Does history leave a mark on geography in a spiritual sense? It clearly does in a physical sense: we see history all around us in all our communities. Here on Anglesey we have a medieval castle – a structure that speaks about a period of conquest and subjugation.  It’s only a popular tourist attraction today but it represents a real past. There are many other reminders of the long history of this island – from pre-historic burial chambers to grand Victorian chapels. All are a mark of the past visible today.

But back to my original question – does history leave a spiritual mark and if it does should this have a bearing on how pray in our communities? It is my opinion that it does and should. Martin Scott in his volume Sowing Seeds for Revival fleshes out a theology for this belief that I believe is important to grasp if we are to pray effectively. There he sets out how historical events can leave a spiritual mark on the very land where those events occurred. He explains how spiritual forces can be drawn – invited even – to a geography where sin has been committed. To see that geography set free from those spiritual powers will involve praying into the history. I realise, of course, that this is still a theology that is on the margins of church life and I may expand on it in future posts – but in my view it is one of the most important tools we have to seeing our communities set free.

How will this affect us as we prayer-walk? Well to begin with we will want to have our eyes open to any signs in the community that suggest historical events. House names can be one clue to the history of an area. For example, it is surprising on Anglesey how many houses have the word ‘druid’ in the name – there’s one in our village. Other examples on the island would be a little hamlet called Gadfa – the place of battle. Beginning to be aware of such names will lead us to have a deeper understanding of the community and how it is affected. To take this further will involve some research in the library – always a rich source of local history.

What historical discoveries about your community have you made as you’ve prayer-walked?