Either it's a Sunday, a weekday or a special service, there's a way to prepare for service. You should in fact, always prepare for any kind of service. There's the place of the spiritual and the physical preparation. We'll start with the spiritual preparation...
1. Praying: you see this “act" called prayer, it's cannot be overemphasized. It can do practically everything, and there's nothing you cannot pray about; even the littlest of things can be put to God in prayer. I've heard a man of God say, Dr D K. Olukoya to be precise that, “you cannot over pray. You can only under pray." No prayer is a waste. No time spent in prayer is a waste. Some prayers get stored for you for the time you'd need them. Anyways, we're referring to prayers relation to preparing for a service. You try it once or twice, pray before you attend a service and you'd notice a difference in the state of your heart during the program, and your life in general. There'd be a way your heart would be receptive to God's Word and other activities involved in the service; and when you least expect it, one word might come forth maybe during the choir ministration, or a special ministration the children's church came to render which will be a solution to something you've been expecting. You can receive from any aspect of the service; it's not just the pastor's ministration or the preaching that can bless you. Even the hymn time can bless you! The Bible reading can bless you!
Praying before a service takes two fold;
i) Praying for yourself: you pray for yourself that your heart is receptive to God's Word. You pray for yourself that you do not miss out of what God has for you during the service. You pray that you're not distracted during the service. There are more prayers you can pray, as led by the Spirit.
ii) Praying for all officiating ministers: not just the Pastor that'd be handling the teaching, but everyone who will get on the altar and handle the microphone. Pray for the minister that strong utterance is made available for them. That the word which comes out of their mouth blesses men. Pray as led by the Spirit.
iii) Prayers for everyone: yes dear reader. You can pray for everyone who would attend service that their heart is also receptive to God's Word. You can pray for everyone the prayer you pray for yourself. You know in this kingdom, we're not selfish (wink).
2. The second and physical aspect of preparation for service is planning to go early to church. While growing up, what some of us were taught was that “there's an angel waiting at the church with blessings for the early comers. They'd receive the blessing of the early comers and also receive during the service again." Me I believe it o. I mean, there must be something that should be attached to coming early to a service (no doctrine attached). And I believe going early for a service should be done not because the pastor added a penalty for those who come late or because there's a blessing waiting for you, but because you reverence God and you honour Him.
There are some things we shouldn't be forced to do as believers, especially if you're a worker. You shouldn't often be chastised every Sunday because of your late coming. It starts from your heart actually. If you desire to go early to a service, you'll work towards it. If you decide to go late as well, you also prepare towards it.
Setting down the dress you're adorning yourself with to a service, especially a sabbath service should've been prepared a night before; ironed and properly arranged. Don't be scampering around for what to wear on a sabbath day's morning and claim you're trying to dress your best to church when in fact, you could have prepared the night before. If you're confused as to what to wear, ask the Holy Spirit for help (it's part of His job description. Yes, it is). He's there to help you through anything and everything. Some think of some things too petty to ask for help for from the Holy Spirit; which isn't supposed to be. As for me, I ask the Holy Spirit for the pettiest and littlest of things. I can't begin to list the things I've asked the Holy Spirit for help for and He was never silent, and I tell you, that thing, whatever it is always turns out better than it would if I had used my own discretion. There are times I'd ask the Holy Spirit for what to wear and He'd point to one of my dress and when I get outside, the kind of compliments I'd receive that day, it surprises me because most times, I've worn those dresses before. It's just that that day the Holy Spirit chooses that particular dress for me, I feel there's a particular aura that follows me that makes people compliment my dressing. I mean, the dressing was divinely orchestrated, so...
Also, not just the dressing now; as we ladies are fond of carrying luggage in our hand bags (you'd be surprised at the amount of stuff you'd find in a lady's bag. Whether it's empty or not. It's part of the dressing, so you cannot blame us), we should endeavour to pick up and arrange everything we need for the service inside the bag (including the ones we don't need as well... Y'all ladies know how we do it). Pack all the packables and pick up all the pickables. Let all the needs you'd need (English intended) for service be prepared ahead of time so that on the service morning, all you have to do is wake up, pray, have your bathe, and leave the house “early" for service! If you have issues waking up early even with the alarm on, that's one of the advantages of having the Holy Spirit. Just make a simple request saying, “Holy Spirit, I want to wake up early. Please wake me up!"
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