With the coming of spring weather, thousands of Danes will
lace up their walking shoes and explore the outdoors. Some will even discover
the Lord.
Pray for a growing trend in Denmark towards pilgrimage
walks—single day or multi-day hikes along specially designated trails between
churches where walkers are met with encouragement to consider the Lord of the
outdoors.
A new, 106-kilometer trail between nine churches has
recently been opened, called Camino Haderslev Næs. On this trail and others, Elisabeth
Lidell leads groups that include a mixture of churched, unchurched, saved, and
seeking.
“I meet people who are used to attending church and who want
to go deeper in their faith,” she said, “and people for whom church is foreign,
but who are curious and open. Perhaps they haven’t been in church since they
were confirmed, they’ve dabbled in Eastern religions, and in their middle age
are turning back to find meaning in Christianity.”
Since 2009, Elisabeth has been giving pilgrim hikers
something to think about, including study questions to ponder alone or in
groups at rest stops along the way. She chats with fellow walkers in her group
who care to listen. As she describes it, they’re not sitting passively in the
pews, but they’re considering Scripture and prayer in a fresh way, in “the
Lord’s big cathedral.”
For some, it may be the only kind of church they’ve ever
experienced.
PRAY for the
seekers who walk Denmark’s pilgrim trails this summer, that they would
encounter a clear gospel presentation in Scripture and in creation.
PRAY for the
doubters and unbelievers who find themselves walking, that God would soften
their hearts and that they would find Jesus on the way.
PRAY for
Elisabeth Lidell and other Christians on Denmark’s pilgrim trails, that they
would draw closer to God, challenge others, and return to their lives
strengthened and renewed.
PRAY that revival
would spread through Denmark in its beautiful woods and meadows, and from there
back to homes, churches, villages, and cities.