Prayer walk for creation

Plan a September prayer walk for creation’s water, food, economy and peace. Pray from home too, if walking is a challenge.

How to walk in prayer: alone or with a few people, plan a starting point, and walk quietly, observing the things around you, being aware of sounds, aromas, and the people you pass. A prayer walk is, like all prayers, an ongoing conversation with God. By doing this while walking, you bring your entire being into the space, hearing, feeling, and sensing all that God has created. You may pray without words and simply walk, or you might want to repeat one word or a short phrase, or simply express thanks for all the you see. Plan a few stopping spots for focused prayer.

For a stop near water: find a waterway, or pool, or fountain, splash-pad, or even a puddle. Pause in thanksgiving for water. Say this prayer:

The waters of the earth refresh, revive and nourish your creation. We thank you for the beautiful waterfalls, the sparkling blue green oceans, the refreshing fresh water sources, and the rains that nourish our crops and cool our earth. Help us to be better caretakers of these gifts. Help us to keep our water sources germ, disease and pollution free to not only continue to nurture humanity, but also to sustain our plant and animal life too. Help us to remember that all things are interconnected and help us to continue to be strong co-creators with you. Amen.

For a stop near a source of food – garden, market, grocery store, corner store, field, and pray this prayer

Creator God, You have entrusted us to care not only for your creation, but for one another. Help us to do your will, to make sustainable choices in our caring for this earth you have blessed us with, and help us to always be mindful of how our choices impact the health and well-being of others. We lift up farmers whose seasons are shifting and whose soil is tired. Be near to those planting or harvesting in hope despite failed rains and shrinking harvests. Bless the hands learning to care for the earth— with methods that heal the land, and knowledge sown in the field and shared with the village. May each seed planted in hope bear fruit in justice. Guide us in this challenge, to honour your creation and feed your people. Amen.

Stop to pray for the economic health of the world – where your treasure is, there also your heart shall be – plan to stop at a place that is important and special to you. Thinking of the larger world, pray this prayer:

Heavenly Father, You call us to love one another, and care for one another as though we are caring for you. Help us to always see you in the faces of others. Help us to reach out to those we encounter that need hope, encouragement, love, peace and the gifts you have given us to share. We lift up those whose harvests have thinned, whose nets return empty— where one unravelling basket leaves many hands empty. Bless those restoring work that feeds and sustains many, growing crops that endure uncertain climes, sharing skills and trades that leave the land whole. Strengthen women shaping new futures with their own hands. Let these efforts spark renewal that is steady against the storms to come. Guide us in this challenge, to honour your creation and help rebuild what the shifting seasons have undone. Amen.

Pray for peace: Stop anywhere and pray this prayer:

God our peacekeeper, We live in a world where peace is often elusive. Help us to work hard and strive for peace in all that we do. Help us to look for you in our interactions with others. Help us to offer your peace to everyone we encounter and lead the way into a world that promotes harmony, where we all love each other the way you would have us love each other. We lift up communities where the drying earth has strained the ties that hold neighbours together and frayed the bonds within families. Bless those who draw others near— who make space for every voice and build peace through trust and listening hearts. Protect women and girls on long walks for water and wood. Strengthen voices that welcome dialogue, leaders who mend broken bridges, and teachers planting seeds of dignity and respect. Let justice fall like rain, bringing healing to the land and to lives. Guide us in this challenge, to honour your creation and carry your peace into the world. Amen.

from Canadian Lutheran World Relief

Return to your starting point, if you would like music for the return walk, here are 2 suggestions: Between darkness and light, in 3 languages: Arabic, Hebrew, and English.

A livelier tune with a chorus of “ho ya” is fun too. The words are- may peace be in our heart, may peace be in our home, May peace be in our land, may peace be in our world Ho ya!.

Salam Aleikum means Gods peace be with you. here is the link: