The penny finally dropped when yet again, the A1(M) was closed because of an accident. This motorway runs north past the town where we live and is a major route to surrounding towns and villages, as well as the first and only road between London and Edinburgh.
The increasing regularity of closures, often for hours, or even a day, caused by accidents or breakdowns was becoming a huge source of inconvenience to us all. In our church circles, the road closures meant people unable to get to church or connect groups apart from the irritation of hold-ups and delays to our normal lives.
We might check the road before we left home, and all was clear. By the time we were 10 miles or even less down the road, we were stuck in yet another long queue for which there was no exit in the foreseeable future.
Something had to be done.
We are great believers in prayer walks and regularly pray over our town centre, the shops and businesses, praying for them to prosper, praying good businesses into the empty premises and generally blessing the area.
What the A1(M) needed was a prayer walk or better still a prayer drive. We felt that our part of the road was from Baldock services to the M25 on both sides. Driving during the day, when the road is very busy was not an option, so we set out at 9pm. We drove at about 50mph – not too slow to irritate other road users but not too fast to miss what God might be saying.
As we drove, we listened to God but at the same time blessing the road and praying for safety on it. We prayed against demonic interference in any shape, curses that may have been made and looked out for tell-tale signs of fiendish presence such as lengths of video or audio tape by the side of the road.
We felt God told us to call the road to its original purpose as a major arterial highway between the north and south of the country. Historically, many had used it to travel north / south including those on foot such as the Jarrow marches. It is a significant route that needs to be kept clear of accidents and breakdowns as hold ups and delays negatively affect the whole nation, not just those of us living locally.
We blessed the road to safety and applied the blood of Jesus to the particularly bad patches where there always seemed to be accidents. Another couple, who had been unable to join us on the night, travelled down the road later with wooden stirrers (used in coffee shops) with Scriptures on them which they tossed out of the window onto the grass verges. They should cause no harm to anyone or animals and over time the wood will rot.
We finally encouraged any church member travelling on the road to continue to bless it and pray for ongoing safety. So far, our prayers have been answered.
I would encourage you, if you have a major road or motorway or even train line nearby to where you live to follow our example, especially if you have been experiencing delays, for any reason. Choose the stretch that you feel is part of your area and travel both ways along it, praying safety and cleansing and blessing the road or rail. Declare its purpose to join north / south or east /west or connect significant towns or cities and declare the road or rail off limits to the demonic but cleansed by the blood of Jesus.
In our crowded isles, we need every transport connection to function well so our goods and people can travel easily around the country. Everyone, whether they realise what we have done or not, will be delighted when transport flows easily and it can only benefit us all.
Let your Kingdom come Lord Jesus.