With everyone gearing up for Back-To-School, this is a great time of year to organize a Prayer Walk.  The hustle-bustle of shopping for school supplies, new clothes coupled with the anxiety of new classes, new teachers and new routines means many of our friends and family are experiencing a rush of stress right about now!

Take this opportunity to organize and/or participate in a Prayer Walk around your local school.  And if you have a university or college that is in your town, Prayer Walk there also!  Prayer Walking is simple.  You could go by yourself; as a family; and a group of families; as a Sunday School class; as a Small Group; you see the possibilities!

The bottom line is not how many goes, it’s THAT you go!

If you have never Prayer Walked before, here are a few basic thoughts:

• Determine which school/university God is leading you to.
• Know the layout of your school/university.
• If going as part of a group, divide and conquer to cover the entire school/university campus.
• Once you arrive at your Prayer Walking location, gather everyone together that is participating and have group prayer.  Ask God to reveal to you things throughout your walk that you need to specifically pray for.
• As you begin to walk around your designated location, pray with your eyes open, and be very alert to all of your senses. The different things that you see, hear, smell and taste could be God showing you things that you need to pray for.
• If you see someone out around the school/university, or maybe someone you might meet on a sidewalk, be sure to acknowledge them, let them know what you’re doing, and ask them how you can pray for them!
• One of the things that I personally like to do is, as I walk around school/university buildings, I like to touch the buildings as I pray for everyone that enters throughout the school year.
• Take you time, this is not a sprint.
• Be sure to specifically include EVERYONE that could possibly be on school property:  students, teachers, staff, faculty, administration, custodians, parents, grandparents, family members, guest, etc.
• Things to pray for:  wisdom and grace for our teachers as they educate our children; understanding and excitement for our students as they continue to grow; guidance for our staff and administration as they lead our schools/universities; love and acceptance for our parents and families; protection for everyone associated with our school systems;  and anything  else that God brings to your mind.
• Encourage others to join you!

Obviously, this is not an all-inclusive ‘how to’ list, but it will get you started!  If you have other ideas and suggestions, please share them in the comments!

IF you do participate in a Prayer Walk, let me know as I would love to pray with you!  You can leave the School Name and Location in the comments below!