This month our squad mentor challenged us to do hour long prayer walks once a week in our community. At first I struggled with the idea. How do you pray for an hour?! I’ve never experienced prayer for more than a few minutes. This was absolutely stretching. How do I get my brain to focus for so long?
My friends and I started our walk on the beach. We walked in silence, leaving our thoughts and prayers to ourselves and God. All of the worries and concerns I had created about prayer walks quickly began to subside. They came and left just as the foam-filled waves beneath my feet did.
Then I felt peace. I didn’t just feel it, I was full of it. It was the first sunny day in a while, I was walking barefoot in the Vietnamese sand with my friends, praying to my Father about everything my eyes met. I could breathe. I hadn’t so clearly looked beyond myself in too long. My soul felt revived.
I continued walking through the streets of Da Nang. I would pray simple prayers for people walking by me. I prayed that the family that just passed me would be so kind and loving to one another, that the Lord would bless their day and keep them safe.
I prayed for the man on the bicycle, wearing his traditional hat and carrying bags and food. I prayed that he would be exceptionally joyful today. That someone he knew would tell him about Jesus and that his curiosity of our creator would grow.
I prayed for the women sitting on the side of the road. I prayed that they would be exceptionally blessed and that they would feel loved today. That whatever they needed, clarity, help, freedom, that they’d receive that.
I felt giddy. I fell in love with prayer walks.
Just an hour of intentionally looking beyond myself made a difference for myself and for these people. It gave me a new perspective and reminded me to give our world and people time, give them attention. Actual time and attention that helped my heart grow even more. This prayer walk helped me understand even more the importance of letting go of our selfishness and self focus, and setting it on giving love and care to others.
As I walked, I thought, none of these people have any idea that I’m praying for them. They don’t know that this random American woman is looking at them, caring for them, and talking to God for them. Isn’t that such a beauteous thought? That you could be walking down the street somewhere, and a stranger you don’t even know is silently praying for your salvation, praying that you and your day will be blessed?
I love being that. Being that special moment. That moment that is unique and rare and renewing. The moment that makes people not only recognize their hearts, but also feel them wholly and completely. Being so overflowing with life that you breathe some into someone else.
So if you’re walking down the street today, just think, someone passing by could be praying for you. Someone who doesn’t know you could be caring enough about you to lift up a few encouraging words. You could even be that person. You could be that encouragement that someone else needs. Someone’s gotta do it, why not you?
“The best way to cheer yourself up is to cheer someone else up.”
