Walking, Praying, and Listening

Prayer Walks. How do you stay focused? You're walking along and there are a lot of distractions from loud music to half-naked people sitting in front of their apartments. What impact do you have anyway? You will only be there for less than an hour. You do not know anyone. Everyone you see is a stranger to your eyes. How much "gospel" do you share to the people you meet?

This morning, I was with a group of five ladies from the Higher Ground Church (NHGCC), a Filipino congregation here in Kaohsiung. We went to visit Newsong Church, a Chinese congregation located in San Min District of this city. I accompanied these ladies so we can do a "prayer walk" in the San Min Park. This is in preparation for our joint Christmas outdoor activity this December 17, 2011. I am very encouraged because Pastor Terry of Newsong Church has taken the initiative to organize this event with the intention that in the future their Chinese congregation will be able to reach out to the Filipino workers in its vicinity. Pastora Tessa of NHGCC has gladly approved this joint venture and sent these five ladies to "scout" the San Min Park and pray for God's leadership.

Before we went to the park, I shared to the five ladies the above questions. I also explained some of my answers to the dilemma posed by this set of questions. The bottom line is that one listens to the Holy Spirit. The Spirit of God will tell us when to pray and what to pray for. He will also tell us who are the people who need our prayers. So we walk and we pray. Most of all, we listen to the small still voice of the Holy Spirit.

"You are only there for a moment," I continued to share to the ladies. "Everyone is a stranger. You do not know them. But God knows these people. He knows their needs. You pray and ask God what should you pray for these people. You wait for the Holy Spirit to illumine your spirit so that you know with certainly what the needs are."

God knows them. He is already making plans to bring them to his love and receive his forgiveness and salvation. He does not need our prayers to make these plans come to reality. However, he desires for us to participate in his plans. He loves to tell us the needs of the people around us. He likes it when his children are petitioning him in behalf of the people who do not yet know him. We pray and we listen. We walk and look at people's faces with the eyes of God. Walk, pray, and listen to the Spirit of God.