I have heard of a number of church groups who go “Prayer Walking”. They go through neighborhoods and pray on corners, in front of houses, schools, fire houses, etc. I think it is a good practice.
My verson of it is a little bit different.
My prayer team is me and Chuy, my lovable Tennessee mutt. Chuy is a Spanish nickname for Jesus, by the way. We got him as a pup last Christmas and our lives have never been the same. I have written about the benefits of dog walking in a post entitled “Full Circle”http://prayerencounters.com/2012/06/26/full-circle/
My main purpose in walking Chuy needs no explanation, but God’s purpose has been bigger. My neighbors love that dog. Some will come out just to pet Chuy, not even making eye contact with me. What am I? Chopped liver? 🙂
He puts people at ease, though, enough that they will talk to me without any hesitation. Mainly the conversations are short and polite; a word about the weather or something safe like that. But occasionally someone gives me an honest answer to “How are you today?”
A few weeks ago, Chuy and I came across an older, slightly frail looking woman who I did not recognize. She was walking up and down a short stretch of the street. She looked anxious.
Her face brightened as Chuy appoached. “Oh, I love dogs! Can I pet him?” Sure. “I’m staying with my daugher and son-in-law for a few days.” Just then I heard a voice from over the fence that we were standing by, “Are you talking to my pastor there?”
It was my new friend, Sam. He came out around the fence and introduced me to his mother-in-law. “Paul, did you know I tell people you’re my pastor?” I smiled. “We’re friends, too,” he added, addressing his mother-in-law, Edna.
Just then Sam’s wife, Edna’s daughter, Nancy came out, too. Chuy was eating up the attention. Sam said, “It’s good that you two met. Edna is here because she is getting some tests done over at [nearby medical center]. We think her cancer has come back.”
Edna just kept loving on Chuy.
I asked if I could offer a prayer. We gathered in a circle on the sidewalk, Chuy included, and prayed.
You do not need a dog to walk in your neighorhood, but be sure to take Jesus with you. He is also very helpful in introducing you to your neighbors.
You never know when you might find yourself prayer walking.
Helping people in need is important. Jesus did this. But his ultimate purpose was and is to bring people into relationship with God and with each other.
If we are to carry on his mission in the world today, we must be open to having a relationship with those we help. We cannot simply parachute into a neighborhood or country, drop off help, and helicopter out again.
For about a year our church offered a free meal to the community every Sunday night. The economy was hitting people hard in our neighborhood, and we wanted to respond in some way. We put out a sign near the road that said “Free Meal Every Sunday 6 pm- It’s Not Charity, It’s Community”.
Some weeks we had thirty and others we had just two or three.
Everyone we met was in great need, but hunger was not always the need. We discovered that some people came just to be around other people. Those who came most regularly were lonely. They wanted someone to share a meal with rather than eating in front of the TV, where communication is always one way. We sat with them, listened to them, shared stories, and prayed with each them.
We made some good friends during that year, many of whom have contributed greatly to the shared life we call church. Every person created by God has something valuable to give. Perhaps friendship is the most valuable gift of all.
Life together is so much better than life apart. In reality, life apart is no life at all. Prayer is an expression of our shared life. It connects us with the world. As the saying goes, “A family that prays together stays together.”
Imagine if we viewed the whole world as our family. God does.
1) Believing, hoping, or even just wishing that an intelligent higher power exists. No offense to those who have imaginary friends, but I do not attempt to communicate with beings who do not exist, nor do I talk to rocks. I sometimes talk to food when I am preparing it, something I picked up from the late Justin Wilson, but outside of that I reserve communication to living beings with at least a modicum of intelligence. To communicate with God requires some bare belief that some being exists that could be considered God. I believe God exists.
2) Believing, hoping, or even just wishing that this God can hear me. I can try to talk to my dad all day, but if I do not pick up the phone he will not hear me. He lives 700 miles away. I believe that God can hear me and everyone else at the same time. I do not pretend to know how that works, but the Bible and experience tell me it does. I believe God can hear me.
3) Believing, hoping, or even just wishing that this God has the power to answer prayer. This is where things get a little more tricky. Often it is wonderful to just know that God is out there and cares about us, but do we believe he can actually affect our lives and the world? At this point we are taking a leap from the natural laws into belief of supernatural power. Without this belief all we can pray is “Hi.” Some days I am satisfied with the knowledge he is there, but most days I need help. Every day the world needs help. I would not pray to an impotent God anymore than I would ask my dog to mow the lawn (that would be one heckuva trick!). I believe in an all-powerful God.
4) Believing, hoping, or even just wishing that this God has a desire to answer my prayer. This is where revelation is essential. Without knowing of the character of God revealed in scripture and most perfectly in the person of Jesus Christ, God would simply be an unknown entity just as likely to respond with evil, good, or apathy. But through Jesus we know that God is loving and desires a relationship with each of us. We know that the relationship God desires is one of parent and child, not master and slave. Because of this we can trust that not only will God receive us in prayer, but that he will respond in a loving way. This does not mean that we will get what we ask anymore than a good parent gives a child a shotgun just because he wants one. It means that he responds with what we truly need which is sometimes exactly what we want. I believe that God loves me.
5) Admitting that you need what only God can supply. If you think you have it all together and need nothing that you cannot just go get for yourself, then prayer is unlikely for you. But if you are like me, you know without a doubt that you cannot get by without God’s help. Sometimes we just have to be desperate enough to pray. This happens when we run out of options. I admit I need help.
I hope you will make prayer your first option not your last. Trust that God exists, God hears you, God is more powerful than any problem, and God loves you and will use that power for your sake. Give up your fight for independence and surrender to a life of grace.
If you meet these conditions you can then pray in a way that will change your life, the lives of others, and the world.
Our quest for a child has probably taught me and my wife more about prayer than any other thing. We, along with many other people, have prayed for years for a child. It has tested us in so many ways. It has shaped the way we approach prayer. We had to learn to trust-really trust- that God is good and he loves us. There have been some days in which this was really hard to believe.
Early last September we decided to pursue adoption.
At the beginning of May we were approved to be on the list of waiting families. We were prepared for another long wait. No problem. What’s another year or three?
The very day we were approved we were told of a mother who was choosing an adoption plan for her child who was scheduled for delivery on May 29th. We were cautiously optimistic. She would be shown 5 profiles including ours. Not bad odds if you ask me. It was all in God’s hands anyway. We had long accepted that.
May 29th came and went. We did not hear anything. We prayed for the parents and the child and hoped for a safe delivery. Wednesday- no call. Thursday- no call.
Then Friday came. The phone rang and the caller id told me it was the agency. My heart began to race. The agency counselor’s voice seemed hopeful. The couple wanted to meet.
The delivery went fine and as scheduled. A baby boy was born. A boy! Could he be ours, I wondered?
The kind of adoption we had signed up for is called an “open” adoption, which essentially means that the birth parent(s) desires to maintain some level of relationship with the child and the parents. Most of the time this means the birth mother. The biological father is usually not in the picture. So I was not expecting to be meeting with a couple, especially a married couple not that much younger than us.
The meeting was scheduled for a Wednesday. I was the pastor for a church camp all week, so I left Wednesday morning to meet my wife and drive to a nearby town to meet with the couple. I had no idea what to expect.
The new father greeted us warmly. He knew our profile and history inside and out. The mother was very quiet and reserved. At one point he said to her, “Honey, I feel like I’m doing all the talking.” She responded, “That’s what I married you for.” We all hit it off. We talked for over three hours with barely a pause. It was odd to think that this couple, not just their child, could be a part of our life from here on out. Fortunately we liked them from the beginning.
They had another couple that they were going to meet with so they could not make a decision yet. As we were beginning to depart, I offered to pray. The father smiled and said, “Absolutely! That’s exactly what we should do.”
In the room with us were two agency counselors, Jennifer and I, and the couple. As I reached out to take one of the counselors hands she hesitated and said, “Is it ok to include a Jew in the prayer?” Of course!
I prayed for the child and the couple and for wisdom for the difficult decision before them. I prayed for the counselors and for me and Jennifer as well. When we said “amen” we were all reaching for tissues, including our new Jewish friend.
There was a feeling that God was in charge of this. Whatever happened would be right.
We parted. I went back to camp. A few days later Jennifer got a call from the agency. The couple wanted to meet again on Monday. We chatted some more as before, but the father then got very serious. He took his wife with him out of the room. After about 10 minutes, they came back in. He pulled a laptop out of his bag, opened it, and put it in my lap. On the screen was a letter. He instructed me to read it. It began, “Congratulations, Paul and Jennifer, we have chosen you to be the proud parents of our son…” Wow. The letter went on to explain that they never met with the other couple amongst many other things.
After reading the best news of my life, I had no words. My wife was holding my hand very tightly. The father stood up and said, “It’s my turn to pray.” And what a prayer it was! What a man of faith he is. In the prayer he spoke of OUR new family. Four parents, one son, and a whole lot of love.
Two hours later we took our son home. Every time I look at him I see God’s love smiling back.
We send news and pictures every week to our fellow parents. Our new family is doing great.
prayer encounters 