The smell of gooey cheese-filled pupusas greets us as I walk home down 6th Street with my wife. Our colorful, busy neighborhood streets offer a visual feast: tasty fried empanadas, fresh fruit sliced to order, and blankets spread on the sidewalk with pirated DVDs, electronic paraphernalia, and socks.
Hands reach out on the congested street, passing us various papers as we go: a tract with ominous warnings in Spanish and English, an advertisement for a local clinic, and a business card for a botánica, a shop claiming it can help with problems ranging from finances to health to love. The collection of papers serves as a tangible illustration of the needs and spiritual hunger in our community. This is the neighborhood we have called home now for about five years. As members of the InnerCHANGE Los Angeles team, we partner with local leaders to seek gospel movements among this vibrant community of recent immigrants from Central America, located just west of downtown Los Angeles.
As we walk, an empty storefront on our right catches our attention, its large sign advertising a new store opening soon with the word “Wisdom” written in large letters. We immediately know based on the display of a santa muerte (“holy death”) candle that it is not going to be selling the wisdom of Jesus. Instead, it will join the ranks of many other similar botánicas in our neighborhood that offer a syncretistic blend of everything from prayer candles to love potions. Upset by this, my wife and I promptly speak words of hope and blessing over the storefront: “May this land be used to glorify God. May this area be a place where Jesus is honored.”
Our ministry team in LA has been strategically prayer-walking in our neighborhood for many years as part of our goal to see a movement of God in our marginalized community. Prayer-walking is one aspect of activating prayer, the first of five components of gospel movements we incorporate into our rhythms of ministry.
We continue to pray for the store each time we pass it by, even after it has officially opened. These prayers feel especially strategic because as we build relationships with neighbors, we come to learn that this botánica serves as a warehouse, providing goods to other smaller shops throughout the neighborhood. At times we have doubts that our prayers or declarations will actually change anything. Nevertheless, we are reminded of God’s words to those who are perseverant: “For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God you may receive what is promised” (Hebrews 10:36).
Fast forward to several months later. We are walking by the botánica one evening just after the day’s light has faded. The street is relatively dark, due to the street light hanging over the shop not working. The steel gate covering the windows shows that the store has closed for the day and we feel inspired to begin singing to the Lord. Even as the words are leaving our lips, we are surprised by a sudden influx of brightness—the streetlamp flashes on! Overjoyed, we delight in this tangible sign of God’s power breaking in to manifest in a real way. “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it” (John 1:5). After praising God with several songs, we proceed back home. Our faith is renewed to believe that our prayers will be answered! As confirmation of the miracle that just happened, the streetlamp once again turns off as soon as our singing ends.
Shortly thereafter, we notice that the same store, which had originally been occupying two storefronts, is now down to one, replaced on one side by an antique store! We celebrate the victory and continue believing, praying, and blessing the land for Kingdom use. In the months to follow, the botánica is fully replaced by the antique store. Praise God! This warehouse of magic is now no longer selling in our neighborhood! Our hope and prayer is for our neighborhood to be transformed so that all of the botánicas are replaced with wholesome businesses.
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Seeing God do amazing things like this in our neighborhood has built our faith that the Holy Spirit will continue to work in amazing ways in response to these simple blessings and prayer-walks. Recently, over the course of several weeks, I noticed a number of people who didn’t seem to be locals coming and going from an unmarked door in a building that appeared somewhat abandoned. I considered calling the police, but decided to focus on blessing. I spoke out loud something like the following as I passed by: “Be a place of holy activity—may whatever is going on here that glorifies God continue and may whatever is going on here that doesn’t glorify God be discovered and stopped, in Jesus’s name.”
After several more times passing by and praying for the building, I walked by a couple weeks later and noticed police officers standing in a line right outside the mysterious door. My curiosity piqued: “May I ask what is happening?” I inquired. “I live in the neighborhood and I was curious what this building was being used for.”
One of the officers replied, “Someone was running an illegal gambling operation here, and we are about to bust it.” I walked away, not wanting to interfere with their job, and praised God that he moved in response to the declarations we had made before.
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It’s a wonder that God has given us, his children, so much authority. Although we may not have the earthly authority of local cops to bust illegal businesses, we are emissaries of the King of Heaven and are entrusted with a greater authority than theirs—the spiritual authority to invite God and God’s Kingdom to break through in our midst.
Sometimes, as in the case of the botánica on 6th Street, it takes a while before we see results. Other times, like with the gambling den, it happens a little faster. In spite of any doubts or hesitations we may have, as God stirs us to speak, pray, and use our Kingdom authority, Jesus delights in responding.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Nathan and Amanda Flickner have had the joy of walking with recent immigrant families in Los Angeles’s Westlake/MacArthur Park neighborhood with InnerCHANGE LA since 2015. Their newest prayer-walking buddy is their baby daughter, Anna.