Have you ever done a prayer walk?
Last Sunday I started a new small group study with young couples at our church using The Circle Maker curriculum by Mark Batterson. You can read more about it here.
Anyway, because this study is on prayer, and because I really do want God to transform us through this, and because I hadn’t done it in a long time, I found myself walking circles around the outside of our church, praying at 9:00 Sunday morning. Yes, I felt a little odd. I’m just sayin’.
And here’s what happened…
With my first step, God brought to mind Roger Anderson, the founding (and only other) pastor of our church who was here for 35 years before we came. On those first Sundays John preached he would arrive very early to find Roger jogging around the building praying for him. A prayer jog, if you will. A prayer circle that has born fruit in 24 more years of ministry at the corner of 70th and 100 in Edina, Minnesota. Roger is part of our “prayer genealogy”. It made me think of others who have prayed for me over the years, and encouraged me that I might be part of someone else’s genealogy.
As I continued to walk and pray – for wisdom for the leaders of our church, for the church to be characterized by both grace and truth all soaked in love - God brought to mind the vivid image of the “great cloud of witnesses” from Hebrews 12, so many who loved and served God over the years, cheering us on from heaven. I could almost hear them, “You can do it! Persevere! God is with you.”
And lastly, I was overwhelmed with a sense of God’s faithfulness. His mercies, new every morning. Even if we lost our building. Even if we had no staff, no resources, God would be faithful and His church would prevail because He has promised that even the gates of Hell won’t make a dent.
Have you tried a prayer walk? Around your neighborhood? Around your house? Around your office building or your kids’ school?
