How Should We Pray?

Services

SunDAY: 9 AM Sunday School, 10:30AM Worship /TuesDAY 6 pm prayer/ WedNESDAY 6PM Bible study

Nov. 09, 2025

 Pastor Henry M. Boyd
 Ezra 8:21, Nehemiah 2:4-5, Matthew 6:7-8
 prayer

Background:

  • Prayer is important for us to be in connection with God
  • Prayer is speaking to God honestly
  • It's having a personal conversation with God
  • We have to confess our sins and have an attitude for gratitude


Key Sermon Points:

1. We should pray with an attitude of deep respect for God

  • Ezra didn't take God's promises for granted
  • To get in touch with God, we need to fast and pray
  • The only way to make it is to trust God
  • When we don't get an answer from God, it's time to turn our plates over
  • Fasting humbles us and allows us to depend on God
  • Fasting gives us time to meditate and be with God
  • God has to be in the center of what we do
  • We cannot continue to pray with God and not change our behavior
  • We should have an attitude and awareness of God
  • We should have an intentional attitude towards prayer

2. We should pray with humility and sincerity

  • When we pray, we have to be humble and sincere before God
  • Pray ahead of time rather than praying when things go bad
  • We serve a God that is in heaven (Nehemiah 2:4)
  • We have to know the location of where our Father is like Nehemiah
  • We need to always go to God first
  • Nehemiah knew that God would make a way
  • He trusted him ahead of time
  • It's not a casual thing to go before God but to build a relationship with God
  • Nehemiah talked to the King of Kings before talking to the king
  • God has a way of allowing people to be in office to bring them to their knees because they have forgotten God
  • God is always in charge
  • If we want to reach God we need to find time to cultivate a relationship with God
  • Confidence grows out of our reliance on God because we have a relationship with God

3. We should pray with confidence in God's grace

  • When we pray, we ought to have a place in secret
  • A place where we are not disturbed
  • When we are about to pray, close the door...our Father will see our secret prayers and reward us openly
  • Follow the model prayer as an example on how to pray
  • The way we pray makes a big difference
  • The essence of prayer is not so much about bragging about who we are
  • All of us need to have a secret place
  • None of us know what we will go through this life, but if we pray God will help us through it