My paternal grandmother died during my freshman year of high school. As a recently-relocated-to-a-farm teenager who imagined that grief should look like staring at the sky and wandering aimlessly, I did just that. I walked out the farmhouse door, up one hill, and down another listening to Michael W. Smith on repeat. It is what I could manage processing at that moment as I prayed through all of the pain I saw in others and felt in my spirit. The exhilaration of talking to Jesus while moving stuck even after the grieving faded.
Moving to Newark brought a whole new level to prayer while walking. God gave me a wonderful prayer partner who faithfully walks with me as we pray for each other and the ministry in Newark. I have walked and prayed for people I met while walking. Prayer walking often comes as part of the World Impact Days of Prayer. Walking and praying in the community transformed my thoughts and observations about the city where I live.
Earlier in the fall, I shared this love of prayer walking with my students. Three prayerful staff members joined my co-teacher, Mr. Rose, and me as we led small groups of middle school prayer warriors in training. The staff each brought their own experiences to the prayer journey as we walked the streets where we live. The students walked the city streets they fear at times and watched God show Himself faithful. They prayed for the young and old within the city. They prayed for order in homes, Holy Spirit guidance in churches, jobs for the unemployed, education and purpose for students, power over addiction and the lies that keep people trapped, all while connecting with the community anew. Students realized they can and should pray for the places where they live.
Join us in praying for our city. Pray for your own community. God is leading them into deeper relationship with him and increasing my own faith in the process.
