It all began in late 2020 when Southeast was given the Arcade Baptist Church property on Arcade Avenue in South Louisville. Even though Arcade Baptist had been meeting at that location for more than a half-century and continues to meet there weekly, it was new territory for Southeast.
That’s when the prayer walking began.
Prayer walking is really just that—praying and walking. As you walk around an area, pray for the people who live there, pray for the neighborhood in general, pray for anyone you happen to meet along the way, pray for God to lead and direct you. It really is as simple as that. But the impact and the results can be amazing.
One Thursday afternoon as the Arcade Prayer Walking Team was walking around, they passed a house just a few blocks away from the church property. As they walked by, a lady named Janice* came out onto the front porch carrying a toddler on her hip. The toddler was holding a video game in his hand and staring intently at the screen.
One of the Prayer Walking Team members looked up, saw Janice and the little boy, and commented about how kids sure do love looking at screens. Janice looked up, smiled, and agreed. She then started talking about the challenges of raising a toddler.
As the Prayer Walking Team stood there, they could sense something was going on deep inside Janice. So, one of them said, “My friend and I are just walking around the neighborhood praying. Is there anything we can pray about for you?”
As the words came out, Janice’s face turned pale and expressionless and tears welled up in her eyes. After a few moments of silence, she finally managed to speak.
“I’ve been having a really hard time lately,” she said. “And just before I walked out onto the front porch, I cried out to God. I told Him I didn’t know if He was real, but if He is, I needed Him to hear me. And then I walked outside. With you saying what you just said to me, now I know He is real and now I know He hears me. Thank you.”
With that, the Prayer Walking Team embraced Janice and prayed with and for her. After the prayer, Janice went inside with her toddler and the team continued walking down the street.
The team has prayer walked that street many times since that encounter, even knocking on Janice’s door a few times to say hello. She’s never come to the door, never been outside as they passed by, and the two paths have not crossed again.
But it doesn’t matter.
On that one day, at that exact time, through the faithful obedience of some people to simply walk and pray, a God-ordained appointment occurred and a woman with a little boy discovered who she really is—a child of God!
*Names have been changed to protect privacy.
Click here to learn about prayer walking or to prayer walk your own neighborhood.