Contents:
1.
WHAT IS PRAYERWALKING?
1.1 Getting started
1.2 Suggestions for Prayer
2. PRAYERWALKING AND MARCH FOR JESUS DAYS
Prayerwalking
is the twin to praise marching in taking prayer onto the streets. It can be used
by Christians in any land any day of the year.
March for Jesus is rooted
in the recognition that united, powerful prayer is a necessary foundation for
effective evangelism.
The key step was to take this prayer to the streets,
to the very locations where the answers would be seen. Insights about the dynamics
of prayer on-the-streets on-the-move have grown as March for Jesus has continued
and spread.
In a sense each praise march is also a prayerwalk, but prayerwalking
also carries it's own benefits.
Local prayerwalking in the neighbourhood and
at significant sites is now taking place in hundreds of cities the world over.
For situations where there is political or religious tension, or where open
Christian witness is still banned, prayerwalking can be the only viable option
for Christians wanting to March for Jesus.
The low-key nature of prayerwalking
means that permission is not needed from the authorities.
So, where there
are real problems with mass praise marching, consider the option of prayerwalking
for the Global March for Jesus days.
1 WHAT IS PRAYERWALKING?
The following extract from "Prayerwalking:
How Believers Can Pray for Their Cities" by Steve Hawthorne and Graham Kendrick,
gives you the tips you need to get started.
"Simply
praying on site with insight. There is no set pattern - but as we walk God's Spirit
helps us to pray spontaneously in the settings where we want to see our prayers
answered. This helps us draw near to those for whom we pray.
Being close to
the community can focus our prayer on specific homes and families, or enlarge
our prayers so that we cry out for the entire community to know God's healing
presence.
Prayerwalking, like March for Jesus, blends worship with intercession.
We can pray city or nation size prayers in low-profile style by ranging through
our town in groups of two or three.
March for Jesus often brings a sudden
shower of God's blessings to a city. May these be met with a rising tide of on
site intercession, that the earth may be filled with the knowledge of the glory
of the Lord as the waters cover the sea. (Habakkuk 2:14)"
1.1
Getting started
Join with other believers: join with others in twos or
threes so that prayer flows in conversational style.
Set aside time: one
or two hours allows time for start-up and follow-up discussions.
Choose an
area: ask God to guide you. Centres of commerce, religion, government, schools,
churches and residential areas become strong prayer magnets. Use high points to
pray over the panorama below. Stay longer at places that seem to be key.
Pray
with insight: pray for the people you see and the families in the homes you pass.
God can give you fresh sensitivity. Enhance your insights with research on past
events and current trends. Above all, pray scripture, using biblical prayers to
guide you.
Focus on God: make God's promises rather than Satan's schemes the
highlight of your prayer. Your discernment of evil powers can exceed God's specific
guidance to engage them in direct combat. Consider the simplicity of first making
direct appeal to the throne of God. Seek a restraining order from heaven upon
evil so that God's people may be empowered in bringing his blessings to the city.
Regather and report: share what you have experienced and prayed, encouraging others
- as well as yourself. Plan further prayerwalk.
1.2 Suggestions for
prayer
Use a theme passage of scripture. 1 Timothy 2:1-6 is a useful launch
point for prayerwalking. Copy it down so you can read it through during your walk.
Each of the following prayer points emerges from this passage.
Concerning
Christ: proclaim him afresh to be the one mediator and ransom for all. Name him
Lord of the neighbourhood and the lives you see.
Concerning leaders: pray
for people in positions of authority, for teachers, police, administrators, parents.
Concerning peace: cry out for the godliness and holiness of God's people to increase
into peace.
Pray for new churches to be established.
Concerning truth:
declare the truth that there is one God. Celebrate the revelation of good news
to all peoples through ordinary people (1 Timothy 2:7). Pray that people's minds
would be opened to the truth.
Concerning the gospel: praise God for his heart's
desire that all people be saved. Ask that heaven would make this year a time when
the gospel is manifest with fresh power.
Concerning the blessing of God: thanksgivings
are to be made on behalf of all people. Give God the thanks he deserves for the
goodness he pours out on the homes you pass. Ask to see the city with his eyes,
that you might sense what is pleasing in his sight as well as what things grieve
him. Ask God to bring an enduring spiritual awakening.
2
PRAYERWALKING AND MARCH FOR JESUS DAYS
Include prayerwalking in your plans
for March for Jesus days.
Before your March for Jesus: prayerwalk your March
for Jesus route, praying for the permissions you need, for the blessing of God
on the march, for the safety of the march.
On the March for Jesus Day: where
practical, encourage marchers to prayerwalk from their homes to your March for
Jesus assembly, or to prayerwalk their street before starting out for the march.
After March for Jesus: plan to continue prayerwalking. Why not encourage marchers
to make sure their neighbourhood is covered each month, or look at covering your
whole town in the next 12 months.
As an alternative to praise marching:
Even where a praise march is not possible, join with Christian friends to prayerwalk
- knowing that throughout the world millions of Christians are on the streets
praying for their communities.