Morning Prayer Before Church Service

Praying for a church service you are about to attend can be done not only when you wake up but also as you go to church or throughout the week before Sunday. Even if you are already sitting inside your church building and are waiting for the church service to start, you can still pray for the church service ahead. 

Father in heaven, I thank You for safely bringing us here in our church building. May we have a fruitful church service today, as I set apart this Sunday for You. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.

What do you say before starting a church service?

You can pray for several things before the church service starts. One is a prayer of thanksgiving to God. The Bible says in Ephesians 5:20 that we should always give thanks to God. One thing you can thank God for is that you arrived at church safely from your house without getting into an accident. Another one is that God has given you another day to gather with believers where you can edify and encourage one another. In everything, there is always something to thank God for. That is why, in 1 Thessalonians 5:18, it is written that we are to give thanks to God in all circumstances.

Below is an example of a morning prayer for thanksgiving for the LORD’s day:

Father in heaven, I thank You for Your grace and mercy. Thank You for keeping me safe as I travel from my house to our church building. Thank You for giving me another wonderful day where we get to worship You and edify one another with each other’s presence. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.

Another aspect that you can pray for is to be a recipient of that particular church service. Church service is significant because aside from being edified by the presence of other believers, we get to be ministered to by the Holy Spirit during the church service. The Holy Spirit ministers to us during worship, the preaching of the Word, or the part where ministers pray for the congregation. In that sense, you can pray for yourself that the Holy Spirit shall minister to you, speak the truth to your heart, and leave you changed after the service. The Bible teaches us in John 14:26 and John 16:8 that the Holy Spirit is our helper, the One who leads us into all truths, and the one who convicts us.

You can use the example below as a guide as you pray a morning prayer while you wait for the church service to start or even long before that:

Holy Spirit, You are our helper who dwells in us and leads us into all truth. I pray that as I worship You later, I shall worship You with all my heart, without any distractions. I also pray that as I listen to the sermon, You will convict me regarding things in my life that I should address. I pray that I shall be ministered to, encouraged, and stirred up into holiness. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.

How do you pray for Sunday service?

Aside from praying for yourself from the perspective of someone attending a church service, you can pray for the church service itself. That means praying for all the different components that make up your church service, like the worship, the sermon, the preacher, the worship team, the ushers, the congregation, etc. The Bible teaches us in 1 Timothy 2:1 (I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men;) that we are to make supplications, prayers, and intercessions for all people.

You pray for a Sunday service by first knowing which specific component you want to pray for. Is it the music team? The ushers? The sermon? Knowing that will make it clear what and whom to pray for. Even if you are praying for a church service as a whole, you will still need to know the components or people that make up your church service.

You can pray for those components to be successful, as written in 3 John 1:2 (Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth.). For example, if you are praying for the preacher, you can pray that things will go well in his sermon and that God shall use him to preach boldly and with power to the people.

Here is an example of a morning prayer for your church service:

Father in heaven, I thank You because You are the God who gives grace. I pray for grace and wisdom upon our preacher so that he will be able to preach boldly, not by his strength, but by Your Spirit. I pray that he shall deliver a Christ-exalting sermon. I also pray that the congregation receives the preaching with the right heart. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.

We should pray before a church service starts because we depend on God when it comes to everything. We can ask for grace for the worship leaders to lead excellently, the boldness for the preacher to preach, the understanding we need as we listen to the sermon, and much more. Aside from depending on God through praying, we must also thank Him, for it is by His grace that we can still attend another edifying day where we get to attend church.