Man Completes 150-Mile Personal Prayer Walk, Says World's Greatest Tragedy Is 'Un-offered Prayer'
A Louisiana man who walked approximately 150 miles over seven days offering prayer and uplifting conversation to those who would have it says he believes the world's greatest tragedy is "un-offered prayer."
"Man what a journey. God has sustained me every day to get to this day," the praying father Tony Thornton, a member of First United Methodist Church in Bossier City, declared on Facebook at the end of his mission on Sunday before going on to thank God and everyone who helped him complete his mission.
"I want to thank God first because he is the only reason I finished. Second my wife and kids for being my support crew during the day and the recovery crew when I got home," he said.
Get Our Latest News for FREE
Thornton told KSLA that he got the idea for his personal mission trip while sitting in church one Sunday.
"I'm sitting in church one Sunday and go, 'you don't have to go 1,000 miles or 5,000 miles away, there's a mission right here," he said. "I just decided to walk 21 miles a day for seven days, just praying for people and over the neighborhoods."
With no exact plan on where he would walk each day, Thornton said he allowed God to guide him as he set out to walk, talk and pray each day.
"When you get out of your comfort zone, thats when growth happens," said Thornton who revealed that "I'm generally not one to talk to somebody."
On his Facebook page, Thornton chronicled his journey with snapshots and videos pointing out how there were days he didn't feel his best, and others joined him on his walk on some days and prayed for him on others when he needed it.
"Joel Kees came out Weds morning and prayed for my journey before he went to work. Joel you are awesome and I love the talks we have. I met Luke Hockenjos today too, I was walking and looked back and seen his car and it said 'Give em Jesus' and that was early this morning when I was really hurting so I turned around and knew I needed his prayers. So we talked and he gave me a wrist band that said 'don't give up' and he prayed for me. Thanks Luke, you came at a time I needed it," Thornton wrote.
After completing his trip, Thornton says his worldview has now shifted.
"The great tragedy of the world is not unanswered prayer, it's un-offered prayer. I think so many people may never be acknowledged as a person, so the power of a conversation shows that you care," he said.
"You just see how powerful and how much hurting is in the world and something as simple as talking to someone is all you need to do," Thornton said. "It's that simple and we complicate it."
