Blog 7/ Walking the Walk: Intercession, Illumination, and the Call to Belong
There are moments when the sermon meets your spirit and everything inside of you stirs. This morning, the word that stirred me was intercession — standing in the gap. Not just praying for others, but walking with them, carrying their burdens, and becoming a vessel of light in places where hope flickers faintly.
I realized how much of my own walk — in higher education, in leadership, and in faith — has been about standing in the gap. For students searching for belonging. For colleagues navigating uncertainty. For myself, learning to walk differently when the path before me changed.
As I sat with Scripture, four passages illuminated what it means to walk the walk — to live faith not just as belief, but as movement:
2 Chronicles 7:17 – “As for you, if you walk before Me faithfully…”
Colossians 2:6-7 – “So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in Him, rooted and built up in Him…”
Galatians 5:16 – “Walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.”
John 8:12 – “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows Me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”
Each verse reminded me that walking faithfully is not passive. It is active, intentional, and sometimes uncomfortable. It requires awareness — of where you are stepping, who you are walking with, and what kind of path you are helping to create.
Intercession as Belonging
To intercede is to bridge — to stand between what is and what should be. In education and in faith, that bridge looks like mentorship, advocacy, and courage. It is the moment a leader pauses long enough to see the unseen. It’s the whisper of you belong here when the world says otherwise.
Research on belonging, including the work of Terrell Strayhorn, reminds us that belonging is not a luxury — it is a human need. When people feel seen and valued, engagement and confidence follow. God designed community the same way: to connect hearts vertically with Him and horizontally with one another.
Intercession, then, is belonging in motion — it bridges the distance between isolation and inclusion, between darkness and light.
Even when systems fall silent, God raises intercessors to keep the connection alive.
Rooted and Built Up
Colossians 2:6-7 calls us to be “rooted and built up in Him.” Roots do not just hold us steady; they nourish growth beneath the surface.
For students, mentors, and leaders alike, belonging functions as a root system. When we connect to purpose and community, we flourish. When we are uprooted by fear or fatigue, we wither.
Remaining rooted in faith keeps us anchored when institutions, titles, or policies shift. And for those of us who serve others, it is a reminder that we create soil where others can take root too.
Walking in the Light
John 8:12 reminds us that those who follow Christ “will never walk in darkness.” Light reveals truth — not to shame, but to clarify. It shows the next faithful step even when the path ahead is dim.
Walking in the light requires trust. Sometimes God lights only one step at a time, teaching us to depend on Him for the rest. In our professional lives and our spiritual walks, that illumination often arrives through service — when we carry light into the spaces where others can finally see their own reflection.
Light is not only what we see; it’s what we become when we reflect God’s presence.
Walking by the Spirit
Galatians 5:16 calls us to “walk by the Spirit.” To do so is to move with discernment rather than distraction, choosing grace over grievance and alignment over achievement.
When we walk by the Spirit, we learn to listen beyond words — to hear what is unspoken in our classrooms, our communities, and our conversations. Spirit-led walking turns reaction into revelation. It transforms routine leadership into purpose-filled service.
Faithful Steps
2 Chronicles 7:17 reminds us of God’s conditional promise: “If you walk before Me faithfully…” Faithfulness is not flashy. It is the quiet discipline of showing up — to teach, to mentor, to encourage — even when recognition is delayed.
Faithfulness is the long obedience in the same direction. It is the teacher who prays for students by name, the leader who chooses integrity over applause, and the believer who keeps walking when the path is steep.
The Turning Point
Lately I have felt a shift — a turning point. A sense that God is calling many of us to walk differently: less by sight, more by faith. To trust that belonging is not a gift handed to us but a garden we cultivate together.
For every quiet moment of doubt or fatigue, there is a light that refuses to dim. God’s invitation is simple yet transformative: Walk the walk. Not just in proclamation but in practice.
May we stand in the gaps others ignore. May we intercede where hope has thinned. May we walk faithfully — illuminated, rooted, and Spirit-led.
Closing Reflection
If today feels like a turning point, it is because it is. You are being called to walk — not back into what was, but forward into what is next.
Intercede for someone who needs to be seen. Extend belonging where it is been denied. Let your faith do the walking.
Prayer: Lord, make me an intercessor in the quiet places. Let me walk by Your light, rooted in Your Word, and faithful in my steps.
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