Prayer is as natural as breathing. God made us for a relationship with Him, and if you love someone, you want to spend time with them. In this Sunday message from October 19, 2025, Pastor Linda Reese began a series on prayer by asking a simple question: what is prayer?

Prayer is asking and receiving

“Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you” (Matthew 7:7, KJV). A good father won’t give his child a stone for bread. Sometimes God doesn’t give us what we ask for because, like a snake, it would hurt us. As we get to know Him as a loving Father, we learn to ask for what is good.

Prayer is asking for God’s will

“If we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us” (1 John 5:14). We don’t make demands; we talk things over with Him. Reading and meditating on His Word shows us what His will is, and He promises to guide: “This is the way, walk ye in it” (Isaiah 30:21).

Prayer is making your requests known

“Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God” (Philippians 4:6). If it concerns you, it concerns God. Start with thanks, and remember:

The more we pray, the less we worry.

Pastor Linda Reese

Faith as small as a mustard seed can move mountains (Matthew 17:20), and God is found when we seek Him with our whole heart (Jeremiah 29:13).

God still speaks

God spoke with Adam and Eve in the garden, to Moses from a burning bush, to young Samuel, and to Elijah in a still small voice. Before the Holy Spirit came, the disciples waited and prayed together in the upper room (Acts 1:12-14). When you face a big decision, don’t rush. Pray, and listen.

Pastor Linda keeps a plaque by her door that says it well: “God, help me to remember that nothing is going to happen to me today that You and I together cannot handle.”

The series continues in Reasons to Pray. Need someone to pray with you? Send a prayer request.