prayer walking, by ken wilson

Need to try something new to help you maintain conscious contact with God? Try prayer walking. This form of prayer is designed especially for pastors who suffer from attention deficit disorder (no kidding) and for those of you who could stand a little exercise.  (Did you know, by the way, that 30 minutes of vigorous walking five times a week is equivalent to the therapeutic effect of anti-depressant medication for those suffering from depression?)

 

Here's how prayer walking works: you pray while you walk.  For this I'm paid the massive amounts of money that come with the regional overseer job (exactly zero).

 

Prayer walking is not a "less than" form of prayer.  And for many, it's a "more than" form of prayer.  There is a biblical tradition of prayer walking.  Saul on his way to Damascus was probably doing his mid-day prayers while walking when that bright light enveloped him. (See Acts 26: 12-14)  The risen Jesus walked with the two disciples on the road to Emmaus and listened to and spoke with them (if that ain't prayer, I don't know what is).  And then we have that cryptic verse in Luke's gospel: "Now it happened that as Jesus was praying alone, the disciples were with him." (Luke 9: 18)

 

That's a strange verse isn't it?  How is that Jesus was "praying alone" yet others were with him? In all likelihood he was prayer walking and the disciples were just walking along with him. Mark's account of this episode adds the detail that this took place while they were "on the way" to Caesarea Philippi.

 

There was a lot of walking going on by Jesus and those early followers, including Paul and his fellow travelers.  And presumably, there was a lot of praying along with the walking.  This is perfectly natural, since it was customary for the Jews to pray with eyes open, which aids in locomotion and doesn't seem to hinder prayer.

 

So if your praying isn't what you'd like (or even if it is), you might try reading your Bible for your daily devotions, doing one of the many forms of fixed hour prayer (or whatever gets you started in prayer), then hitting the road for a prayer walk. If you're working out some frustrations in prayer, like that board meeting that didn't go so well last night, instead of just sitting there and stewing, you can walk with a little extra vigor and translate your frustration into some physical activity that releases it, while you talk it over with the Lord.  If it's a beautiful day or the leaves are changing like they are right now in Michigan, you can take it in and lace your taking it in with gratitude to the Creator. If you have people to pray for, you just remember them, name them, hold them before the Lord as you walk.  Like I said, here's how prayer walking works: you pray while you walk.

 

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