Taking Prayer to the Streets: Small Steps, Big Impact

Why do we do a prayer walk? Jeremiah 29:7 And seek the peace of the city whither I have caused you to be carried away captives, and pray unto the Lord for it: for in the peace thereof shall ye have peace. In other words, if your city does well, you will do well. When we pray for people, we lay our hands on them. When we pray for the city, we walk through the middle of it. Jesus, while walking toward His city, wept over Jerusalem. (Luke 19:41-44)

Walking while praying lets you see what you are praying for. Ephesians 6:12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. You are in the middle of the spirits that control the city so that you can identify and pray directly to them and over them.

Prayer walks can be done alone or in a group. People who prefer not to walk could go in a car. Drive one block, pull over, and pray for that block. Drive another block and do the same.

Some might say it is too distracting to walk and pray. Personally, I have a mind that loves to wander, whether inside or outside. On a prayer walk, a bird fluttering around might catch my attention. When I notice my lapse, I praise God for His creation, and get back to my prayer. If I run out of things to pray about, looking around at a nearby house or business gives me inspiration for a new topic to discuss with God.

Vesta Mangun once said, “The most important people today are the men and women of prayer. Not those who talk about prayer, nor those who say they believe in prayer, but those who take time to pray.” Ken Gurley, who has extensively studied church history, says, “Prayer has been the hallmark of all great revival movements and Awakenings in history.”

Throughout history, God has done amazing things through the prayers of His people. Let’s be part of his great story, go prayer walking!

Let’s go on a group prayer walk:

Prepare before leaving.

Pray about our goals & direction.
Prepare our hearts – that each of us is sensitive to the moving of His Spirit and to what is around us as we go. And if there is someone that we need to connect with, we would have compassion for them.
Pray that angels are sent ahead to prepare the way before us.

Going out.

For the first block, worship and praise. “I will enter His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise.” Psalm 100:4.
What to look for while walking: Stop periodically, be quiet, and sense what is going on in the spirit. What do you feel in the Spirit about the needs of this area?
Pray about what you feel and/or observe. Bind the wicked spirit & Loose the opposite. AKA bind and cast out fear, loose love.
- When you see a house, pray for people’s personal needs: physical, emotional, and spiritual.
- When you see a business or government building, pray for the people in it as well as what that institution represents.
- If you feel a certain evil spirit, like depression or confusion, bind that spirit and pray blessings over the area.
Intersperse requests with praise & thanksgiving to God.
- You can quote verses.
- Sing songs.
- Offer praise and thanksgiving to God.

Returning & dispersing.

Come together and thank God for what He has done.
Bind & sever any spirit that may have followed us.
Sever anything that we came across. Bind and cast it far from us.
Loose peace/joy/power/etc.
End in thanksgiving to God once again for the work that is being done.

A Sample Prayer Walk through My Town:

Start at the church and go south on Union: Start with praise and worship.
Lumberyard: Pray for the economy. Also, pray for the Spirit to “build up” people to serve God.
Library: Bind the foolish wisdom of the world that exalts itself above God. Help people discern all the disinformation being pushed online. Let God’s truth prevail.
City Circle: Take a minute to pray and discern which spiritual principalities, powers, and rulers of darkness rule in this town. (Such as depression or unbelief). Bind those spirits and pray for revival.
AA meeting center: (Many homeless sleep here.) Pray for those with addictions that the Spirit would free them.
Psychic business: Bind the spirits of divination. Pray that if a psychic predicts the future, they get it wrong, so their customers lose faith in the occult.
Turn right on Virginia. (Add some praise and worship here.)
Funeral home: Pray for those who are grieving, that God might be their comfort.
Dutch Brothers coffee shop: Take a break from asking. Thank God for all the good things He provides.
Right on Meade.
Thrift store: Pray for the poor that they will reach out to God to supply their needs.
Accountant (on the left): Pray for the finances of ourselves and the people of our town.
School district office: Pray for discernment. What do the teachers, students, and school system need? Pray for what you feel. On one prayer walk we did this, and we all agreed that we felt the spirit of “confusion” here.
Fire and police stations: Pray for protection and help for the first responders. Thank God that we have these people who may save our lives. Thank God for our First Amendment rights and the freedoms we have as citizens of this country.
Medical clinic: Pray for the health of our community. Our county is one of the least healthy counties in the state. We have high smoking rates, high obesity and diabetes rates, and much poverty.
Homes: Pray for the inhabitants’ needs, spiritual, financial, emotional, and physical. Pray they come to church and find salvation.
Children’s toys in front of a home: Pray for the children of this community.
Right on Montana St., left on McPherson, and go back to the church.
Pray for our church families. Go down your mental list and pray for people in the church for God’s blessings, spiritually, emotionally, financially, and physically. We tend to concentrate our prayers on the sick or the lost, but ALL of us need prayer.
Thank and praise God for the rest of the way back to the church.