healing
Seats
pray for the saints who sit on the pews
pray for God to fill the empty seats with new people
pray for the youth of YOUR CHURCH
pray for the families of YOUR CHURCH
pray for the senior saints of YOUR CHURCH
pray for the deaf ministry (left side front row)
Sound booth
PA system
Video
Overhead
Online service
Balcony
Stretch your hand toward the balcony and ask God to fill it with new people
Hosting Desk
Pray for all involved in the hosting ministry
Pray for sensitivity in dealing with visitors (both in their initial visit and in follow-up calls and visitation
7 Points to Effective Prayer Walking
(Adapted from the principles found in Praise Walks by Donald R. Lovell)
1. Get yourself straight
Make sure that nothing stands between you and the Lord. Assure that your heart is clean before Him and that you are prepared to hear clearly.
2. Approach the throne with thanksgiving & praise
Come into His presence with thanksgiving and enter His gates with praise. Let the Lord know that you are elated to be His servant and that you are available to do His Will as He directs.
3. Ask the Lord to guide direct, lead and impress you with His agenda
As you begin to traverse an area, agree with the Lord that He is the Director of your efforts and you are only present to follow His lead.
4. Pray Accordingly
As you sense His guidance, affirm in prayer what He is saying. Become His partner in intercession for the area you have selected to pray over. Keep your spiritual eyes and ears open toward His guidance.
5. Engage in repentance
Repent of the sin that may have been committed in the place. Look for physical and spiritual signs of sin as you walk, asking for forgiveness and cleansing as you go. Expect the Father to alert you of special needs for repentance. Do not become self conscious in this area.
6. Seek the release of bondages placed
Command that all bondages established by sin committed be broken, be done away with – “in the Powerful Name of Jesus!” Command that all the spiritual chains on the people living there, fall off – that the people be set free, “in The Name of Jesus!”
7. Rejoice in the victory
As you near the end of your walk, enter into clamorous praise and worship – rejoicing over the cleansing of the ground from the effects of sin and the release of the prisoners that live there from the same effects. Be sure to beseech the Father to dispatch a Spirit of Adoption over the whole area so that the enemy will
find it difficult to return and that the inhabitants will experience a positive disposition toward the Gospel.
Practical Prayer Walking
Many Christians have been learning to quietly pray in the places that they live, work or play. We’ve come to call this sort of on-site intercession “prayer walking.”
Prayer walking is simply praying in the very places we expect God to bring forth his answers. Prayer walking is usually a low-profile affair: Friends or family stroll two-by- two through their own neighborhoods, schools and work places, praying as they go. Once in a while the prayers can be demonstrative, but most prayer walking is fairly quiet. It’s usually being on the scene without making one.
As you pray God’s promises with specific homes or worksites in view, you’ll find that hope for those people begins to grow. You’ll begin to see people as God might view them. You’ll likely find yourself becoming more interested in the welfare of the people you are praying for. In other words, you might find yourself becoming the kind of neighbor that you always wanted to be.
Watch for the ways God impresses you to display his love in practical acts of kindness. Be ready to offer to pray with your neighbors as opportunity may arise. Ask God to give you opportunity to explain clearly how people can enjoy friendship with God by the power of the gospel.
Check out the different sections on this website and the resources we have available. In a few years we’ll be living in a prayed-for world and you will be part of it!
(Taken from: www.waymakers.org) Copyright 1999-2005 WayMakers
