One of the things that new worship leaders often feel uncomfortable with is praying in front of people. They hear other leaders who pray elegant prayers and always seem to pray the right thing at the right time. Maybe you think, "I could never pray like that."

If you lead worship for any amount of time, chances are you'll have more than a few opportunities to pray. So what should you pray? How do you do it in front of the people you're leading?

Here are 3 tips for praying while leading worship:

1 | What you do in private comes out in public

Public praying starts with private praying. Your private prayer time is when you build your vocabulary as you're speaking with God. You may have heard other leaders pray elegantly - I assure you that did not happen by accident. One reason they're able to express themselves in that way is because they've practiced prayer in private.

If you're having trouble finding the right words to say when you pray in public, examine your private prayer life.

2 | Know what you're praying for

Next, you've got to know what you're praying for. Think about where your prayer is in the order of your service. What just happened and what's coming next? If it's the beginning of your gathering - pray that God would move in your time together. If it's before your time of giving - thank him for what he has blessed you with. If you're headed into the sermon

next - pray for wisdom to understand God's word.

Knowing what to pray for makes formulating what you want to say easier. Use that knowledge to guide you.

3 | There's no shame in practicing your prayer ahead of time

Prayers that you've practiced ahead of time are no less spiritual than spontaneous prayers. Especially if you're just starting to pray in public for the first time, don't be afraid to prepare in advance. Treat it like you would a speaking transition. Write out what you want to pray for while keeping in mind what's coming next in your service. Find 2 or 3 specific things you can pray for and then use those to guide your prayer when you lead worship.

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