Prayer Walking

 

During our time in Sarajevo, we have prayed a lot, and have also walked a lot. You can pray without walking; you can walk without praying. However, there are times when the two can be combined for a unique intercessory experience of a prophetic nature. The LORD spoke to Abram one day to get out of his prayer tent, and take a walk through the promised land:

 

“And the LORD said unto Abram, after that Lot was separated from him, ‘Lift up now thine eyes, and look from the place where thou art northward, and southward, and eastward, and westward: For all the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed for ever. And I will make thy seed as the dust of the earth: so that if a man can number the dust of the earth, [then] shall thy seed also be numbered. Arise, walk through the land in the length of it and in the breadth of it; for I will give it unto thee.’ ” (Genesis 13:14-17)

Several lessons about the benefits of ’prayer walking’ are taught here:

a) Overcomes Disappointment - The relationship with his nephew Lot had just been broken, and Abram was disappointed, hurt and doubtful. There are times to rest, but not to become stagnate. Abram needed encouragement, not pity. The LORD is a God of movement, a God of advancement, a God of development.

b) Increases Vision - We are called, not to close our eyes and hide, but to open our eyes and look beyond our immediate surroundings, beyond our immediate circumstances. Looking down hinders our ability to move forward because we become fixed to where we are standing. Looking up gives expansion to our field of sight and is limited ony by the horizon.

c) Affirms Authority - Abram needed to be reminded of the boundaries of the promised land, and that he had been given the spiritual authority and responsibility to seeing the promises of God fulfilled for the land.

d) Connects Generations - It’s not just about us, but about those are to come through us into the promises of the LORD. We carry spiritual seed within us and are to give birth to the next generation. Fatherhood and motherhood are important roles in the kingdom of God. Remember, Lot was the closest thing to a son that Abram had, and with Sarai barren, Abram was feeling hopeless. Abram was in need of seeing the generations yet to come.

e) Empowers for Multiplication - Abram needed a math lesson. Addition is good, multiplication is better. God normally begins with addition, but then He empowers for multiplication. One apple seed is planted and when it grows into a mature apple tree it yields year after year apples filled with multiple seeds.

We see with Nehemiah (2:11-16), that the LORD directed him to go alone in the night hours and inspect the walls of Jerusalem, which had been destroyed. It was during those hours of ‘prayer walking’ that a strategy was born in his spirit and heart for the rebuilding of the city. During the years 1987-1992, before the Bosnian War, we had invested a large portion of our time and energy in ‘prayer walks’ and intercession for the city of Sarajevo and the nation of Bosnia. Spiritually mapping a city, region and nation is not a short-term project, but an ongoing ministry. The hours we have spent this trip walking the streets of Sarajevo have allowed us to revisit promises given during those pre-war years and to receive fresh ones, also.

One of the principles we learned in those earlier years was that whoever controls the gates controls the city. It was in this gate (picture on left) and wall that we began to discover the true extent of occult practices in Sarajevo. Before the Bosnian War (1992-1995), Sarajevo was known as the ‘Jerusalem of the Balkans’, but in reality was the occult and spiritual counterfeit center of the Balkans.

The physical and the spiritual are intergrated, and we must open both our physical and our spiritual eyes to move from impressions into the prophetic. While ‘prayer walking’ is healthy, both physically and spiritually, it must be understood in the context of spiritual warfare as an active intercessory function.

Leave a COMMENT: We would love to hear of your own experiences in prayer walking and intercession for your neighborhood, city and nation!