Prayer walking has always intimidated me. I don’t mind
praying and I of course don’t mind walking… but for some strange reason, when
you put the two together, I get tongue tied. It’s not the silent prayer walking
that bothers me, just the kind when you go in a group and pray together out
loud. That’s the kind that gets me tongue tied.
As I walk and survey my surroundings, the people passing by,
the schools and the churches we pass, I can’t think of one thing to pray for.
It’s as if everything in the world is perfectly good and there is no need for
my prayers. God be with them. My
prayers become packaged into little generic boxes that can suit the eighty year
old man sitting in the rocking chair just as well as the teenage girl dressed
in provocative clothing and flirting with all the boys. Surely there is some
better, more specific way I can pray for these two people.
And what is our ministry for our time in Panama?
You got it…prayer walking! Now don’t get me wrong, I am really excited about
partnering with this ministry. I’m all for it. I’m excited, I’m pumped, I’m
completely satisfied, and I wouldn’t choose to be anywhere else. However, it is
definitely going to be a stretching experience as well. (Besides, we like those
kind on the world race J)
So for the past two days we’ve been staying at the
International Mission Board’s beach house in Santa Clara,
Panama with our contact
for the month, John Mark. We drive out to different cities located within 80
miles or so, split up into smaller groups, and prayer walk around the
town-which is sometimes less than a ten minute walk from one end to the other.
And we pray. We pray for whatever comes to mind. We pray for whatever God lays
on our hearts.
To be honest, I don’t think I’ve conquered my fear of prayer
walking yet. I still fumble over my words. I still draw blanks. I still offer
up my generic little boxes of prayer requests to God. But what I’m learning is
that prayer doesn’t have to look any specific way. There isn’t anything wrong
with a simple prayer of asking God to bless someone or comfort them. I just need
to accept that there really doesn’t need to be as much pressure as I am making
there be. Let God lead and follow in obedience.
I’m working on it. I’m a work in progress just like everyone
else. And sure enough, God is teaching me and guiding me along the way. And I
love that. I love that He loves us enough to refine us. I love that He loves me
too much to leave me where I’m at. How amazing. Every day he works in me to
make me more like him, to make me more loving, more kind, more humble, more
patient, more peace-loving, more aware of his presence, and on and on. I am
confident that through this ministry of prayer walking that he will refine me
in ways that I didn’t even know needed refinement, and I’m excited to see what
that looks like.
Here are some prayer
requests for our team during this time…
-learning to be in a constant mindset
of prayer (bible verse)
-keeping
our focus on God during these last 2 months and not on going home/end of race
-god’s
guidance in prayer walking
-good team
bonding time (first time back together in a while)
-Mark back
at home taking care of his sister
-Sarah’s
mom and her continued battle with cancer
