New Orleans—with its reputation for hosting Mardi Gras and infamous Bourbon Street celebrations—was not a place where I expected to pick up new spiritual insights. 

My husband and I had chosen New Orleans as a pit stop in route to another destination.  In an effort to pass the time,  we opted to sign up for a “walking” tour of historic Louisiana homes, buildings, and cemeteries.   As the tour guide unfolded stories about generations of residents who had made New Orleans their home, a funny thing happened.   I became intensely interested in the spiritual well-being of its residents.

While reflecting on the tour later, I found it ironic that I had rarely involved myself in understanding the history or layout of my home city: Jackson, Michigan.  How would my prayers for Jackson change if I understood the ideals of our city’s founders?   How might my understanding of current culture be altered if I learned how the town’s government and values evolved?

Upon returning home, I found some free time to visit the section of our city library that is devoted to our town’s history.  Thumbing through the pages of old records proved an emotional experience!  I smiled as I pictured interdenominational services held in a local tavern in our town’s early days.  I winced as I realized that some churches who had once thrived now lay seemingly dormant.  I mourned over moral losses, like our city’s decision to allow a strip club to open within the downtown area.  I related to the feelings of Jesus as he surveyed Jerusalem (Luke 19:41): my heart longed to see our city experience God’s fullness.

Since then, several of my friends have joined me in “walking” tours of Jackson, consciously praying with both our town’s history and future in mind.  These walking tours proved to have many layers of benefit for those who participated.  Not only did the walks combine both physical exercise and spiritual activity, they also strengthened our hearts’ ties to the community, and gave us a practical way to lower the “walls” off the church to be with the people of our city.

How to conduct walking tours in your community:

1.  Team up. Partnering or triple-teaming while walking through the city provides not only personal accountability for commitment to prayer, it also carries the promise of God’s presence.  (Matthew 18:19)

2.  Ask.  Matthew 6:8 tells us God knows what we need even before we ask.  Certainly, God’s foresight also extends to entire cities.  Yet, the verse still implies that the act of asking is present.   Remember, there are some things we don’t have simply because we don’t ask (James 4:2).

3. Visit the Past.  One person or a group of people should attempt to research your town’s history via libraries, newspaper archives, websites, and other community databases.  This information can be compiled into a brief 3 or 4 page summary for those on the walking tour to read prior to participation.  Try to include history of specific buildings, including churches, that walkers might pass during their tours.

4. Conduct a Heart Check. Request that prior to beginning, all participants engage in personal prayer, release of stress, confession of sin and grudges, and renewal of their faith goals for the new day.

5.  Divide and Conquer.  Meet at a central location to divide up various regions of your community amongst the people who are present.

6.  Stay Alert.  Read local newspapers to stay on top of current headlines affecting your city.  During your walking tour, you may find yourself on the grounds of a courthouse where an important case is being discussed or at the city hall where meetings over a controversial issue are happening.  Staying informed will help you pray in detail.

7.  Pray for insight along the way.  Romans 8:26 tells us that we do not always know what we ought to pray but to remember that the Spirit intercedes for us.

8. Start Small.  First, concentrate on the hub of your downtown area.  Then, venture into outlying areas. 

9.  Try a Wide Range of Destinations.  Shopping areas, impoverished neighborhoods, financial districts, crime-ridden zones, office complexes, hospitals, religious buildings, government headquarters, schools, churches, and residential areas are easily accessible and can often be researched through local historical records.

10.  Pray for the People.  Ask God to bless those who work and frequent the buildings you pass.  When you pass a political office, pray for the politicians (Remember to pray for their fullness and not against them, as Matthew 5:44 and Hebrews 13:17-18 would instruct us).  Pray for teachers, police officers, town administrators, and families. 

11.  Pray for Other Churches.  As Paul Allen, an editor at Group Publishing, is fond of asking, “How many churches are there in Jackson?  There is one.”  Pray for all of the Christian congregations who work together to bring Christ to your city.

12.  Tone of Voice.  Pray outloud so that other walkers can agree with you, but use a gentle, conversational tone of voice.  Remember the warning of Matthew 6:1-2 that cautions against standing in the street corners praying loudly to gain the attention of men. 

13. Bring your Blessing.  Seek to bless the areas you walk through similarly to Jesus’ instructions for his disciples to leave their blessing where they minister (Matthew 10:11-13, Luke 10:8-9).

14.  Bring children.  Plan a shorter walk close to a school or playground to impress upon them God’s desires for your whole city.

15. Pray for the future of your city.  In John 17:20, Jesus prays not only for the current believers but also for those who will believe in Jesus through them.  As you pray for the Christians in your city, you might also pray that their efforts will last into future generations of citizens.

16.  Be Consistent.  As the parable of the persistent widow teaches, in Luke 18:1-8, it is of value to remember things before God on more than one occasion.

17. Keep a log.  You may want to keep a log of where your walking tours have been and write down suggestions for where to go next.

18.  End with celebratory breakfast. Debrief the various encounters each group had during the walking tours.  This serves to solidify God’s movements and desires as well as to bring common prayer themes to light.

19. Expand your Influence.  Stay away from legalistic obligations to pray every time you think about down town, but don’t hesitate to pray for your city when normal routine takes you through areas you’ve been praying for.  2 Thessalonians 5:17 encourages us to pray continually.

20.  Do a Driving Tour.  You may want to expand your walking tour to a driving tour of your entire county, where prayers can group together in vehicles and pray over the outlying areas.  Don’t hesitate to pray for the areas you pass on the way to or from school and work as well.

Regardless of the length of time you’ve known Christ or the amount of leadership experience you have under your belt, simply being in the city gives you insights into its needs.  And the more of public life you drink in, the better informed your prayers become and the more your own heart desires to reach the community for Christ.

For additional resources on prayer, check out www.waymakers.org where booklets entitled Seek God For the City and Fresh Prayer are available for as little as $2.00.