School Prayer Walking Tips

What is Prayer Walking?

Prayer walking is talking with our Heavenly Father through His Son Jesus Christ while walking. Our focus is upon our neighborhood schools. Praying near a campus brings us in close proximity with our prayer target; we begin to see with the eyes and compassion of Jesus the needs of the young people for whom we are interceding.

Three Essential Components

These three elements work together to create powerful, effective prayer walks:

Worship: Proclaim the excellencies of the name of Jesus or softly sing a song which exalts the Lord and His mighty power.
Warfare: Prayer walking is spiritual battle. You may experience an indirect onslaught of the enemy: confusion or pestering of the mind, causing thoughts to wander or telling you this isn't doing any good. Press through these roadblocks.
Welcome: Invite God's transforming presence to permeate the school for which you are praying.

Integrate these three "W's" in a good balance,
though at times one or another may seem to dominate.

Do's and Don'ts of Prayer Walking

DO

Worship God as you prayer walk or prayer drive the school's perimeter
Welcome God's Holy Spirit to the school for which you are praying
Pronounce blessings upon the teachers, students, and staff
Pray salvation, healing, and spiritual freedom for the students who attend there

DON'T

Do not draw attention to yourself - You have an audience of One
Do not prayerwalk during school hours (go before/after school or weekends)
Do not go on campus (even if the gate is open, it is considered trespassing)
Do not engage in dialogue with students - Your mission is "vertical"

In Preparation

It is important that we prepare our mind, body and spirit. You are about to become a bridge of blessing between heaven and earth. Don't allow any feelings of inadequacy to plague you. You have indicated your willingness by your presence and God is always faithful to take us where we are and lead us.

The book "Prayerwalking" by Steve Hawthorne offers the following preparation tips:

Open your mouth before you open your heart. Whether you sing, shout or whisper, warm up your vocal cords with praise before setting out. Put the name of Jesus on your lips.
Take charge of the directions your mind will go. Fix your attention on the purposes and ways and thoughts of God before you launch out. If you find your mind wandering, read Scripture out loud.
Seek God for guidance at intervals; then trust that He is guiding you!
If you are prayerwalking with others, take a few minutes to connect and pray. Find out if anyone is sensing/hearing anything from the Lord.
Take your stance before the Father, enthroned in highest heaven through the blood and priestly excellence of Jesus.

What to Do During the Prayer Walk

Open your eyes; ask God to help you see with His eyes.
Open your ears; listen for God's whispered cues - expect Him to highlight truths you have hidden in your heart and apply them to what is around you.
Pray together. Seek to consciously follow and reinforce prayers lifted by others on the prayer team.
Pray with Scripture. You can be confident of praying the will of God when you are praying His Word. God has breathed life into His Word and loves to bless it.
Pray with relevance. Pray with sensitivity to the people and places you are actually encountering. Feel the freedom to extend your empathy unevenly knowing that the Lord is guiding you.

What to Pray

Based on the model prayer in Luke 11:2-4, focus your prayers on these four key areas:

Pray for God's Glory
Pray that God would work so that He would be honored, adored, lifted up, revealed and praised by name among our students and in our schools.
Pray for God's Kingdom
Pray with expectancy for the coming of some measure of heaven's liberating dominion amidst the students and schools.
Pray for Reconciliation
Ask God to reconcile every student to Himself. Ask God to bring reconciliation where there are offenses or breaches among students themselves, and among students and teachers.
Pray for God to Release His Spirit and Lead
Pray that God would lead students, families, neighborhoods into the light of His truth, rescuing them from darkness and destruction.

Scripture References for Prayer Walking

Use these powerful scriptures as you intercede for schools:

Psalm 66:1-4

"Shout for joy to God, all the earth! Sing the glory of his name; make his praise glorious. Say to God, 'How awesome are your deeds! So great is your power that your enemies cringe before you. All the earth bows down to you; they sing praise to you, they sing the praises of your name.'"

Isaiah 6:3

"And they were calling to one another: 'Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory.'"

Psalm 67:1-3

"May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face shine on us so that your ways may be known on earth, your salvation among all nations. May the peoples praise you, God; may all the peoples praise you."

1 Timothy 2:1-4

"I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people—for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth."

Luke 10:2

"He told them, 'The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.'"