Monthly Prayer Walk Guide
What is it?
We dedicate the same day of the month to go out as a family to strategically pray and intercede for whatever it is that God has put on our heart.
What does it look like?
It’ll look different for everyone but for us it’s a simple family day out. We have two young kids so it will always involve something fun for them. It could be a walk to the top of a mountain, a splash in the river, a visit to a waterfall or a picnic in a meadow. Try to make sure that it involves as much nature as possible and try to combine fun elements for the kids as well as moments of reflection and quiet for yourselves.
How do we pray?
More often than not 90% of our prayer will be silence. It’ll be listening and communicating with God as a friend. In those moments we don’t treat him like a vending machine expecting a treat when we put money in or like a Holy shopping list ticking off supplications to get to the end of our list. There are times for that sort of prayer it’s just not how we do it the majority of the time. It’s for me to unnatural to communicate with Him in any other way than like a close friend who i know and love and understand.
He uses me and my wife a lot through song when we’re out praying. He likes to direct our path to a certain area then he’ll drop in a worship song or lyrics to something and he’ll have us sing it out and prophecy it into the air and over the prayer point for that area.
What should I bring?
I would highly recommend bringing something to write down what you feel God is saying. I do it on my phone using google drive/notes but some people might prefer an actual journal to write things down with a pen.I will often allow him to direct my feet and as I go round a corner or reach a destination he’ll give me scriptures. I like to start typing them into google on my phone then open them up in Biblegateway from the search results. I like to look at them using the NKJ, NLT and AMP. I will then make sure to either copy and past them into my google notes or i’ll leave the tab open in firefox on my phone to do it later when I have time to go back.
How does he speak?
He communicates in many ways just like we communicate to each other in verbal as well as non verbal ways. When I met my wife for the first time I wasn’t able to communicate with her in the same way I can now after 15yrs of marriage. I can now tell what she’s thinking from one gaze from across the room at a party full of people. It’s a non verbal method of communication born out of intimacy and time spent with each other.
He’ll often drop thoughts, emotions, ideas, songs and words into your spirit. He’ll draw your heart towards a certain object or location or poi. He’ll use open vision and imagination to show you things in the spirit.
Be open and prepared for it all. Don’t limit him.
Two practical ways to test what you hear:
– Use his written Logos word to judge what you think he’s saying to you. If you imagine that you’re on a boat in the vast ocean. Many of us contain our experience to that boat. God isn’t the boat he’s the ocean. The boat is the written word he’s given to us in the Bible and we use that boat to navigate the ocean safely. Don’t contain him to the boat.
– The other way is with peace. Colossians 3:15 says to “let the peace of God rule in your hearts…”. You have to have peace first and only then can you listen and watch out for when it leaves you. If you’re walking one way and you feel the peace leave go the other way and allow him to guard your steps as you lean on Him to do so.
