God is present everywhere. Whether you’re at home doing the dishes, enjoying a sleepover with friends, or white-knuckling your steering wheel and dodging city traffic—it’s a comfort to know that God never leaves us or forsakes us (Deuteronomy 31:6).
Even with that comfort, we often need a push to seek out God’s Spirit for ourselves. With constant responsibilities and endless distractions, it can be difficult to prioritize Him from the comfort (or chaos) of our homes.
That’s why hiking is so important to us at Faith Center Co. It’s a way to keep our bodies healthy, our lungs full of fresh air, and our spirits constantly in tune with the voice of God.
Hiking gives us a break from the “real world” and an opportunity to focus solely on God, His word, and what He is speaking to us today. Not only that but it connects us with His amazing creation. We believe God is an artist—and the best way to learn about an artist is to admire His work firsthand!
On your next hike, we encourage you to open your heart and mind to everything the Holy Spirit may have in store for you.
3 Prayers to Meditate On While Hiking
During Jesus’s ministry on earth, He often went into the wilderness on His own to pray. Although most of what we read in the Gospels is Jesus’s teachings, it’s also important to note the number of times Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John mention Jesus wandering off on His own (it’s a lot!).
If it was good enough for Jesus, it’s good enough for us. That’s why we encourage every Christian to enjoy the outdoors—and to be intentionally present with God and His creation.
To help you follow in the footsteps of Jesus, we’re recommending three of our favorite scripture-based prayers to meditate on.
1) The Lord Is My Shepherd — David’s Psalm to God
If you ever need some guidance on how to pray, check in with David. The word “psalm” means a sacred prayer or poem poured out to God—and David’s psalms are particularly beautiful.
In Psalm 23, David prays a famous prayer. You’ve probably heard it a hundred times. Here’s what it says:
“The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.
You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD forever.” (Psalm 23)
As you meditate on this Psalm, you may notice that your world is extremely different from David’s. You haven’t met a lot of green pastures, and not a lot of shepherds either. That doesn’t mean his prayer can’t apply to you.
An important thing to recognize about this Psalm is that God is meeting David exactly where he’s at. While we often view things like green pastures and a faithful shepherd as a metaphor for our lives, David viewed them as everyday life. Shepherding was his day job, and God chose to meet him there.
One thing we can learn from this Psalm is that our everyday world is never too lowly for God to show up. In fact, that’s where He wants to meet us. We don’t have to put on a show for Him, we simply need to ask Him to be near.
2) Jesus’s Prayer on the Cross
“Father forgive them for they know not what they do.” (Luke 23:34) These are some of Jesus’s last words from the cross—and they are extremely profound and sorrowful. Before Jesus’s final sacrifice on the cross, He endured beatings and torture from people who were supposed to care about Him. He was called a fraud by His own community.
But all along, Jesus knew exactly what would happen on the cross. Despite the pain and sorrow, He chose to go to the cross to pay for our debt of sin. He used His last breaths to plead with God the Father to forgive the very people who were killing Him.
Wow! What an awesome and merciful God we serve.
Jesus’s prayer on the cross should remind us to pray for our enemies—and to offer forgiveness to anyone in our lives who has harmed us. Forgiveness isn’t easy, and it isn’t natural for imperfect humans, either. But forgiveness is a pillar of the Christian faith—one that Jesus lived and died to fulfill.
You may find that as you open your heart to forgiveness, you open it up to healing, too.
3) The Lord’s Prayer
Back in the time of Jesus, the Pharisees would sit at the front of the temple and pray publicly. Crying out to God in front of others isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but the Pharisees used it as an opportunity to proclaim their “righteousness” to the public.
When Jesus prayed the Lord’s Prayer in Matthew 6, He offered it as an example to the disciples. Essentially, He told them to pray without trying to sound smart or righteous—and to approach God with their praise and requests in a simple and honest way.
Isn’t it a relief that we never have to “dress up” our prayers in order for God to hear them?
Pray then like this: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.”
Our Favorite Christian Merch to Wear on Your Next Meditation Hike
Hiking is one of our favorite activities (you might have noticed). But seriously, many of our customers like to get outside and wear their Christian merch, too. Hiking is the perfect solo date with God. You’re out in nature, meditating on Biblical prayers, and wearing faith-based clothes that allow you to witness to others on the trail. What could be better?
Here are some of our favorite options for your next hike:
Christian T-Shirts
Did you know? Our prayer hotline is open 24/7 to receive prayers by phone and text. This is the perfect way for introverts to come to know God through your Christian merch—without ever having to approach you. We love this Christian t-shirt because you can see it from a mile away. And everyone needs prayer, right?
Christian Sweatpants
Wrap yourself in ultimate comfort with the "God Is Love" Christian sweatpants. Unlike a t-shirt or Christian hoodie, your Christian sweatpants might not be noticed by those around you—but that’s okay. Sometimes the best witness is the one we share with ourselves. Christian apparel like our Christian sweatpants are meant to remind you of God’s love and presence in your life—with every step.
Christian Merch
If Christian t-shirts and Christian sweatpants aren’t your jam, that’s okay. There are lots of other ways to share your faith through Christian apparel on the trail. Some of our favorites include Christian hats, Christian hoodies, and Christian totes. Just a few little extras you can throw on to keep you comfortable in any weather.
Your Prayer Today Is Just as Sacred as the Famous Prayers of the Bible
The prayers of David and Jesus are pretty special. Sometimes, it might seem like the jumbled and confused words coming out of our mouths today aren’t as poetic or meaningful to God. This couldn’t be farther from the truth. Remember Moses? God used him to speak to generations of Israelites even despite his fear of public speaking.
The great prayers of the Bible teach us that God cares about the intentions of our hearts more than anything else. When you pray, think about how lucky you are to have a personal conversation with your loving Father. And if you don’t know what to say, it’s okay to sit and listen. You might be surprised how willing He is to talk to you.