3 Reasons Prayer Walks Can Refresh Your Life

But even if you can’t take a prayer walk first thing in the morning, they are so beneficial for so many reasons! If you’re looking for a new habit to help you grow spiritually, I highly recommend weaving regular prayer walks–or prayer rides if you can’t walk– into your week. Reason #3 might surprise you!

1. Prayer Walks Help You Get to Know God through Nature and Well-Being

Romans 1:20 tells us, “For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.”

Nature is one of the most beautiful things God has created, and it shows us who he is. We get to experience his glory and majesty through flowers, leaves, and animals. We get to experience his dependability through gravity and the sunrise. We remember that every breath of fresh air that we take is given by God himself (Job 33:4).

Our health is another way that we get to know God. Taking walks outdoors is proven to improve our sleep, reduce symptoms of depression, boost our immune systems, restore our mental clarity, and overall significantly increase our sense of well-being.

And those are just normal walks, not even prayer walks! Imagine the depth of well-being that we can experience as we’re being good stewards of our bodies AND connecting to God.

And the better we feel and the happier we are, the more we believe in God’s good will for us. We experience firsthand that his design for us is good, and we get to know him better as the loving Father that he is.

2. Prayer Walks Help You to Be More Vulnerable with God

Have you ever noticed how conversations seem to just flow more easily when you are walking side-by-side with someone?

It could be because this body positioning is less intense than direct eye contact, or the fact that you’re walking in a free-flowing way causes the conversation to flow more freely too. Psychologists have even found that walking in step with someone for just a few minutes causes more connection, even if you aren’t talking!

Regardless of why, prayer walks offer a unique opportunity to be more vulnerable with God about what is on your heart. It’s easier to experience the prayer as an evolving conversation; rather than a checklist or feeling like you have to say everything “right.”

Personally, I find that conversing with God is just simply easier when I am walking. When I sit down in my house, I am ridiculously easily distracted and feel pressured to get to everything I need to pray about. But when I talk to God while I’m walking, I can just freely tell him about small things, like the butterfly I just saw, or big things, like the reason I feel insecure at my job. It flows, just like it would with a friend.

Imagining God, Jesus, and/or the Spirit walking side-by-side with you will increase your feeling of intimacy with them. Talk, don’t talk; share the scariest part of your day or the most inconsequential–all of this will leave you feeling more refreshed and connected than before.

3. Prayer Walks Might Help Your Process Deep Emotions

There is some evidence that suggests talking about your emotions while taking walks can help you process deep, heavy emotions that you are carrying.

The story goes that the founder of EMDR, which is a relatively new therapeutic modality to help alleviate stress from traumatic memories, started her discovery of this new therapy in 1989 while on a walk in a park. While she walked, “she realized that eye movements appeared to decrease the negative emotion associated with her own distressing memories.” 

There seems to be something that helps our brain process as we move our eyes from tree to tree, flower to flower, and sidewalk to road while we’re walking. Whether this is the effect of the eye movements, fresh air, or good old exercise, it fills me with joy to know that God built this support into an activity that we do all the time–at least used to!

Think about how many thousands of years people spent large parts of their day walking. When I imagine Jesus and his disciples walking on dirt roads, I love thinking about the conversations they had. Of course, there was surely plenty of joking around and talking about what they’d eat for dinner. But I bet there were talks about the tough things in their lives, too. And maybe God designed our bodies to be able to process these tougher things while we’re walking!

Try this out for yourself. Take a long prayer walk somewhere you feel inspired, and talk to God about something that is on your heart. See if walking and talking about it provides more relief than if you had talked about it while sitting at home.

Prayer walks can do amazing things for your mind, body, and soul. They don’t have to be another stressor on your “good Christian to-do list,”-- but they can invite God into your day and give you opportunities to interact with him like never before.

Photo Credit: ©GettyImages/krblokhin

The views expressed in this commentary do not necessarily reflect those of CrosswalkHeadlines.

Kelly-Jayne McGlynn is a former editor at Crosswalk.com. She sees the act of expression, whether through writing or art, as a way to co-create with God and experience him deeper. Check out her handmade earrings on Instagram and her website for more of her thoughts on connecting with God through creative endeavors.

This article is part of our Prayer resource meant to inspire and encourage your prayer life when you face uncertain times. Visit our most popular prayers if you are wondering how to pray or what to pray. Remember, the Holy Spirit intercedes for us, and God knows your heart even if you can't find the words to pray.

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