As John Halvorsen walked into a coffee shop in Washington State, he talked to the person at the counter, telling them that he had just walked from Miami Beach. They don’t initially believe him. Probably, you wouldn’t either. Nearly six months ago, we told the story of John’s Prayer Walk America as he was walking from Miami Beach in Florida to Seattle in Washington. Recently, I talked to John, and he is planning to complete the Prayer Walk on Saturday afternoon, December 11th. I asked for an update on the Prayer Walk, as well as other things they have completed.
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John Halvorsen will soon set his feet in the Pacific Ocean at Pocket Beach in Seattle, marking the end of his fourth Prayer Walk across America.  

From as far away as Florida, people are coming to join John and his wife Sandy for the final week of this 3,600-mile Prayer Walk. John feels he has been pulling a cord of God’s mercy. As he reaches the ocean, John believes this cord is going to be plugged into God’s power, bringing a mighty awakening and a canopy of God’s presence over America.

Thirsty and tired, so many are stumbling in the darkness, questioning which way to turn. But as believers, we are carriers of revival life, the light that dispels the darkness, the living water that quenches every thirst. And God’s word to the American Church is the same word that He gave to John 23 years ago, “Arise and go! This world needs you!”

This latest Prayer Walk is actually a continuation of three previous Prayer Walks that John Halvorsen, supported by his wife Sandy, has taken across the United States. John believed that this fourth Prayer Walk would tie together everything God had had him do across America to this point.

​John’s first prayer walk in 1998 went from the Canadian border to the Gulf of Mexico. God had spoken to John from Genesis 13:17, “Arise, walk the land, the length and the breadth of it, for I intend to give it to you.” John followed the Great River Road, Highway 61, praying for a free flow of the Holy Spirit’s river across our land that would bring a mighty revival.

Then, in 1999, John began his second prayer walk, starting at the Pacific Ocean in Oregon and ending at the Atlantic Ocean in Delaware, declaring the need for heartfelt Prayer from the Church, warning that there were turbulent times coming to America, and Jesus is the only answer.

In 2000, God had John and Sandy drive around the perimeter of America, carrying with us 50 golden stakes, each with a Bible verse for every state in America. God had them plant those stakes all along the route. We felt we were staking a tent of God’s presence over our land. God also instructed them to stop in four cities – New York City, Miami, Los Angeles, and Seattle – to blow the shofar and call for the winds of revival to blow through America.

​Two years ago, John began his third Prayer Walk, walking from Los Angeles to New York City. Now, with the fourth and current Prayer Walk in 2021, it was time to connect the final two cities, Miami and Seattle. God showed John and Sandy the significance of this from Ezekiel 47:1-9, the story of Ezekiel and the water he saw flowing from the temple of God. An angel measured out a thousand cubits, and Ezekiel found the water was ankle-deep. (This represented the first Prayer Walk.) The angel measured another thousand cubits, and it was knee-deep. (This represented the second Prayer Walk.) Then the angel measured a thousand cubits again, and the water was waist-deep. (This represented the third Prayer Walk.) Finally, the angel measured a thousand cubits more, and Ezekiel found it had become a great river that was well over his head. Everywhere the river flowed, it brought life. (This represented the fourth Prayer Walk and the awakening that God intends to send!)

The turbulent times’ John saw in 1999 began shortly afterward when 9/11 hit. They have only continued to intensify. The burden John and Sandy have continued to carry is for another great awakening to sweep through America; An awakening so intense and so deep that it changes the very fabric of the American soul.

John is now less than one week from ending his fourth Prayer Walk across America, walking from Miami to Seattle, the final two cities that God highlighted years ago.

As John was about to begin this walk in early February of this year, a minister told him that he had a sense John was going to experience more spiritual warfare on this walk than on any of the others. That word proved to be true as a few days into the walk, John was stricken with Covid and was hospitalized for five days with pneumonia. People from around the nation prayed for John’s healing, and local intercessors laid hands on the hospital walls, declaring victory. From his hospital stay to the time he regained enough strength to walk again, he had lost about four weeks on his schedule.

Spiritual battles continued through, as John experienced intense spiritual attacks at night, robbing him of his sleep and trying to rob him of his peace. The enemy was doing everything he could to stop this walk. John and his wife, Sandy, would be up, sometimes for hours, as they battled the onslaught from the enemy. John wondered how he could possibly continue without sleep, but God always came through, strengthening and enabling him to carry on.

And in the midst of this, God poured out His refining fire, which John believes is about to come upon the Church. He feels he has been sorely tested by both Satan and the Lord, but as he yielded his all to the Father, receiving His purifying in ever deeper ways, the enemy lost ground. And the blessings of the Prayer Walk have vastly outshone any warfare they have faced.

On several occasions, the RV needed repair. After the mechanics would hear about what John was doing, “No charge” would be written across the bill. Many people saw the decal on the RV or heard about the walk and came out to join John or give gifts to help them along the way. But the most exciting encounters were with people they met in stores, at gas stations, or on the streets while walking. God gifted Sandy with the ability to engage with anyone, talking to them about the Lord and praying for their needs. As she answers their questions and explains what John is doing, she quickly follows up with a question of her own: How can I pray for you?

This practice began on the very first Prayer Walk in 1998, and the responses have been amazing. People have freely shared their needs and received Prayer on the spot. Many have wept as they have encountered the presence of the Lord. People have been saved, baptized in the Spirit and set free . . . . all in what appears just be chance encounters. However, when God is involved, nothing happens by chance. John believes this example of ordinary believers reaching out to the lost is a hallmark of the coming awakening.

“Arise and go! This world needs you!”

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There it is! An update on John Halvorsen and Prayer Walk America. It is incredible what John has done, and I need to add that it also involved his wife Sandy, who has gone every mile on the Prayer Walk, and also Ron Olson, who has worked on plotting the route and many other tasks to make it possible. Talking on the phone with John this week, he said something significant to me. “It is amazing what you can do if you do a little each day and you are consistent.” This is how John walked all those miles. Incidentally, he wore out six pairs of shoes on this Prayer Walk alone. John, 71 years of age, is a lesson for us all! Do a little each day, be consistent, and you will be surprised how God can enable you to reach His goals for your life. 

‘I pressed towards the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.’ Philippians 3:14

RESOURCES

Portions of this Langstaff Letter were taken from https://www.prayerwalkamerica.com.