The Spring of 2019 was huge for our community. We had an already amazing rail trail reopen with a new resurfaced path. As I write this, I am working remotely while hiking on the trail. The O&W and D&H Rail Trails run blocks from Main Street, and I can access both trails from the church and my house. If you want to hike this beautiful path, you can find information here https://www.neparailtrails.org.
What I wanted to create was a prayer walk guide. One that could be used no matter where in the world you were hiking, biking, and walking. Something you could pull up on your phone, print out, or copy and save as a note on your phone to use without having to do any prep work. Here’s what I came up with. You could use this in a 15- minute walk, or on a long hike or bike ride and really take time to contemplate these things.
Of course we are not talking about getting down on the trail and kneeling while we pray. We can pray in our heads without distracting other hikers or bikers or creating a safety hazard. I hope this will help you in your actual walk with God.
1. CREATOR
God is the Creator of all things! Genesis 1:1 says, “In the beginning God created the Heavens and the Earth.” Hebrews 11:3 says, “By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.” Thank God for being the grand designer of everything you see around you.
2. CREATION POINTS TO HIS GLORY
Look for something around you that catches your eye as beautiful in creation. Psalm 19:1 says, “The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims His handiwork.” Take time to think about how great and vast creation is, and think of how glorious He must be to create everything you are seeing. Thank Him for being that great and glorious God.
3. GOD GUIDES OUR PATHS
Meditate on how the path you are on is leading you to a specific destination. Psalm 119:105 says, “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. Thank God that he has given us His word to give us direction in life. Think about how something from the Bible has recently given you direction in life. Thank God that we have His Word for direction.
4. FUNCTION OF CREATION
When God created the garden of Eden they provided both beauty and function. I’ve written on this in a previous article, “Reclaiming Beauty“. Genesis 2:9 says that God made trees “pleasant to site and good for food.” He created things for beauty and function. Find something in your view and think about the function of that specific thing.
5. BEAUTY OF CREATION
When you think about Genesis 2:9, God didn’t just create for function, but beauty. Look at something that you find to be sheerly beautiful. Take time to thank God that He is not just a God of function. He didn’t just create things for purpose, but He created things for beauty as well and for our enjoyment.
6. TO GOD ANYWHERE
The author of Hebrews talks about how we live in a time when we can pray to God through Jesus at any time, in any place. Hebrews 4:14 says, “Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession.” Paul also says in I Timothy 2:5, “For there is one God, and one Mediator who can reconcile God and humanity – the man Christ Jesus.” Take time to thank God that we no longer need a priest or pastor; we don’t have to be in a church to pray directly to God. While church is God, and God calls us to be a part of a local church if we are believers, it is great to know that at any time, even if we are out hiking, we can pray to God.
7. THANK HIM FOR A BEAUTIFUL DAY
It is great to have a day to get out and enjoy God’s creation. Psalm 118:24 says, “This is the day that the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.” Thank God for a day out in His creation to enjoy it, and Him.
Thanks for taking time to read this Maddening Theology post. If you enjoyed this content you can find Pastor Tim’s sermons at www.cornerstoneforestcity.org. You can also join us at 520 Marion St. Browndale, PA 18421 on Sundays at 10:45 AM. To make following the blog easier you can also register. You can also join us on Facebook at Cornerstone Forest City. Also, don’t forget to download our APP on iTunes or Googleplay.