Before You Get Out of the Car

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The night starts before the sidewalk. Four lines in the car: thank God, ask for courage, ask Him to keep you together, then go.

Part of the Start Street Outreach collection

Before You Get Out of the Car

Key takeaways

  • Pray four lines out loud before the doors open, then get out together.
  • Ask for courage and kindness. Boldness without kindness becomes a speech.
  • If someone is afraid, name it and stay paired. Do not tease them into courage.

The Sidewalk Can Wait One Minute

Teams leak courage in the parking spot. Someone checks a phone. Someone jokes the fear away. Then the doors open and the night is already louder than your prayer. Stop. Say four lines out loud. Then get out together.

Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.

That is Joshua 1:9, ESV. Courage here is not a personality. It is a prayer you say before your feet hit the curb.

Four Lines

  1. Thank Him for the night. "Father, thank You for this night." Gratitude first, so the evening is not only a task.
  2. Ask for courage and kindness. "Give us courage and kindness." Boldness without kindness becomes a speech. Kindness without courage stays in the car.
  3. Ask Him to keep you together. "Keep us together, and let us see the people You already see." Name your partner if you want. Do not go alone.
  4. Amen, then get out. "In Jesus' name, amen." If the huddle becomes a meeting, you will miss the street.

This is not the prayer for the person you meet. That one is the pocket prayer, after they say yes. This is not the longer intercession for a city either. Read how to pray for your city before you pack the cooler. The car prayer is the last sixty seconds. Then use the first thirty seconds once you are standing with someone.

If Someone Is Afraid

Name the fear. Do not tease it. Pray the four lines and stay paired. Winter nights, dark corners, and a loud block are real. The safety guide is layers, safety, and presence. A brave team that splits up is not brave. Agree where you will stand and when you will meet back before the doors open.

Common Questions

What should a team pray before street outreach? Four lines in the car: thank God for the night, ask for courage and kindness, ask Him to keep you together, and go. Say it out loud, then get out.

How long should the car prayer be? About a minute. If it becomes a meeting, you will miss the street.

What if someone on the team is afraid? Name the fear, pray the four lines, and stay paired. Do not tease them into courage.

Pray it. Then get out.

Scripture behind this post

  • Joshua 1:9 — Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.
  • Matthew 9:37–38 — Then he said to his disciples, "The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest."
  • Ecclesiastes 4:9–10 — Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up!

Open with their name

Once you are on the sidewalk, the first thirty seconds belong to them. Say your name, ask one question, and listen.

Open the first thirty seconds

Next in Start Street Outreach

How to Start Street Ministry in Your City (From 12 Years on the Streets)

Keep reading

  • How to Pray with Someone in Sixty Seconds — Most people are not waiting for a long prayer. They are waiting to know someone sees them. Here is the pocket prayer we use on Hamilton Fridays — permission first, their name, one ask, then stop.
  • When Someone Is Angry — Do not match heat with a louder gospel. Lower your voice, say you will not argue, bless them if you can, and leave with your partner.
  • The Gospel in Four Sentences — A sidewalk does not need a sermon outline. It needs four true sentences: God loves them, sin is the break, Jesus died and rose, and they can trust Him today.