“The word of God is the food by which prayer is nourished and made strong.” E. M. Bounds

Giving people the opportunity for prayer is a wonderful and refreshing gift. Here are a few outdoor activities that you might use to incorporate prayer into your next event.

1. Prayer station(s). Choose a topic, or a verse or verses, and create stations that complement them. For example, if you are talking about sin, you might have someone consider, and confess their sin, and then pour water from a pitcher into a bowl filled with stones. Pouring water might help someone reflect on how God is the only Being in the universe who can cleanse us from our sin, and how pure we are in His sight because of Jesus, and what a gift that is. Even simple, physical acts can help us more deeply understand or consider God’s Word.  There are books and articles and blog posts about prayer stations, you can look to them for ideas, or create your own.
2. Prayer walk. Physical activity, like walking or running can help us still our minds and focus.  Choose a topic that you would like people to focus on in prayer, and then choose a route. It could be around a campus or small town, or at different places in a large field or building. Create a handout for participants that shows each station and include instructions on what to pray about at each spot.
3. Prayer garden. Find a beautiful location, and use it as a prayer garden. It could be a secluded area with a fountain, a formal flower garden, or a large vegetable plot that you deem a prayer garden for a short time. Set up places to sit, like benches, chairs, or even large blankets.  You can hand out prayer instructions, or place them in the garden in a noticeable location.

A few tips. As the quote above suggests, using God’s Word is an excellent way to guide and stimulate prayer. Provide scripture on signs, or handouts for all your participants. Suggest that people bring along something to write with. Writing can help people focus their thoughts, especially if they aren’t used to praying for more than a few minutes at a time. Once you have the prayer activity set up, allow a small group of people to give it a test run. This will help you work out kinks, and decide if you need to have volunteers “manning” particular locations.

How have you used prayer activities in an event? We’d love to know!