Last Updated on October 19, 2023 by Emma
Will you be leading a prayer service and need to know how to start and finish it?
Do you need a useful prayer to help you engage in a prayer service?
Let these nine examples of prayers found below be helpful tools for you to pray. You can use the prayers as they are written, or you can modify the wording to better suit your specific circumstance, as needed. You might also benefit from looking at prayers to get closer to God, or exploring prayers for a Sunday.
If you’re not used to praying in front of other people, being asked to say the opening or closing prayer of a service might be intimidating. But remember, through Christ, we can come to God with boldness and confidence, knowing that God hears us when we pray.
The Psalmist reminds us that we can come to God in prayer with thankful hearts, trusting in him:
“Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name.” (Psalm 100.4, NIV).
Whether you are praying to start a prayer service, to close a prayer service, or some other aspect of a prayer service, it makes sense to pray about the prayer service, doesn’t it? You can find the prayer you need and use it. I encourage you to look at the Consider This section for some helpful suggestions as well.
I invite you to share your comments or prayer requests or feedback in the comments section at the bottom of this article. Now, let us turn our hearts toward prayer.
Short Prayer For A Prayer Service
Dear Lord God, I am praying on behalf of everyone here and I am grateful we can gather to pray in your name. I give you thanks we can pray openly without fear of oppression like many of our brothers and sisters of faith in other parts of the world. By your Spirit, keep us focused on your goodness as we pray tonight, resting in your grace. Hear our prayers, whether spoken or silent, through Jesus Christ, Amen.
Opening Prayer For A Prayer Service
Almighty God, we come before you today in humble reverence. We thank you for your love and mercy, and we ask for your guidance as we gather to worship you. Help us to set aside our distractions and focus on you. Fill us with your Holy Spirit, so that we may pray with sincerity and passion.
We pray for the needs of our city, our country, and our world. We ask for your peace to prevail over chaos, your love to overcome hatred, and your justice to be done in your timing.
We also pray for ourselves, that we may grow in our faith and live according to your will. Help us to be more loving, more compassionate, and more forgiving. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.
Closing Prayer For A Prayer Service
Gracious God, we thank you for this time of worship. We have been blessed by your presence, and we are grateful for your guidance. We ask that you continue to watch over us and protect us. Help us to live our lives in a way that honors you each day.
We ask that you bring peace to those who are in conflict, and that you heal those who are sick. We pray for the needs of our community, our nation, and our world.
Guide us all safely home and may we take what you have given us here and let it be lived out in our actions and words throughout this week. In the name of Jesus I pray on behalf of all gathered here, Amen.
Prayer For Protection From Distractions While Praying
Dear God, I come to you today asking for your help for each person here in staying focused on you during this service of prayer tonight.
I know that distractions are a part of life, but we want to be able to focus on you when we pray. We want to be able to hear your voice and to feel your presence in a real way as we turn to you in prayer.
Please help us to set aside my distractions and to focus on you. Help us to block out the noise of the world and to enter into your peace. On behalf of everyone, I pray that you would fill us with your Holy Spirit, so that we may pray with sincerity and passion.
Thank you for your help, Lord. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.
Prayer For Attendees Of A Prayer Service
Father God, I enter into this time of prayer, specifically lifting up each person who will come to this prayer service. I pray they arrive safely here and can shed the burdens of their day as they enter into your presence in this place.
I ask that you surround us with your protection, that no weapon formed against us by the enemy will prosper or take hold. I pray that we would freely confess our sins, that we will receive forgiveness and mercy, by your grace. I pray that people are set free tonight, from what holds them back from following you with all that they are.
I ask all of this through the powerful name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
Opening Prayer For A Men’s Prayer Group
Dear God, I open this men’s group up with this prayer of thankfulness. We are here to rely on each other as we seek to connect with you, our God. I thank you for the vulnerability we share here and how we have helped each other grow closer to you.
I ask that you guide us by your Holy Spirit as we pray with, and for, one another. Let us be centered on you, as men, and as a group. I pray this in the matchless name of Jesus, Amen.
Closing Prayer For A Men’s Prayer Group
Lord God, I am humbled by what you have done in us tonight as we have prayed for each other as brothers in the Lord. We are about to finish and go back to our homes and our individual lives, but we do so strengthened by your hand of love and grace.
We rejoice in the prayers you have answered in this men’s group in the past week. We give you thanks for how you will hear our concerns and work your will through our lives in the coming weeks as well. Watch over as we depart and may we meet again growing in your love. In the name of Jesus, I pray, Amen.
Opening Prayer For A Women’s Prayer Group
Dear God in heaven, we gather today as women who seek to follow you with all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength. For this next hour, may we let go of any pettiness or worries and bring our hearts united to you in prayer.
We are grateful for how you have moved in our lives in the past several weeks, drawing us closer to you by your Spirit. We are grateful for the many answered prayers we have witnessed. We open ourselves to you now, as we seek your face in prayer for each other, and those we love. Hear our prayers through Jesus, Amen.
Closing Prayer For A Women’s Prayer Group
Thank you, Lord God, for this peaceful time of prayer together as women of God. We have soaked in your peace and in your love, with prayer after prayer of gratitude.
We are ending our time together for this week and will soon go about the rest of our day. May we shine with Your grace and glory because of what You have done in us in this prayer time. I pray this on behalf of each woman here, in the name of Jesus, Amen.
Consider This
Prayer is a central part of the Christian faith. It is a way for us to connect with God, express our love and worship for him, and to ask for his help and guidance.
When starting a prayer service, it is important to create a sense of reverence and awe. We are entering into the presence of the Almighty God, and we should do so with humility and respect. We can start by singing a hymn or reading a passage from the Bible. This will help to set the tone for the service and to focus our minds on God.
Once we have created a sense of reverence, we can begin to pray. We can pray in a variety of ways, but it is important to be sincere and heartfelt. We can pray for our own needs, for the needs of our community, and for the needs of the world. We can also pray for guidance, strength, and peace.
By the same token, when finishing a prayer service, it is important to end on a positive note. You can thank God for his blessings, and we can ask him to continue to watch over us and guide us. You can also sing a hymn or read a passage from the Bible. This will help to bring the service to a close and to leave us feeling uplifted and inspired.
Or you may wish to speak a blessing over those gathered, using scripture, like this one:
“The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace.” (Numbers 6.24-26, NIV).
or this one:
“The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.” ( 2 Corinthians 13.14, ESV).
Prayer is a powerful tool that can be used to connect with God, to express our love and worship for him, and to ask for help and guidance. When we pray together as a community, we can unite our hearts and minds in faith. We can lift up our prayers for the needs of the world, and we can ask God to bless us and keep us.
I hope this essay has given you some ideas for starting and finishing a prayer service at a church gathering. May your prayers be heard and answered by God.