Kingdom prayer at ground level

For several years, my husband and I have come to Japan to pray and walk in different areas, praying alongside pastors, Kingdom workers, and Japanese people. We came to Japan in 2019, 2022, and October 2023. We go where the Lord leads—primarily rural areas—with a goal of praying and walking in every prefecture, God willing!

We know that Jesus is already present in Japan and that his Spirit continues to be at work there, so we join him. We talk to him as we walk along the way, on trains and in train stations, in busy cities and in the quiet countryside. We ask him to show us where he is at work and how to pray.

Sometimes we get “God sightings,” reminders of his presence in Japan. Last October, we visited a cave in Taketa, Oita Prefecture, that had been used for worship by hidden Christians centuries ago. We also see Japan as it is: abandoned buildings in contrast with busy shopping malls, numerous shrines and roadside idols, and so many people in Japan who have not met Jesus, the One who loves them.

Interested in prayer and walking?

To encourage you to go out to pray and walk in Japan, here are some things we have learned.

Prayer support needed—We go in the name of Jesus with the support and encouragement of our church and a community of people who pray for us. During COVID, we could not travel to Japan but became part of a continuing weekly prayer time online as part of Reaching Japanese for Christ Network, and they pray for us. Invite your church and faith community to pray for you.

Planning bathed in prayer—Every aspect of every trip is bathed in prayer: who, what, when, and where. We consult the Operation Japan Prayer Guide.¹ We make time for a sabbath rest each week, attending a local church if possible. Ask the Lord to direct your path.

Stay grounded in your daily devotions—Be intentional to immerse yourself in Jesus and his Word daily as you prepare to go out to pray and walk in his name.

Go with someone if possible—We know that Jesus sent out disciples two by two, and there’s good wisdom in going with another person if possible. Sometimes we quietly pray aloud with each other, but most of the time, each one is silently talking to God according to his leading. More than one pair? Pairs can spread out and then reconnect later to debrief and pray.

Hard stuff—Prayer as you walk is hard work, and spiritual warfare is real. Sometimes I discern and pray for light against darkness; sometimes I experience it as confusion or doubt. Then I refocus on Jesus by saying his name, saying the Lord’s Prayer, singing choruses or hymns, or reciting a simple passage of Scripture that focuses on him. Stand firm in Jesus.

What and how to pray and walk—Our prayers are mostly unspoken but directed to the Lord with praise and thanksgiving as we keep our eyes on him. It’s about Jesus—his Kingdom come, his will be done. Ask the Lord for eyes to see the poor and disadvantaged and the lost in Japan and to open your hearts to his compassion toward them. With eyes open, ask him to direct your prayers but trust outcomes to him.

Let’s go

Any Jesus follower can pray Kingdom prayers and walk, if physically able, in Japan. Go in faith and in the power of Jesus’s name. Pray big prayers to our God, who is able to do abundantly beyond our expectations. Pray for the people of Japan to come to know and believe in Jesus as their Savior, for his Kingdom to spread through gospel outreach and church planting, for spiritual renewal and revival in the churches, for the encouragement of pastors and Kingdom workers, and for the Lord to send more workers with his heart for reaching the Japanese people. Pray along with the Operation Japan Prayer Guide. Be confident in this: God hears and answers prayer, and he will use the prayers of his people for his glory.

1. Don Wright, Operation Japan Prayer Guide, 5th ed. (Independent Publisher, 2019). There is also a Japanese version of Operation Japan Prayer Guide: Don Wright, オペレーション日本　祈りのガイド, Japanese ed. (Independent Publisher, 2023). Both books are available on Amazon.