Prayers for a church

Money, like any topic, is an issue that needs to be addressed in the church.  Jesus talked more about money than anything else in the Bible.  If you are leading an offering prayer in your congregation, read through these seven different short prayers you can pray to God before you take up the offering.

The Cheerful Giver

Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. (2 Corinthians 9:7)

Father in Heaven,

We thank You today for Your blessings that you bestow upon us all.  Father, I pray for our congregation today.  Lord, may we all give with gladness and sincerity.  Father, no one ever gives a present to someone with reluctance and we should never give You what already belongs to You with reluctance either.  Bless these tithes and offerings this day.  We love You, Father!  Amen

Watch What I Will Do!

Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. And thereby put me to the test, says the Lord of hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you a blessing until there is no more need. (Malachi 3:10)

O Lord,

We thank You for Your steadfast love and mercy on us.  Father, we believe that every word in the Bible was breathed out by You (2 Tim 3:16), and we believe Your promise that You will bless us when we are obedient to Your Word.  And so, without hesitation, we gladly give to You what is Yours.  Bless these tithes and offerings, Father.  We love You, Lord!  Amen

You Reap What You Sow

One gives freely, yet grows all the richer; another withholds what he should give, and only suffers want. (Proverbs 11:24)

Heavenly Father,

We thank You for bringing us all to Your house safely today and we are so blessed by Your presence here today.  Thank You for Your love and mercy on us, Father.  Father, we believe in the Book of Proverbs and I pray that everyone here will look into their hearts and act in obedience to Your Word.  May we give not to become richer, though, may we give because we simply love You!  Accept these tithes and offerings today.  We love You, Lord!  Amen

Obey

Honor the Lord with your wealth. (Proverbs 3:9a)

Father,

We praise Your Almighty Name!  You have blessed our nation with immense wealth and opportunity.  Lord, You have commanded us to honor You with our wealth, and I pray that You will be honored greatly this day as we give to You what is already Yours.  Bless these cheerful givers and bless the tithes and offerings that they give.  We love You!  Amen

His Eyes See Your Intentions

For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. (Matthew 6:21)

O Lord,

There are some of us here today that didn’t want to come here.  There are some of us today that will give to the offering with bitter hearts.  Father, I pray You will soften the hearts of those who are worried about giving You their money instead of spending it on themselves.  Father, I pray that You will bless all who give today and show them Your love in a mighty way because of their obedience.  Bless these tithes and offerings, Father.  We love You!  Amen

The Tithe Belongs To The Lord

Every tithe of the land, whether of the seed of the land or of the fruit of the trees, is the Lord’s; it is holy to the Lord. (Leviticus 27:30)

Father,

We come to Your throne with humble hearts as we are so thankful for the blessings You give us daily.  Lord, We believe in the Book of Leviticus.  Father, I pray that as we give You our offerings and tithes this morning that we all will think about the fact that the tithe is Yours.  It belongs to You.  May we never withhold what is Yours.  Please accept these offerings and tithes with gladness, Lord.  We Love You!  Amen

Love Is Essential

If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing. (1 Corinthians 13:3)

Dear Lord,

We thank You for another chance for us to meet together in Your house to worship You.  Father, we believe in the Book of 1 Corinthians and I pray that all offerings given today are out of love.  We experience Your blessings every day and Your blessings are always given to us freely and with ultimate love.  Father, You loved us all of the way to the cross!  May we love You enough to give You what is already Yours.  Bless these tithes and offerings today.  We love you!  Amen

Conclusion

Giving back to God is commanded, and is something that should be done with joy and cheerfulness.  As you approach your next church service, consider tithing if you don’t already.  You will be amazed at how God makes everything work out.  May God continue to bless you as you live a life worthy of the calling!

Take a look at another interesting article from our archives:

10 Prayers for Thanksgiving Or Praise

“Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.”

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“Prayer meetings were the arteries of the early church. Through them, life-sustaining power was derived. The condition of the church may be very accurately gauged by its prayer meetings. So is the prayer meeting a grace-o-meter, and from it, we may judge of the amount of divine working among a people. If God is near a church, it must pray. And if He is not there, one of dying first tokens of His absence will be a slothfulness in prayer!” Charles Haddon Spurgeon

When is the last time you prayed for your church body? What about your pastor? Staff? Leadership? Have you prayed for your Sunday School teacher? Have you interceded on behalf of issues taking place in your church or decisions that need to be made?

Our churches are under the attack of the enemy like never before. Our leaders and each of our brothers and sisters in Christ need our prayers. We are the Body of Christ and we must lift one another up! Let’s use these prayers for the church – both your local church and those around the world. 

A Prayer for Good to Prevail over Evil

“‘As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today. So do not fear; I will provide for you and your little ones.’ Thus he comforted them and spoke kindly to them.” Genesis 50:20

Lord, what the enemy means for evil against our church body, we believe You can use for good. Remind our hearts of this. When we are being attacked and crushed from all sides, remind us of Your faithfulness to use everything for Your good and Your glory. May we not fear but trust in Your provision for our church family. May we not only be readers of Your Word but believers and doers. Increase our faith, Lord.

A Prayer for Unity as a Church Body

“I, therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.” Ephesians 4:1-3

God, help our church body to walk in a manner worthy of the calling You have given us. Help us in all our interactions with one another to have humble and gentle hearts. Grant us patience for one another, bearing with one another in love. Grant the Body of Christ unity. May we walk humbly with You, God, allowing You to show us our wrongs.

A Prayer to Seek the Lord

“If my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land. Now my eyes will be open and my ears attentive to the prayer that is made in this place.” 2 Chronicles 7:14-15

Lord, You have told us in Your Word that You hear our prayers. We are crying out to You, we are humbling ourselves before You and seeking Your face. We come together as a church body to seek You. We repent and turn from our wicked ways, thank You for hearing us. Thank you for Your forgiveness and healing.

A Prayer to Pursue Peace

“So then let us pursue what makes for peace and for mutual upbuilding.” Romans 14:19

Father God, You desire peace and unity and encouragement for our body of believers. Help us, Lord, to pursue what makes for peace and for building one another up. To pursue the things You will lead to peace and unity. Give us discerning hearts to know Your will and give us the courage to be obedient. Lord, we know that without You and Your Holy Spirit indwelling each of us, we cannot do any of these things. But, with You and for Your glory, grant our body peace and unity.

A Prayer to Follow Jesus

“And he said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it.” Luke 9:23-24

Lord, You have given us what seems like an impossible task with this passage. You have asked us to deny ourselves, take up our cross and follow You. Even when our spirits are willing, the flesh is weak. You know our hearts, Father. Help us, with Your Holy Spirit, to examine our hearts and hear from You. The longer we walk with You, the more we look like You. We desire to become more and more like You, less selfish and more selfless, willing to deny ourselves in any and all situations. You have told us that when we lose our life for Your sake, we will save it. Save us from ourselves, God.

As we lift up these words for our churches, let us come before God with humility and a willingness to obey. Let us put others first and serve our brothers and sisters in Christ. May we seek God first, putting aside our own desires. May we become intercessors for our brothers and sisters in Christ. May we pray more and criticize less. May we be encouragers and uplifters.

Candace Crabtree is just a broken mama thankful for grace and new mercies every morning. She and her husband live in East Tennessee where they homeschool their 3 kids. Candace also enjoys teaching piano, coffee, good books and blogging at His Mercy Is New. On her blog, she shares encouragement for weary women from God’s Word along with resources for learning to pray the Scriptures. 

Publication date: July 7, 2016

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.

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Prayer for StrengthPrayer for ProtectionMorning PrayersGood Night PrayersSinner’s PrayerPrayer for ForgivenessPrayer for GuidanceIntercessory PrayerPrayer for PeacePrayer for FaithPrayer for Love

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One thing I am learning as I get older is just how much I care about and appreciate my church family.  My church is very active in helping those in it wherever it can.  If you are part of a church then I think you will agree that it is so important to pray for those in your church family.  There are many different areas of life that we all go through, some good and some bad, but prayer is always a great thing!  Here are 6 prayers you can pray for your church family!

For Our Pastors

Dear Father In Heaven,

I can’t say enough words to thank You for the men you’ve placed in pastoral roles in my church.  I pray that You would continue to mold them into the children You have called them to be.  Grow their intellect.  Empower them to be bold.  Give them peace in the midst of difficult sermons to preach.  Lead them Father, as they continue to lead the congregation for You!  Lord, You are sovereign over all things and I pray that You will open the hearts of this congregation as our leaders lead us in song and sermon.  Thank You for them, Father!  Amen

Your Close Brothers/Sisters

Dear Lord,

Thank You for leading me to my church family!  I am surrounded by a few extremely close brothers and sisters that I love with my whole heart.  I pray that as we get older and closer that we will never lose sight of what brought us together and that was You, Father.  I pray that You watch over them and keep them safe, Lord.  May we always be accountable to one another and never demean one another but always encourage each other in the times of blessing and of trials.  I thank You for my brothers and sisters, Lord!  I love You!  Amen

Those In Conflict

Oh Lord,

The church has been the same since its beginning.  There have been disputes among believers since the beginning.  Paul opposed Peter in Galatia. (Galatians 2:11-14) Paul reminded the church of Philippi to do nothing out of rivalry (Philippians 2:3).  There is a reason why You are in charge, Father.  We could never keep order in the church without Your presence there.  Father, I pray for those in conflict right now that they would not give the devil a foothold in their lives, but that they would come together in Your Name to resolve any conflicts between them.  I pray that You will be glorified in everything they do.  I pray this in Your Son’s precious Name!  Amen

Those Whom Are Ill

Father In Heaven,

I pray for those who are hurting in my church family today.  Lord, some have minor health problems while others have some very serious ones.  I pray that You will be with them and heal them, Father.  You are the Great Physician and I believe in Your power to heal!  Lord, please give peace to those who are in the midst of serious health issues.  Father, I pray that they turn to You and know that You are right there beside them in their time of crisis.  May Your will be done in their lives this day.  Amen

The Workers Are Few

And he said to them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest. (Luke 10:2)

Dear Lord,

Our congregation is struggling so much.  The ones who are leading are exhausted because they are being stretched so far.  I pray that You will convict others to rise up and help lead.  We need more worship leaders, teachers, greeters and other positions to be filled.  Lord, so many want to be fed the Word of God but they won’t raise a hand to help carry the flock.  I pray that You will bring about a passion in the hearts of those who are sitting by idly knowing that they could be doing something to grow and nurture the church.  I pray for strength for the ones that are giving so much to keep the church running.  Be with them, Father.  Amen

Expanding And Growing

Father,

We are in an exciting time in our church!  Our family is growing so much and I have seen personally so many things happen for Your glory here!  We are at a crossroad and it looks like an expansion is necessary.  Father, I pray for Your wisdom to overflow into the congregation as we hold our congregational monthly meeting to talk about this.  May we not expand the church for our own pride or accomplishments.  You are the One who has accomplished the growth of this church.  You are moving big time right now and we all need to focus on You and not ourselves.  Give us wisdom as to what to do in this expansion.  May we build exactly what You are leading us to build.  I give You all the praise in this, Lord!  Amen

Conclusion

The church has many functions and it is a job for us all to be in prayer.  Whatever issues your congregation is facing, pray about them.  Pray for your close brothers and sisters.  Pray for those you don’t know well.  Just as we are washed by the Word, we can cover the church congregation with prayers and petitions before God.   May God bless you as you continue to live a life worthy of the calling!

Read Derek Hill’s personal testimony here: From the Muck and Mire to a Higher Calling

Resource – Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

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O my Jesus,

I beg You on behalf of the whole Church:

Grant it love and the light of Your Spirit

and give power to the words of priests

so that hardened hearts might be brought to repentance

and return to You, O Lord.

Lord, give us holy priests;

You Yourself maintain them in holiness.

O Divine and Great High Priest,

may the power of Your mercy accompany them everywhere

and protect them from the devil’s traps and snares

which are continually being set for the souls of priests.

May the power of Your mercy, O Lord,

shatter and bring to naught

all that might tarnish the sanctity of priests,

for You can do all things.

I ask You, Jesus,

for a special blessing

and for light for the priests

before whom I will make my confessions throughout my lifetime.

Amen.

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