Block by Block
Walking out faith, one step at a time
In August 2012, 13-year-old Grace Ryken began prayer-walking all across the city she calls home: Ames, Iowa. She mapped out her route, sent invitations to friends and youth groups, created a Facebook page and then started walking. Her goal: to cover the entire city in prayer (block by city block) in 18 months.
She was expecting many others to share her passion—both for prayer and for her city—but she soon found herself walking with the same handful of people. Sometimes, she walks alone.
Twice a week, she posts on Facebook where the prayer-walking will start and then emails that location to a list of people who have expressed interest. She waits at the street corner for the group to assemble, and then for two hours, the small group (never more than eight people) walks slowly on sidewalks and stops at corners to offer up prayers for each neighborhood.
The group prays for people to walk outside and cross their path. When someone does, a group member quickly explains, “We’re in the area praying for people and the neighborhood. Do you have anything you’d like us to pray for?”
The responses range from, “I already did that this morning” to “Peace” to flat-out refusals. Some people ask for prayer for someone who is sick or for relatives who are struggling. One person said, “We don’t need prayer—our neighborhood has a pretty good vibe.”
“About 70 percent of the time, people respond negatively,” Grace says. “It makes a lot of people uncomfortable, and I think that for many, even strong Christians, prayer is just something they turn to when they are struggling and not a way of regular communication with their Creator.”
And so the group prays and walks and prays some more. “One time,” Grace remembers, “it had been cold, rainy and windy for the past five prayer walks; I was walking by myself and hadn’t come across anyone I could pray for. I decided that if it wasn’t better the next time, I would stop.”
The next time, however, the weather was beautiful, eight people joined her and the group was able to pray for several people as they walked. And so Grace continued.
Another afternoon, the group ducked into a nearby bank so one person could use the restroom. The other prayer-walkers began talking about prayer with the bank teller, who turned and asked a co-worker if they, too, might go on a prayer walk sometime. The group later learned that the teller was not a Christian, and that her friends (and co-worker) had been praying for her salvation.
Big ideas about prayer
Inviting Christians into a conversation with the Lord on behalf of their neighbors is one way this group is reaching beyond its small numbers. The little band of prayer-walkers goes to the households of known Christians in each neighborhood to pray for the influence they have with their neighbors.
Six months after she started, Grace has big ideas about the power of praying to her big God. “God has taught me many things about perseverance and listening to His voice,” she says. “Also He has changed the way I look at my city. When I am out around town, I find myself looking for things and people to pray for.”
And so, twice a week, Grace and her handful of friends and family give feet to the faith that God can accomplish powerful things through the prayers of the righteous.
Grace decided to prayer-walk in Ames after doing so in New Orleans during the 2012 Challenge conference and on a mission trip to Haiti that same year. In both cities, she says, “We didn’t meet a single person who said, ‘No thanks, I’ll pass.’ I knew that the people in Ames might not respond the same way. But one of the speakers at Challenge said we needed to live radically through faithfulness in everyday things. I had to try it!”
Something to think about: Though the Lord may not be calling you to prayer-walk your city, like Grace, He is calling you to live radically by being faithful. What does living by faith look like for you?
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Caroline Nichols was serving as youth-ministry assistant at First EFC in Ames, Iowa, when Grace began prayer-walking. Caroline joined the walks herself. She remembers how important it was to have mentors rally around the dreams God had planted in her at a young age, and she hopes to provide the same encouragement for youth today.
Block by Block
IN AUGUST 2012, 13-YEAR-OLD GRACE RYKEN began prayer-walking all across the city she calls home: Ames, Iowa. She mapped out her route, sent invitations to friends and youth groups, created a Facebook page and then started walking. Her goal: to cover the entire city in prayer (block by city block) in 18 months.
She was expecting many others to share her passion—both for prayer and for her city—but she soon found herself walking with the same handful of people. Sometimes, she walks alone.
Twice a week, she posts on Facebook where the prayer-walking will start and then emails that location to a list of people who have expressed interest. She waits at the street corner for the group to assemble, and then for two hours, the small group (never more than eight people) walks slowly on sidewalks and stops at corners to offer up prayers for each neighborhood.
The group prays for people to walk outside and cross their path. When someone does, a group member quickly explains, “We’re in the area praying for people and the neighborhood. Do you have anything you’d like us to pray for?”
The responses range from, “I already did that this morning” to “Peace” to flat-out refusals. Some people ask for prayer for someone who is sick or for relatives who are struggling. One person said, “We don’t need prayer—our neighborhood has a pretty good vibe.”
“About 70 percent of the time, people respond negatively,” Grace says. “It makes a lot of people uncomfortable, and I think that for many, even strong Christians, prayer is just something they turn to when they are struggling and not a way of regular communication with their Creator.”
And so the group prays and walks and prays some more. “One time,” Grace remembers, “it had been cold, rainy and windy for the past five prayer walks; I was walking by myself and hadn’t come across anyone I could pray for. I decided that if it wasn’t better the next time, I would stop.”
The next time, however, the weather was beautiful, eight people joined her and the group was able to pray for several people as they walked. And so Grace continued.
[blockquote] “God has taught me many things about perseverance and listening to His voice” [/blockquote]
Another afternoon, the group ducked into a nearby bank so one person could use the restroom. The other prayer-walkers began talking about prayer with the bank teller, who turned and asked a co-worker if they, too, might go on a prayer walk sometime. The group later learned that the teller was not a Christian, and that her friends (and co-worker) had been praying for her salvation.
Big Ideas About Prayer
Inviting Christians into a conversation with the Lord on behalf of their neighbors is one way this group is reaching beyond its small numbers. The little band of prayer-walkers goes to the households of known Christians in each neighborhood to pray for the influence they have with their neighbors.
Six months after she started, Grace has big ideas about the power of praying to her big God. “God has taught me many things about perseverance and listening to His voice,” she says. “Also He has changed the way I look at my city. When I am out around town, I find myself looking for things and people to pray for.”
And so, twice a week, Grace and her handful of friends and family give feet to the faith that God can accomplish powerful things through the prayers of the righteous.
Grace decided to prayer-walk in Ames after doing so in New Orleans during the 2012 Challenge conference and on a mission trip to Haiti that same year. In both cities, she says, “We didn’t meet a single person who said, ‘No thanks, I’ll pass.’ I knew that the people in Ames might not respond the same way. But one of the speakers at Challenge said we needed to live radically through faithfulness in everyday things. I had to try it!”
SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT: Though the Lord may not be calling you to prayer-walk your city, like Grace, He is calling you to live radically by being faithful. What does living by faith look like for you?
Caroline Nichols was serving as youth-ministry assistant at First EFC in Ames, Iowa, when Grace began prayer-walking. Caroline joined the walks herself. She remembers how important it was to have mentors rally around the dreams God had planted in her at a young age, and she hopes to provide the same encouragement for youth today.