“Hey, what are you doing?” A white truck slowed next to us, the man yelling out the window at the three of us.
I shouted back that we were praying. He immediately put his truck in reverse and called us over. As we talked to him, he shared how much the neighborhood needed prayer and how much he also needed prayer. He opened up about the difficult things going on in his life and we laid hands on him and prayed blessings over him and his family. I noticed a Bible on his dashboard, and he commented that he “stays in the Good Book every day.” Before driving off he prayed for us, asking that God would continue to guide our steps in where we should pray.
Every Saturday for the past six months, a group of us meets to prayer walk at a park in an area of St. Louis where 80% of the crime happens. We have anywhere from 2-20 people show up to pray and we split up in teams and walk the area around the park, praying over the city and praying for the people we meet. One Saturday, several of our group were even praying over a couple in a car and a drug deal happened when a guy picked up a package from the car they were praying over!
I came across a mural that same day on an old abandoned house. It says, “It’s Your Time to Shine.” I thought about how this was not a neighborhood that anyone wants to visit or a place where people notice God’s light shining from—but that does not mean God is not at work here. I believe God says there is a hope and a future for those in this neighborhood and that He will raise up leaders who will reflect His light into this very community.
Prayer walking has done much to increase my faith and my dependence on what God is doing. We know that what we do to train and resource leaders in these communities is important, but it is going to be the Holy Spirit who produces the fruit. We want everything we do to be undergirded with prayer and we are trusting God for a beautiful harvest of men and women who are beacons of light in their neighborhoods. Thank you for praying and believing with us!