By Jeremy Simmons
Some may think that because we lived overseas, pursuing people to tell about Jesus, that evangelism and “living missionally” are effortless for us–and they’d be wrong. We’ve discovered that so much of helping people meet our Savior is about using simple tools, and having discipline to keep using them. One tool we use is Prayer Walking.
In April of 2021 we moved for a third time in the past year (talk about transition!). The first time from Southeast Asia back to the in-laws here in Lexington, the second time from the in-laws into a home we rented, and then the third time from that rental home to a home we purchased. Each time we’ve had to reorient and capitalize on where God has placed us by stepping into his mission to save a people for himself by introducing strangers to their Creator. In normal language, that means we had to learn how to meet people and talk with them about Jesus, and relearn and relearn again!
We developed a rhythm of prayer walking as a family so that we can:
- Be a blessing to our new community
- Meet our neighbors
- And either introduce them to Jesus for the first time, or help them take their own next step in walking with Him
Practically, that means we regularly choose to get our daughter in the stroller and just start walking the streets of our neighborhood. The cool thing is that we’ve become more and more familiar with our neighbors simply by being visible and consistent, which has given us opportunities to speak with them about life and Jesus.
In each of the three neighborhoods we’ve lived in, God has given us opportunities to meet the people that lived in the homes that we were praying for. At first, we knew them as “those people in the brick house three doors down”, or “that family with the kids who ride bikes”. And we simply trusted that God knew their needs as we prayed for Him to bless them. Eventually that turned into meeting the other young couple that just moved in, the sweet woman across the street that we got to pray with (not just for), and the people down the street caring for aging parents.
God can use you to bless other families in your personal radius, and He can even do this just by you walking and praying for the homes you see.