A friend of mine—let’s call him JD—has been working in South Asia and the Middle East for many years. During his time in a Gulf state, he began a daily discipline of walking the streets of his city, praying for its peace. In the course of a few years, he was able to cover every neighborhood. This discipline, which initially started as a health regimen, soon transformed into a powerful spiritual practice. Realizing the profound impact this transformative discipline had on his life and ministry, he began a blog to inspire and mobilize others to experience the power of prayer walking. I recently met up with my friend who is on home leave in Minnesota to learn more about his prayer walking discipline. Responses have been edited for brevity and clarity.
Question: How did you get started in prayer walking?
It was actually two things coming together simultaneously. The first was a doctor’s appointment following a high blood pressure diagnosis. I promised my wife that I would follow the doctor’s advice and implement it. Dr. Osama told me point blank, “My brother, you need to take medicine and walk one hour every day.” I didn’t like that advice, but I had promised my wife, so I started walking for an hour every day through sheer force of discipline. At the same time, I had been feeling frustrated that, after 18 years on the field, I was still struggling to be more committed to praying for this place that God had called me to. I felt guilty knowing that I needed to pray more, but I was also frustrated that I couldn’t find something that worked for me. So, on those initial walks, I began listening to worship music. This personal journey of frustration, commitment, and discovery led me to the practice of prayer walking.
One day, I walked past a low wall close to where I lived, and I found myself wondering what was on the other side of that wall. I peered over the wall and saw that it was a cemetery, and at the same time, a worship song about Christ making all things new popped into my ears. “Wait a minute,” I thought. “You’re frustrated about feeling like it’s a waste of time to walk an hour every day and frustrated about not praying more.” That’s when I realized that I could put these two things together.
My perception of prayer walking changed. In the past, I had seen it primarily as a special strategic tool for achieving breakthroughs in difficult situations. I began to see that it is, instead, a rhythm of life. I committed to combining my walking time with prayer.
I was also inspired by Jeremiah 29:7: “Seek the peace of the city where God has taken you into exile. Pray to the Lord on its behalf for in its peace you’ll find your peace.” I realized that if I want peace in my life, I need to pray for my city. I saw the connection between our peace flowing from God and praying earnestly for the peace of the place where God has us, even if it’s a place we’re not a fan of! The verse was written to people who were refugees in exile, and they were still admonished to pray for the peace of that place.
What does your prayer walking look like?
The first thing I do is pick a place to walk. Sometimes it is close by; sometimes it is a neighborhood or area that I need to drive to. After blanketing my neighborhood, I try to find places that I don’t know much about. Currently, I’m focused on a specific suburb of the Twin Cities. I drive there, park, and start walking, hoping to eventually cover every street. When I’m done for the day, I mark where I finish on Google Maps and pick it up the next day. I get bored walking the same trail or route every day. Walking different routes each day also helps me develop the skills of observation and asking God to show me what I need to know about the place.
I start every single walk with two simple prayers. I ask the Holy Spirit to help me see what he sees, feel what he feels, and know what he knows for the place I am walking through today. I don’t want to walk through the neighborhood as a colonialist, hoping to make the place comfortable for me. I want to know what plans God has for the place.
I also pray against distractions that the Enemy wants to throw at me. I renew my promise daily that I will turn every attempted distraction into a prayer. If he tries to get me worried about my children, I start praying for my children. I want Satan to know that his attempted distractions will not work, so that he will leave me alone and let me walk in peace.
Most of the time, I use lyrics of the worship songs I am listening to as prompts. As I listen, I pray the words and ideas from the songs. Sometimes I include secular songs on my playlist because they can also stir up prayers in me. When I lived in the Middle East, a song about longing for home prompted me to pray for the thousands of migrant laborers in my city who were away from their families.
Everyone is different, though, and needs to find their own rhythm. My wife, for example, finds that listening to music is distracting, so she recites Scripture. Others use note cards for prayer prompting. Some people find that thematic prayers are helpful. The beauty of prayer walking is its adaptability. It can be tailored to suit individual preferences and needs, empowering each person to find their unique way of connecting with God and their surroundings.
Whatever you do, it is important to remember that you are not trying to block out the world as you walk; you’re trying to take it in.
Can you share a story or two about seeing God at work in a prayer walk?
My mother passed away in Minnesota in 2020. We were in a COVID lockdown in our country, so I was unable to travel home. At the time, I had been praying for the resurrection of Jesus over our city. The day after she died, I had one of those wrestling moments with God, and I said, “I’m still going prayer walking today. I’m putting on my resurrection songs playlist. God, by the time I get back to my home, I need you to convince me that the resurrection of Jesus is absolutely a real thing, or I am returning to my home in the US; this is not worth it.” I walked for 2 ½ hours, and when I got home, my wife said, “You’re almost glowing.” God showed up on the walk and dropped on me the reality that Jesus is alive and that his resurrection grants hope for every part of my life. When I was at the lowest time in my life, walking and listening to songs of the resurrection, and praying, brought me healing.
Another one that always comes to mind is when I was praying for a particular street in my city. It was a dead-end street with a mosque at the end. Walking down that street meant turning around and walking back out. It was inconvenient; yet each time I reached that street, I sensed something telling me, “No, don’t skip that street!” So I walked up and down that street, praying. Later, my wife developed a friendship and business relationship with a local woman. For cultural reasons, I never joined my wife on her visits to the woman’s home. One day, she asked me to drive her there. When she texted me the pin on a map, I saw that the house was on that very street!
How can others find your resources on prayer walking?
The best way to learn more is to visit my blog, TwentyNineSeven. This is where I post reflections from and for my prayer walking, and offer suggestions. I also do occasional monthly challenges, asking people to commit to prayer walking for one month.
Finally, has daily walking improved your health, as your doctor said it would?
Yes! My blood pressure is normal, and I’ve lost 60 pounds!
JD has put together a two-page Prayer Walking Launch Guide to help people get started. If you’re in China, it’s a great resource to help you pray for the city in which God has placed you, either by birth or by a call to sojourn. If you are no longer in China, you can still use it as a way to pray for a Chinese city that has a special place in your heart. And of course, this guide can help you get started praying for your neighborhood and city, no matter where you are in the world.
May God use this resource to launch thousands of prayer walkers in China and the world. Thanks, JD!
