Prayer walk through ‘God’s Cathedral’
- deansimpson7
- Aug 6
- 5 min read
‘God’s Cathedral’ is a new initiative of The Salvation Army’s Spiritual Life Team. It is the first in a series of fresh prayer encounters where the team, headed up by Auxiliary-Lieutenant Rosy Keane, is exploring ways to pray and share the resources and outcomes of these experiences to adapt for your own setting. And we would love your feedback and to know what you think at the end!
BY AUX-LIEUT ROSY KEANE
Territorial Secretary for Spiritual Life Development
God’s Cathedral came from the heart of Major Steve Haworth, Officer Personnel Secretary in Victoria Division, an avid trekker and photographer.
Looking for fresh inspiration for prayer, I asked, “If you could pray any way you liked, how would you pray?” Steve described the Redwood Forest in Victoria, a place he had always wanted to walk through and photograph, a place where he feels closest to God.
“For me, the way I connect with God is by getting out into nature,” Steve said. “I’ve heard nature being called ‘God’s Cathedral.
“The Redwood Forest is such a beautiful place, to be amongst those giant trees, and the way the Redwood Forest is set out in a geometric pattern is amazing and a place that feels deeply spiritual. They were planted in the 1920s, alongside plantations of Bishop Pine and Douglas Fir as part of a hydrology experiment and have now been preserved, so they’ll be there for generations to come.
And so, armed with a camera and prayer, together, we formed an idea. We planned for Steve to spend time in prayer and photography in the forest a few weeks before the event.
“I was hoping to get there early enough in the morning to see the sunbeams coming through the trees,” Steve said. “I wasn’t disappointed, it was such a beautiful thing to see the sunbeams hit the early morning mist, as if God’s very presence was being carried through on those beams of light.
“I’ve been taking photos for over 40 years, and sometimes I see things that others don’t, things that capture my eye. For me, it’s the pine needles on some of the conifers, the reflections on the lake, willows dancing, birds flitting from tree to tree.”
Some of the images Major Steve Haworth took on his ‘pre-walk’ of Redwood Forest.
The photos Steve took would be given to prayer participants, with both of us praying over each photo beforehand, believing they would carry meaning for the person who received it.
We decided to incorporate spiritual prayer exercises through the senses, allowing ample time for prayer walking, individually or in groups.
We designed a devotional booklet in Canva, which you are free to adapt and use in any prayer setting. View or edit the devotional booklet here. All photos were taken by Steve, and you’re welcome to use them!
Group gathering
We met on Saturday, 28 June at 10am with a group of 20 people of all ages. We gave them the devotional booklets and began by anointing each person using Hinoki oil, representing the sense of smell.
Hinoki oil comes from a specific Japanese Cypress known for its durable wood and fragrant oil. The smell, to me, is so peaceful and calming ... there’s just something about its fragrance. I have some on my desk at the office, and every now and again I’ll put a few drops in the little wooden diffuser I’ve got there. As I was writing this, I caught a whiff of it. It was like God’s presence in the room with me. A reminder. I said to myself, to be aware of God’s love for me every time I smell it.
We instructed our prayer participants to spend the first 10 minutes of their walk in the forest in silence, listening to God. We then gathered by the river, and each person shared an observation they had made about God during the walk.
Steve says, “There are all different kinds of beauty in the same place … to see the water cascading over the rocks, and you hear the rocks talking to you through the water. It’s so clean and so clear. The damp smell of leaves on the ground.”
We spent the next hour in free prayer, either walking individually or in small groups. People were also invited to receive prayer from Steve and me if they wished.
All photos: Major Steve Haworth
At the end of the walk, we gathered for a time of sharing. I handed out the photographs Steve had taken in the weeks beforehand and invited people to reflect on them. Each person drew something different from them.
People sharing around the group was amazing. To hear the joy people got from being there. I remember one person in particular, Meredith Daniels, shared that she had been looking at the photo the wrong way around and thought it was a waterfall. The person beside Meredith had shown her that she was holding the photo the wrong way, and it was actually a lake. For her, it was a reminder that we don’t always see things clearly until we shift our perspective. Sometimes we need to see things from God’s perspective.
We concluded by sharing in a time of communion, representing the sense of taste, being of one mind and one body. Then, people had the option to have their photo taken by Steve in the forest, as a reminder that they had prepared in prayer beforehand, prayed together during the walk, and would carry this time of encounter with them afterwards. We concluded the day with an open invitation for lunch at a local cafe. (Steve highly recommends the vanilla slice at Three Sugars Café.)
Running into people down the street afterwards, the smiles were still there, and the joy was still there. To be able to share that.
There are many different ways to pray. Steve says: “That’s how I connect with God. That’s how I talk to God. When I’m in nature somewhere, I’m just awestruck by the trees, the mountains, and the different smells. For your mental health and wellbeing, to be still, to be present, to observe, and to listen for God’s voice in that place. It’s an amazing thing to be in, and to share.”
An invitation from Rosy
What do you think of this as a prayer exercise? Is this something you could see working in your setting?
Please feel free to join our Spiritual Life Facebook page for more prayer ideas and sharing, or if you would like to see all the God’s Cathedral photos. I would love to help you run something similar in your area with your people. Contact me here to explore how we can help others discover new ways to pray.
God’s Cathedral is now part of a series in the Victoria Division we are calling ‘God Encounters’. Our next gathering is ‘God’s Garden’ on 18 October at the Dandenong Ranges Botanic Garden at 10am. All are welcome. If you would like to come, please join the WhatsApp group here
