What are Prayer Walks?
Mostly we pray with our eyes shut, using our imagination. With imagination we can go anywhere and bring people or problems from anywhere to God in prayer. But imagination is all the better for a bit of information: vision is sharpened, requests are focused and our prayers enriched. That’s where prayer walks can help.
How do you do a prayer walk?
It’s wise to plan a bit. Decide beforehand where and how far you’re going to walk and for how long. It may help to have a written guide like those in this booklet, with suggestions of what to pray for or how to pray. They can start us off. They reinforce our imagination, but don’t replace it.
Who could use Prayer Walk Guides?
Anyone who’s interested can use these Guides: take it and go! But there may be merit in a group going together: perhaps just like-minded individuals, or your Church prayer group, or any other group you may have. One Brownie Pack did the walk as part of their Faith Badge. There is scope here for creative thinking – once you have accepted that this kind of praying is worthwhile and even important.
What about those who can’t walk?
People who have mobility problems can do these as “armchair walks”, contradictory though that may sound. Those who know the area well can follow the Guide from memory. Others have used a map to remind them of less familiar areas. Or someone could go round the walk and take photographs of what you can see on the walk for a slide show.