contemporary prayers for today
dawn prayer
morning prayers
before work
at meal times
afternoon prayers
night time prayers
closing prayers
prayer before bible study
closing prayer for bible study
offertory prayer
baby dedication prayer
birthday prayers
house blessing prayer
farewell prayer
exams & tests
graduation prayer
wedding reception prayers
prayer for breaking fast
congregational prayers
all night prayer meetings
saturday prayers
sunday morning prayers
opening prayers
Remember God's promises!
According to Christ's words as recorded in Matthew 18:18-20, when we open a meeting or some kind of Christian gathering, we can be sure of one thing - Jesus is present with us. Even if there's just two of us! And when we agree together in our prayers, God "goes into action" - He is eager to listen to us and respond to our heart felt cries to Him. So opening a meeting in prayer can be a remarkably important stage in the service or get together, for it reminds us of these important truths - that God is with us and that God is for us.
This page features several beautiful invocations for opening meetings, with sample prayers for church services, worship times and work meetings.
Dear Father
Quieten our minds
Still our hearts
For your living ways are all we seek
Strengthen our lives
Inspire our spirits
In your living waters flow endless grace
Amen.
how to lead an opening prayer
Julie Palmer from Prayerscapes shares three creative tips for leading others in prayer at church meetings:-
further reading
god grant me the serenity "the serenity prayer" - the beautiful twentieth century prayer attributed to the Christian theologian Reinhold Neibuhr.
(suitable for the leader of a meeting to pray before a hymn or time of congregational praise or worship)
Lord, today we recall your faithfulness.
Thank you that you walk with us every day, that you are with us always.
We proclaim that your promises are true and your goodness and love never fail.
In this moment we come to you and lay our lives before you.
May we honour, worship and adore you with every fibre of our being.
Father, we proclaim that you are the Holy One, the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come. Your beauty and majesty are beyond compare.
On this day we join with all those who worship and confess you as Lord, from generations past and present, and with all the angels that sing in heaven of your greatness and splendour.
Lord we adore you.
Lord we love you.
Lord we bow down and worship you.
Amen.
n.b. This prayer is inspired by the prophet Isaiah's vision of worshiping angels recorded in Isaiah 6:3 and witnessed again by the writer of Revelation.
opening prayer
Here is the prayer (above) in video form, suitable for showing before church worship begins:-
Invocation Prayer
Father, thank you that you have brought each of us safely to this place.
We gladly surrender our lives to you in worship and praise.
As we gather we remember those who are not with us today -
For those who are sick we ask for healing,
And for those away from us we ask for your blessing to be on them.
We invite Your beautiful Holy Spirit to move freely amongst us.
Come dwell in each of our hearts.
Equip us, challenge us, comfort us, teach us.
Inspire us as we learn more about your majestic ways.
Father, as we meet now may we behold Your beauty and encounter your grace.
We ask all this in the wonderful name of Jesus.
Amen.
more opening prayers more prayers for meetings & an opening prayer for a seminar & school assembly, from prayerscapes.com.
Opening Reading for Inspiring Worship
click here to read some inspiring prayers of thanksgiving
Father, as we gather together we thank you for your endless goodness to us. Thank you for all the skills and talents that you have given us and for everyone that is part of this wonderful team. We pray that you would give us great wisdom and insight as we discuss our work plans and make decisions about the future. We open our hearts to you now and invite your Holy Spirit to be present amongst us.
Thank you, Lord.
Amen.
And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds,not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.
(Hebrews 10:24-25, NIV)
As a deer gets thirsty
for streams of water,
I truly am thirsty
for you, my God.
In my heart, I am thirsty
for you, the living God.
(Psalm 42:1-2, CEV)
“What you say to one another is eternal. I mean this. When two of you get together on anything at all on earth and make a prayer of it, my Father in heaven goes into action. And when two or three of you are together because of me, you can be sure that I’ll be there.”
(Matthew 18:18-20, The Message)