O Lord Jesus Christ, Who said to Your Apostles: “Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you,” regard not my sins but the faith of Your Church, and deign to give her peace and unity according to Your Will: Who live and reign, God, world without end. Amen.
O Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the living God, Who, by the will of the Father, with the cooperation of the Holy Spirit, have by Your death given life to the world, deliver me by this Your Most Sacred Body and Blood from all my sins and from every evil. Make me always cling to Your commandments, and never permit me to be separated from You. Who with the same God the Father and the Holy Spirit, live and reign, God, world without end. Amen.
Let not the partaking of Your Body, O Lord Jesus Christ, which I, though unworthy, presume to receive, turn to my judgment and condemnation; but through Your goodness, may it become a safeguard and an effective remedy, both of soul and body. Who live and reign with God the Father, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, world without end. Amen.
Lord, I am not worthy that You should come under my roof; but only say the word, and my soul will be healed. (3 times.)
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Communion is a sacred time for you as a follower of Jesus. But before you participate in this memorable occasion, take time to spend some reflective moments in self-examination. What does that mean? How should you pray? While this is an individual matter between you and God, here are some prayer thoughts that might help you as you prepare for this beautiful time of remembrance.
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A Communion Prayer
Lord Jesus, I bow before you in humility and ask You to examine my heart today. Show me anything that is not pleasing to You. Reveal any secret pride, any unconfessed sin, any rebellion or unforgiveness that may be hindering my relationship with You. I know that I am Your beloved child, having received You into my heart and life and having accepted Your death as penalty for my sinfulness. The price You paid covered me for all time, and my desire is to live for You.
As I take the bread representing Your life that was broken for me, I remember and celebrate Your faithfulness to me and to all who will receive You. I can’t begin to fathom the agonizing suffering of Your crucifixion. Yet You took that pain for me. You died for me! Thank You, Jesus. Thank You for Your extravagant love and unmerited favor. Thank You that Your death gave me life—abundant life now, and eternal life forever. As You instructed Your disciples, I, too, receive this bread in remembrance of You.
And in the same way, as I take this cup representing Your blood poured out from a splintered cross, I realize that You were the supreme sacrifice for all my sin: past, present, and future. Because of Your blood shed for me, and Your body broken for me, I can be free from the power and penalty of sin. Thank You for Your victory over death. You took the death that I deserved. You took my punishment. Your pain was indeed my gain. And today I remember and celebrate the precious gift of life You gave me through the blood that You spilled.
But while my relationship is secure with you, I know sin can break our fellowship at times. I’m still human, and I often forget who I am and Whose I am. You want to convict and correct me, not shame me. You love me like a perfect parent. You’ll never disown me or leave me. You love me no matter what. But sin hurts both my heart and Yours. So before I take communion today, I’m asking You to truly search my heart and reveal hidden things for which to ask Your forgiveness.
Each time I take communion, Lord, I want to recommit my life, my heart, my thoughts, my everything to You. Fill me today with Your powerful Spirit. As I leave this place, help me to hold this fresh remembrance and the story that never grows old close to my heart. Help me to share its message faithfully as You give opportunity.
In Your Precious name,
Amen
Rebecca Barlow Jordan is an inspirational author, speaker, and passionate follower of Jesus who loves to encourage others heart to heart. She has written 11 books and over 1700 other articles, greeting cards, and other inspirational pieces. Her daily devotional Daily in Your Presence is available for delivery through Crosswalk.com. You can find out more about Rebecca at www.rebeccabarlowjordan.com.
This article is part of our larger Prayers resource meant to inspire and encourage your prayer life when you face uncertain times. Visit our most popular prayers if you are wondering how to pray or what to pray. Remember, the Holy Spirit intercedes for us and God knows your heart even if you can’t find the words to pray.
Prayer for Healing
Prayer Before SurgeryPrayer for StrengthPrayer for ProtectionMorning PrayersGood Night PrayersThe Prayer of JabezShort PrayersThe Lord’s PrayerThe Prayer of St FrancisSerenity PrayerA Birthday PrayerSinner’s PrayerPrayer for ForgivenessPrayer for Guidance
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Here are five great prayers you can use before Communion or the Lord’s Supper.
Prayer for Humility
Father God,
Let us now bow humbly before You at this time, where we are about to receive Communion or the Lord’s Supper. We have no reason to have any pride Father, especially knowing that You resist those who are prideful (James 4:6). Help us to remain humble at the receiving of the bread and wine, because of what they symbolize, which gives significance to their meaning. Jesus, when we receive the bread and wine (juice), let us stay humble in recognizing that You paid such a high price that You did not owe, and shed your precious blood so that we might be saved. Righteous Father, let that sink deep into our hearts and make us grateful for the cost Your dear Son, Jesus Christ, paid. As we gaze upon Your beauty Jesus, let us receive the bread and wine with humility, knowing You are present with us, but also acknowledging that You made our redemption possible by your own precious blood and life, so we ask Your blessing on our Communion Lord, and to receive it for Your glory and in the wonderful name of Jesus Christ, we pray, Amen.
Prayer for Examining
Father,
I do pray that those who have come to the Lord’s Supper have examined themselves beforehand so that they do not drink the wine (grape juice) or eat the bread in an unworthy manner, meaning that we don’t forget to esteem the precious body and blood of our Savior, and discerning it’s meaning for us today. I remember Jesus promising that the next time He partakes of Communion, it will be with those who dine with Him in the kingdom, as part of the celebration at the wedding feast of the Lamb of God with His bride, the church. That day we will partake of the meal in His presence is what we yearn for, and why Paul may have said that as long as we partake of the bread and wine, we proclaim His coming, so let us do just that, but do so with a heart that is willing to be examined to see if there is any unconfessed sin in our lives, and if there is Father, please forgive us so that we might have peace of mind when taking the bread and the wine, and we truly look forward to partaking of this meal in the very presence of Jesus Christ someday, and it is in His name we pray, Amen.
Prayer for Exalting
Great God in heaven,
Just to be able to fellowship with You and with Christ at Communion is such a privilege, that we cannot even express it in words. How grateful we are God, that You passed over our sins because of the shed blood of Christ, poured out for those who have trusted in Him. Help us to exalt You oh Lord in this service and to praise, honor, thank, and give You glory for our being able to commune with You because of Jesus Christ. If not for the precious blood of the Lamb of God, which has cleansed us from all unrighteousness (2nd Cor 5:21; 1 John 1:9), we would still be in our sins and only deserving Your wrath, but for some unknown reason God, You chose us to become a people for Your own self, and that You have said, “I will be your God, and you shall be my people.” What a glorious thing to contemplate, especially since not even one of us are good and not even one has ever sought you (Rom 3:10-11). You sought us and bought us, and now we give You thanks and ask Your blessing on the bread and wine, and we ask this in the name of and for the glory of Jesus Christ, Amen.
Prayer for Remembering
Father God in heaven,
Help us to remember the agony that Jesus endured before going to Calvary and not just on the cross. He knew beforehand that He would be bearing the sins of the world. How heavy that must have felt, we can only imagine how abandoned and forsaken He must have felt. I don’t think any of us can really know what our precious Savior endured for us on the cross. The shame, the beatings, the torture, and the agony of being crucified for something He didn’t do, and dying for us who were the ones that deserved this wrath. He grieved the sin that He bore so much that He sweat drops of blood. How hard was it for our sinless Savior to bare our sins? What price, what glory, what passion! Thank You Lord for this tremendous privilege. Great God, help us to keep sober minds and quiet spirits as we partake of the Lord’s Supper, understanding the suffering of the Savior’s passion for this meal to even be possible. Let this sink deep into our minds and cause our hearts to realize just how great a price He paid for those of us who had no hope outside of Christ. We know we should take stock of our lives well before Communion to see if there is any area in our life that is not right with You. Help us to see this as a somber, yet joyful occasion, but that every person should come with a clean conscience beforehand. And Father, help us all to remember the supreme cost that Jesus Christ paid, but as His Father, You too suffered greatly, and we can’t imagine what that was like for You Father, and so in the mighty name of Jesus, we ask a blessing on this Communion, and for Your glory, it is in Jesus Christ’s holy name we pray, Amen.
Prayer for Unity
Father God,
You have called us to be a people for Your own self, and so help us to unify in spirit and in purpose, to do the things You have appointed us to do (Eph 2:10), and this includes partaking and participating in the Lord’s Supper, as a body, which we are commanded to do. Since this is Your body, the church (Matt 25:34-40), we know that You are present with us, and that You are in each and every one of us; You are all and in all. Let us remain quiet in spirit and in movement God, showing deep reverence for such a sacrament. Help us stay focused on the bread and wine, and to think about these symbols, Lord. The body and the blood, both poured out as a drink offering, for a once-and-for-all sacrifice (Heb 10:10). We are overwhelmed by such amazing grace God, that I cannot even express it in a words or prayer! How wonderful are Your ways and awesome are Your blessings; we thank You Lord for the bread and wine and what these mean to us, and what they tell us about our eternity. But more so, what these meant for Christ (John 3:16), as there was no greater love ever shown Lord, in all of human history, and so in a spirit of unity we all now partake of the wine and the bread, and give You the glory for Your amazing grace, in Jesus’ most beloved name I pray, Amen.
Conclusion
Whatever prayer you pray before and/or after the Lord’s Supper or Communion, pray to God with a deep sense of humility, make it be a time of self-examination, and strive to live a life that glorifies God, by proclaiming to others, all of the marvelous things He has done for us, and finally, pray that you come together as a body, a community of believers, in fellowship with one another, having a relationship with one another, but most of all, to be in fellowship with the Living God, our Father; Jesus Christ, the Son of God; and God the Holy Spirit, for without which, we couldn’t even have a relationship with God.
Read more about Communion and the Lord’s Supper here: How to Prepare For Taking Communion
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