Praying to God does not necessarily follow a procedure. When you pray you are directly connecting to your God. So, it will become a personal connection.
This means that you can pray in a method you feel could appropriately and properly connect with your God.
However, it is not bad to adhere to a step or procedure so that you will not forget what you want to say. Below are simple steps on How to Start an Opening Prayer
How to Start an Opening Prayer
1. Know the purpose of the event or occasion
You must know what the occasion or event is for before preparing your prayer. An opening prayer for an academic meeting will be different from an opening prayer for an acquaintance party.
2. Make sure that the prayer can be prayed by different religious denominations
Is the group purely Muslims or Christians? Your opening prayer must consider these aspects. Use words that are universal and can be used by the majority of religions.
3. Start the prayer by seeking everyone’s attention
This can be done by asking them to bow their heads for a few seconds of silence. Don’t start the opening prayer unless you have everyone’s attention.
4. Thanksgiving comes first in the prayer
You can make the first lines of the opening prayer about thanksgiving. Give thanks to the Lord for all the previous blessings. Being gathered in the venue together is a blessing in itself, so you may want to state that. People are all busy and gathering together is one is already a miracle.
5. Raise your plans/concerns to the Lord
Afterward, you may now raise your plans and concerns about the event to God. If the activity is a meeting, you can pray “may our minds come together to fulfill the goals of this meeting…” etc.
6. You may want to request blessings for all the participants in the event
You can beseech God to enlighten or give spiritual wisdom to the moderator or leader of the meeting.
7. Pray for universal peace and love
You can end your opening prayer with a prayer for all people in the world, especially those who have the same concerns as yourself that they may also overcome their problems or issues.
These are also suggestions and they are not marked on stone. You can disarrange or prepare your opening prayer based on your audience, the venue, and the purpose of the meeting.
Be ingenious.
As long as you can allow people to feel the sincerity of your opening prayer, that is what counts the most.
Good luck and God bless.
You may want to use these Ardent Prayer for Daily Activities as well.
You may also want to learn about The Importance of Prayer
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