The people of Brynsiencyn probably
think I’m a bit odd since every once in a while they see me walking my dog
through the village muttering to myself as I go. Somebody who talks to himself
on a regular basis surely can’t be all there. Except I’m not talking to myself
but prayer walking – or maybe prayer dog-walking would be a better description!
We moved to the village some 20
months ago and since then I have been doing this through the community on an occasional
basis. To say that I have been doing it diligently since we first moved here
would be a lie – the process seems to go through ups and downs and I’m on an up
at the moment. But I thought it would be worthwhile to share some of my
experiences.
Let me begin by giving a few reasons
why this can be a good thing to do in the community where you live. You may ask
isn’t it enough to pray in your home? Why is it necessary to go out to do it?
Here are a few things I have experienced as I walk through our village.
- It has given me an increased knowledge of the
community and this then leads me to pray more specifically. While praying
a general blessing may be good, praying for particular things as you see
them is better.
- My heart for the community has been enlarged as
I walk through it – especially those parts I would not have walked through
if it were not for this exercise.
- Having to go out and walk does focus the mind in
a way – for me anyway – that sitting on my behind at home doesn’t.
- I believe that the walking is a prophetic action
where a connection between me and the land is developed. I’ll write more
about the theology of this in a later post.
- And finally as I walk I am to see the effects of
my praying, which is a very exhilarating thing.
If you do this kind of thing in your
community, maybe you’d like to share other reasons on why it is a good thing to
do.
