What is Prayer?

Prayer is simply talking with God.

We can pray anytime, anywhere about anything that’s on our mind. We don’t have to be in a church, use special words or put our hands together if we don’t want to. God is listening. He wants to hear from us.

So why not start a conversation with the creator of the universe today?

Jesus said: ‘Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.’
The Gospel of Matthew, chapter 7 verse 7

The Bible encourages us to always pray, about all kinds of topics.** We can ask God to help the people we care for and we can talk to Him about the things we need or we’re worried about. We can also share what we’re grateful for and we can say sorry when we we’ve made a mistake.

We can pray by talking, thinking, or writing; we can even try drawing, crafting, or painting what we want to express. We can use our own words, or borrow someone else’s, making them our own.

We don’t need to make grand speeches to God or pretend that everything’s ok. All we need to do is:

Keep it simple.
Keep it real.
Keep it up.

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What is Prayer?

Prayer Is a Blessing

Prayer is not a burden, but a blessing. It is also one of the most important, rewarding and underutilized gifts that God has given us. Here are a few ways that we define prayer at Chapel:

Prayer Is Relational

Prayer enables you to encounter God and grow in your relationship with Him. It is about spending time talking with God and learning from Him who He is as your Father, Creator, Healer, Savior, Protector, Deliverer, Provider, Redeemer, King and God! It is about seeking Him, His ways and His will for your life.

Prayer Is Seeking God’s Presence

God is omnipresent or always present. Every moment of every day He is with us. Most of the time, we are so preoccupied with other things that we are not aware of His presence. Prayer is when we make a deliberate choice to become less preoccupied with our lives, calendars and tasks, and become more preoccupied with God’s Presence.

Prayer Is Connecting with God’s Spirit

Prayer is one of the ways we connect with the Holy Spirit, who empowers us to love God and others. As the Spirit of God causes our love for God to overflow, the overflow enables us to genuinely love others. Prayer is the pathway by which we walk in the Spirit.

Prayer Is Partnering With God

In the Lord’s prayer (Matthew 6:9-13), Jesus tells us He wants to see God’s will done on earth just as it is in heaven. One of the ways God accomplishes His vision and will for earth is through the prayers and lives of His people, the Church. It is in prayer that we partner with God and align our lives and our church around His will, His Word and His Presence.

 

Prayer Is How We Impact the World for God

We pray to spend time with God, but also to seek His will and power to change our hearts, as well as the people and circumstances that impact our lives. There is great power in inviting God to bring His changes into our lives. James 5:16 says, “The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.” Paul tells us that, “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Corinthians 5:21). As believers in Jesus, God has credited us with His righteousness, which empowers our prayers.

Prayer Is a Commitment

Make a commitment to seek God daily through prayer. We believe the rewards you will reap for seeking God first will be exponential for you, your family, and our church. We love you. We believe in you. We know your potential in Jesus and we cannot wait to see what God does in and through you.