Before Nehemiah could envision others we read that he “… set out during the night with a few others. I had not told anyone what my God had put in my heart to do for Jerusalem… so I went up the valley by night, examining the wall. Finally, I turned back and reentered through the Valley Gate.” Nehemiah 2:12-16.
Nehemiah was doing a prayer walk! This is something all of us can do – even for our neighbourhood! It can be a powerful tool for developing a heart and mind that are open to God and your community.
In the Old Testament “possessing the land” was a very physical thing for the people of God, as they entered the Promised Land. For us, as Christians, our “land” is spiritual — in a sense, it is a taking hold of “people” – bringing them out of the land/territory of Satan into the Kingdom of God. There is nevertheless a “physical land” aspect in this—what has happened or is happening in the lands can affect people for good or bad, today and tomorrow. For example, wars over “land” here in Ireland, have given Satan huge footholds into the lives of thousands.
Through prayer walking we can:
- enlarge our vision. It can open up new horizons regarding your community, things which may otherwise be missed.
- increase our spiritual awareness. We can so easily pray for our community without ever encountering it spiritually.
- Grow in spiritual discernment. In scripture the spiritual and the material are intimately intertwined – centres of earthly authority are potentially centres of Satanic activity. Also, the presence of sin in a place gives Satan a legal right to be involved in it.
It facilitates research, so keep a record of:
- Source information: clippings, books, scriptures, teaching, prophecies, pictures, progress and answers.
- All the places that exercise positive and negative influences in your community. E.g. churches, schools, doctors surgeries, newsagents, Masonic Halls, etc.
- Make a note of the names of all the people who exercise positive and negative influence. e.g. clergy, councillors, teachers, paramilitary leaders, etc.
- Are there any divisions in the Body of Christ in your community? Are there churches in your area that exist because of a split, or will not fellowship with other Christians because of doctrinal differences?
- Are there any specific areas in which you sense of a “wrong spirit”? Ask God why?
- Sites of ancient/modern strife e.g. battlegrounds.
- Old pre-Christian/Christian sites. Were they used for sacrifice or ancient wells of worship?
Pray into this verse: “Seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I [have] sent you. Pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper.” Jer. 29:7.