This week, the Holy Spirit backed me into a corner. He showed me I was guilty of looking at the needs of people far away while overlooking those of nearby neighbors.
I was guilty. Thus, I repented.
Now, I’m prayer walking through the streets of my community which consists of about thirteen hundred homes, condos and apartments.
As you can see from the above picture, I rent a home in a beautiful Temecula community. There’s a large lake. A Olympic- sized pool. Spa. Walking trails. Playgrounds. Baseball diamonds. Picnic areas. Community house. It’s an elite area with mainly professionals living in it.
Most inhabitants work out, staying in tip-top shape. Mothers push strollers while jogging and listening to their iPods. Dads belong to LA Fitness. Children wear GAP clothing. All seem to drive an Acura, BMW or Mercedes.
Why do they need prayer, right?
As I walk past homes, I pray in the spirit. Then, the Holy Spirit shows me how to pray for each area. And guess what?
My neighbors have the same problems that other people are struggling with. Finances. Marital problems. Children problems. Drugs. Drinking. Afflictions. Sin. And like me, they all need a greater revelation of Jesus.
I believe that I’m planting prayer seeds, and others will then come along and water these prayer seeds. But all in all, it will be God who gives the increase who will receive the glory. (1 Corinthians 3:6-9)
So, what about you? Do you need bifocals, too? Are you overlooking the prayer needs of your neighbors?
Swimming Upstream appears at this blog site on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. It’s a little of this and a little of that, all written to encourage and exhort believers in their Christian journeys.
Larry Who 
I think I’m the opposite – I find myself unjustly frustrated by those who are especially gifted in their concern for those far away. I’ve spent the last few years in a community with a heavy focus on global ministries and fighting injustice around the world, while I look around and am stunned by the amount of work to be done in my own neighborhood.
On the other hand, I’ve developed a great deal of respect for people who can coordinate those efforts to help hundreds of people on the other side of the globe. They clearly have a gift that I lack, so more power to them.
brad,
Thanks for your comments.
There is a ditch on both sides of the walk with Christ. One ignores the mission fields and the other ignores the needs of their neighbors.
Hopefully, we Christians will eventually get it right and be able to balance both.
I think you’ve summed it up very well by mentioning the ditch on both sides of our walk with Jesus. I’ve done prayer walks in previous neighborhoods but I’m so grateful for your post. It’s a welcome reminder to get back to that again. My hubby and I have talked about reaching our neighbors, but, duh, I forgot about prayer walking the blocks.
seriouswhimsey,
Duh! I’ve done many prayer walks in almost all neighborhoods we’ve lived in, too. But somehow, I ignored this one.
The Holy Spirit has a way of reminding us.
Some are gifted to coordinate foreign missions, others do work with neighbors, and a third group fills in the in-between. To pick one over the other is ignoring the gifts distributed to all. No one area is more important or less important. Everybody does something and when it’s all done, it’s all done by somebody.
This is not a contest between Apollo and the other guy.
Put on your Nikes and just do it. Spirit directs what, where, and when.
“To pick one” is not quite what I want to say. Rather, to honor or prioritize or prize one over the other is not only ignoring others’ gifts, it’s myopic.
Jane,
Some interesting points…but we are called to love our neighbors. This is one of the points I overlooked in my prayer life.
Now, the early church did not have this problem. Why? The church was a home in a neighborhood filled with neighbors. It was natural for everyone to pray for their neighbors, even those who were heading for the mission field.
But today’s churches are usually filled with people who have driven past hundreds of neighbors to arrive at a remote place in a different neighborhood. It’s not a normal part of our spiritual makeups to pray for our neighbors. And if you live in Southern California’s expressway suburbs, you probably do not even know your neighbor.
It’s not a point of picking one or the other – we should be doing both.
I thought I saw you elevating the immediate neighborhood and diminishing the foreign field. I see equal value as in each according to his own gift and calling rather than everybody doing everything which is not possible.
As for my neighborhood, yes, I do feel something whether a divine calling or being guilted, I don’t know. So far, we wave as the whole place is individually sequestered. That said, witnessesing according to the pure translation of the great commission — “as you go” — that phrase properly translated says it all. “Whoever you meet.”
As for traveling to church — give me a break. We thrive in a crowd. We’ve discussed this ad nauseum. You aren’t a congregationalist. But, if you could what’s within walking distance from me
you would understand the travel. The neighborhood is where we live, the church is where we go for ourselves.
Don’t kid yourself or others. I’ll be quite honest when I say gathering in the church building is 1.to worship, 2. for spiritual food, 3. open doors for anyone who wants the same.
I stand by my statement that to elevate and declare one mission method more urgent than another is myopic. It sounds like a person who has a revelation that coffee is bad for him so he goes on a mission to preach that no one else should drink coffee.
Rather we should celebrate the diversity of missions and encourage others’ callings.
jane,
“Don’t kid yourself or others. I’ll be quite honest when I say gathering in the church building is 1.to worship, 2. for spiritual food, 3. open doors for anyone who wants the same.”
This will be great fodder for a future article.
Thanks.
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