Walking isn't just good for your health, it's good for your spiritual life too. Here's how to pray while walking at God's speed.
I never really thought about praying while walking before I found Revelation Wellness in 2020.
When we were missionaries in Uganda, we would do intentional prayer walks, but this informal talking with God while walking was new to me.
If you have never prayed while walking- check out this Reving the Word episode and lace up your shoes!
Walking Throughout Scripture
Walking with God is a common theme throughout Scripture.
Adam and Eve heard the sound of God walking in the cool of the day (Genesis 3). Enoch walked with God and then was no more (Genesis 5:24). Noah walked faithfully with God (Genesis 6:9). Levi walked with (God) in peace and uprightness (Malachi 2:6). And the disciples walked with Jesus everywhere they went.
When it says in John 2 that Jesus stayed a few days in Capernaum and then walked to Jerusalem – that walk wasn’t just a few blocks down the road. It was 125 miles!
If he had walked three miles an hour, eight hours a day, it would have taken him five days to walk there. Imagine the conversations they would have had along the way.
Then there’s the epic walk with the resurrected Jesus on the road to Emmaus (Luke 24:13-35). Put yourself in that story and picture Jesus Himself, opening the Scriptures to you! And finally, one day in the New Jerusalem, the Lamb will be our light, and “the nations of those who are saved shall walk in its light” (Revelation 21:22-27).
Maranatha! Come quickly, Lord Jesus!
Three Miles An Hour
Kosuke Koyana writes, “Love has its speed. It is a spiritual speed. It is a different kind of speed from the technological speed to which we are accustomed. It goes on in the depth of our life, whether we notice or not, at three miles an hour. It is the speed we walk and therefore the speed the love of God walks.”
Prayer walking is not the time to count calories or watch your heart rate. This is a time of communion. Stay focused on Him and His delight in being with you.
If you have never prayer walked before...
– Go slow. This is not the time for speed walking. Keep in step with the Spirit.
– Acknowledge that God is present with you, and He is glad to be with you.
– Just start talking like you would talk to a friend. And take some time to listen.
If you're a regular prayer walker...
– Try to pray differently than usual. Consider a lectio divina Reving the Word episode, intercession for missionaries you support, or praying over each house you pass by.
– Invite a friend and pray together- bonus points if they have never prayed while walking before.
– Go on a gratitude walk- just thank Him for every single thing you see and whatever comes to your mind.
Looking for more?
Read Kosuke Koyama’s “Three Mile an Hour God” or Mark Buchanan’s “God Walk: Moving at the Speed of Your Soul.”
Tell us about your prayer walks in the comments!
Kelly Hallahan is a Revelation Wellness Fitness Instructor (Platoon 26). She and her husband, Josh, have almost been married 20 years, and they have four kids: Caleb (17), Seth (15), Elizabeth (10), and Rebekah (8), and their new puppy, Zazu. She was a missionary in Uganda for nine years. She currently ministers to students at Asbury University. She loves to invite friends to come work out in her garage and take hikes with her family.
