I have had the unusual privilege of prayer walking with a large cross at different times the last few years. It has never on my mind or on my radar to do this, but I have felt led by the Lord to walk at particular and important moments. I walked from the Midlands to London to pray for an end to the Brexit turmoil in the UK. I walked in every city of England near the end of the pandemic to pray for grace, blessing and glory. 

Now, as I am planning to prayer walk with the cross in all capital cities of Europe, I have felt the burden to pray for revival and spiritual awakening across the continent. 

I have felt many things in the public walking with a cross: I have felt very moved, sometimes close to God, often very unworthy, certainly quite exposed, and many times have been aware that I must appear rather an odd figure. And I have been asking God  yet again ‘why the cross this time Lord? What is the significance of prayer walking with the cross in our continent?’ 

I sense this prayer mission is about a cluster of things from a heavenly perspective:

– It is heralding salvation time. Walking with the cross signifies the shed blood of Jesus for the people of Europe. Revelation 5 reminds us that Jesus is the Lion and the Lamb, the one who purchased people from every tribe. God is coming to Europe with great grace, when we least deserve it.  

– It is putting the cross at the heart of the cities. These prayer walks are signifying something about the simple message of the cross as the answer to the needs of all people. 1 Corinthians 2v2 testifies that the church offers the gospel of Christ crucified to our world. The message of the gospel must become central again for Europe. 

– It is coming in the opposite spirit to the powers that be. The cross has historically in Europe lifted up to highlight empire, control and Christendom. Yet it is precisely the weakness of the cross which  triumphs over principalities and powers in Colossians 2v14. Jesus shows the power of love and sacrifice in dealing with the deeply entrenched areas of sin and evil.

– It is calling the church to live as crucified and raised with Christ. As many believers pay a high price for their faith around the world, this could be a season for the church in Europe to freshly identify with the cost of discipleship and to live in the power of the Spirit. In Luke 9v24 Jesus calls us back to the radical nature of losing our lives to find them, and to a quality of discipleship that challenges the world.

– It is marking the cities for revival in the heavenly places. Walking with the cross is a prophetic act, a powerful sign to the principalities and powers. Just as a priest or bishop might sign someone with the sign of the cross as a symbol of grace and blessing, we will sign the centre of each city with the sign of the cross as we walk. Joshua was promised every place where he placed his feet in Joshua 1v3. We are marking the capitals of Europe for revival and awakening, a sign that God is about to move in power and grace in all these countries.

I am not necessarily going to share all these things as I walk and pray with the cross, nor have them emblazoned on my jacket! However they will help form the praying and spiritual motivation of myself and friends who walk with me. 

The symbol of the cross is beautiful and deeply profound. Please pray with me that walking and praying in this way will achieve all that God wants it to achieve, and in his timing. All I can do is walk and let God use it as he wills. May the cross in Europe herald salvation time, may the gospel become central to our continent, may love win over evil, may the church live cross shaped lives, and may the capital cities be marked for revival.

Thanks for reading 🙂

William