Prayers Before Meeting
Featured on this page are sample prayers for business & staff meetings, and short prayers to say before school or office meetings begin. Leading others in prayer can feel quite daunting (especially if it’s your first time!) so we have written a short guide on how to lead people in prayer at the start of your team meeting. There are also some tips on what to pray for before your church service begins.
Opening Prayer Before a Meeting at Work
Father, thank you that by your grace you have called us to be together and given us each other as co-workers for your Kingdom. Please come and inspire our hearts and minds now as we discuss the issues that are before us and make decisions for the future. We pray that we might be united in your love, devoted to you in service and equipped by you for the advancement of your ways here in this place. We ask all this in the precious name of Jesus. Amen.Theme: guidance and unity in the work place
Bible verses:John 16:13 & John 17:21
(Prayer from www.lords-prayer-words.com)
resources on this page
a business meeting prayer
prayer for school team meeting
how to lead a prayer
prayer before staff meeting
inspiring opening prayer
prayer of preparation
prayer before the start of church
prayer for school team meeting
how to lead a prayer
prayer before staff meeting
inspiring opening prayer
prayer of preparation
prayer before the start of church
Opening Prayer
a printable prayer suitable for a church meeting or service.
A business meeting prayer
(a prayer appropriate for a directors or company business meeting)
Lord, you have entrusted us as stewards of your creation
Please guide our hearts as we make our decisions
We seek you first in all we do together
We give you our business, our suppliers, our customers and our workforce
May we be always mindful of their service
We confess that we are nothing without you
And our trust is in you completely
Amen.
Theme: wisdom in decision making for a business
(prayer from www.lords-prayer-words.com)
Prayer before Meeting in School
Lord, we are so thankful for everything you have given us in this school. Thank you for each child, that they are each uniquely made and treasured by you. Thank you for each staff member, that you have skilled and gifted them for their individual roles and tasks here. And Lord, we thank you for our time together now. We ask that you guide and direct us by your Holy Spirit as we meet. May you inspire our minds and hearts as we discuss and plan for our school. Father, we entrust this meeting to you. Amen.
Theme: appreciation of each other and request for wisdom
(prayer from www.lords-prayer-words.com)
How do you lead a prayer in a meeting?
It can feel a little daunting to be asked to lead a prayer before starting a meeting or event. Sometimes it can be hard to know what to say. If you are new to this, here are three tips that might help you:
1. Be present - be in the moment, don’t get ahead of yourself, e.g. don’t start thinking about the agenda of your meeting! Take a moment to remind yourself that God is with you and for you, right now. (“If God is for us, who can be against us?”, Rom 8:31, NIV)
2. Prepare – think about what you are going to say to introduce the prayer & set the scene. You could use an illustration, image or even a short video (prayerscapes have a number of good opening film prayers here). You could also begin by quoting scripture, for example “where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.” (Matt 18:20). Or you could use a prayer already written e.g. one of our sample prayers from this page or from our resource for opening meetings.
3. Prepare your heart – try to spend a few minutes on your own before you start the meeting. If you have any worries or fears take time to confess these to God, and ask Him to fill you with His Holy Spirit. You might also want to pray our prayer of preparation.
Julie Palmer from prayerscapes.com goes into greater detail on some of the above points and includes some more creative and inspirational ideas here:
Prayer for a Staff Meeting
Almighty God,
Thank you for the beauty and majesty we see in your creation. Thank you for the opportunity to care for the world you have made. We ask that your blessing would rest on this team, that you would give us great vision and enthusiasm for our work. Please bless the efforts of our hands, the bonds between us and the influence of our work in this location and beyond. Lord, as we plan and share together now, may you guide us by your Holy Spirit and lead us into all truth.
In Jesus name, Amen.
Theme: unity and mission in the work place
(a short prayer for a staff team meeting from www.lords-prayer-words.com)
Prayer of Preparation
(A prayer for someone who is about to go into an important business or work meeting)
Lord, before I go into this meeting, I still myself before you. For you are filled with beauty and light, and care deeply about me.
Help me to listen, before speaking.
Help me to fully understand these people, before making my case.
Help me to value and appreciate the ones I am about to meet, before thinking of my own concerns and anxieties.
May your light enfold me.
May your spirit guide me.
May your grace abound in me.
This is my prayer.
Amen.
Theme: considering the needs of others in a work team
Bible verses: Phil 2:4, Acts 1:8
(prayer from www.lords-prayer-words.com)
Some ideas of things to pray for:-
• Begin by reminding yourself that God is here, Jesus promises to be present whenever his children meet together - "...when two or three of you are together because of me, you can be sure that I'll be there". (The Message, Matthew 18:20)
• Pray for the worship. Pray for your musicians, and technical people involved, such as those on the PA and screens if you have them. Pray that they will be inspired, encouraged and guided by God's Spirit. Especially pray for the worship leader - there is much to think about when leading a congregation in praise and song, pray that they will be able to worship God and hear from him as they lead others.
• Pray for your guests at the meeting. It could be there are a number of people in your meeting yet to make a decision to follow Christ. Be mindful of them and "pray continually" (1 Thessalonians 5:17, NIV) for them. If you are involved leading the service, remember to monitor your language - avoid cliches and explain religious terminology if you need to use it.
• Pray for "all the saints" e.g. those who have a personal faith in Christ. Pray that their hearts will be uplifted, that they will meet with God, and that their walk will be deepened with Him.
• Pray for the speaker. It may be appropriate to gather around them and lay hands on them, if they feel comfortable with this. Pray for inspiration, clarity of thought and communication, and that they will be able to deliver everything that God has laid on their heart to speak about.
• Finally, pray for unity. "How good and pleasant it is when brothers live together in unity!" (Psalm 133:1. NIV). This is the will of God - that we are one as he is one. So much of church history is riddled with divisions and factions. Pray for unity of heart, vision and purpose in the life of your church.
• Begin by reminding yourself that God is here, Jesus promises to be present whenever his children meet together - "...when two or three of you are together because of me, you can be sure that I'll be there". (The Message, Matthew 18:20)
• Pray for the worship. Pray for your musicians, and technical people involved, such as those on the PA and screens if you have them. Pray that they will be inspired, encouraged and guided by God's Spirit. Especially pray for the worship leader - there is much to think about when leading a congregation in praise and song, pray that they will be able to worship God and hear from him as they lead others.
• Pray for your guests at the meeting. It could be there are a number of people in your meeting yet to make a decision to follow Christ. Be mindful of them and "pray continually" (1 Thessalonians 5:17, NIV) for them. If you are involved leading the service, remember to monitor your language - avoid cliches and explain religious terminology if you need to use it.
• Pray for "all the saints" e.g. those who have a personal faith in Christ. Pray that their hearts will be uplifted, that they will meet with God, and that their walk will be deepened with Him.
• Pray for the speaker. It may be appropriate to gather around them and lay hands on them, if they feel comfortable with this. Pray for inspiration, clarity of thought and communication, and that they will be able to deliver everything that God has laid on their heart to speak about.
• Finally, pray for unity. "How good and pleasant it is when brothers live together in unity!" (Psalm 133:1. NIV). This is the will of God - that we are one as he is one. So much of church history is riddled with divisions and factions. Pray for unity of heart, vision and purpose in the life of your church.
“Prayer is not learned in a classroom but in the closet.”
E. M. Bounds
Take a moment to hear from God...
here are links to some more resources on prayer