Prayer for Peace

God of Abraham and Sarah,

God of Hagar and Ishmael,

God of Isaac and Rebekah,

God revealed to us in Jesus Christ,

We bring before you the lands where our faith was born,

now shaken by escalating violence and deep uncertainty.

We pray for the people of Iran,

for the people of Israel,

and for all across the region living tonight with fear.

We pray for children woken by sirens,

for families seeking safety,

for those carrying grief, anger and anxiety.

Prince of Peace,

interrupt the cycle of violence.

Protect civilian life on every side.

Grant leaders wisdom and restraint.

Turn hearts from further destruction toward dialogue and de-escalation.

Call all nations to act with responsibility,

with care for human life,

and with respect for the obligations of international law.

Spirit of the Living God,

comfort those in Australia whose loved ones are in harm’s way.

Strengthen Jewish, Muslim, Iranian, Arab and Christian communities who may feel vulnerable or unsettled.

Guard us from antisemitism, from Islamophobia, and from every form of hatred that rises in times of conflict.

Make your Church a place of safety, compassion and steady hope.

May fear give way to understanding.

May violence give way to courage for peace.

May justice and mercy meet.

In the name of Christ, who is our peace.   amen.  

Light a candle, as a visible sign of the light of Christ, who is the light of the world.

Take a deep breath. Feel the breath of God that has given you life. Centre yourself and pray…

Loving God, we ask for your help in bringing about peace among all people. As Your children, we are bound to each other through our created nature.  Help us to see that our differences are not cause for conflict. Open our eyes and allow us to see our neighbours as our brothers and sisters. Bless our actions, that they may be the cause of peace and not injustice. Bless our lips, that they may speak your loving words in conversation with all people and be an avenue for change through prayer. Amen

For families in Iran living in fear, and for all who live under the evil rain of bombardment, may they find safe refuge.
Lord, hear our prayer.

For world leaders, that they stop the bombs and choose diplomacy over destruction and dialogue over retaliation.
Lord, hear our prayer.

For all those who are poor and vulnerable, who bear the heaviest burdens of war, may their cries transform our hearts. 
Lord, hear our prayer.

For the courage to see the face of God in our neighbours and to build a culture of genuine encounter.
Lord, hear our prayer.

For a lasting peace based on justice, mercy, and the sacred dignity of every life.
Lord, hear our prayer. Amen.

Ultimately, we have just one moral duty: to reclaim large areas of peace in ourselves, more and more peace, and to reflect it towards others. And the more peace there is in us, the more peace there will also be in our troubled world.

—  Etty Hillesum

O God, who dwells beyond all our names for you,
we pray for the will to be at peace with one another.

We remember this day those who find themselves thrust into war;
We pray for light in the darkness, and hope amid despair.
We pray for peace in ourselves;
help us to breathe in peace, help us to breathe out love;
help us know and accept ourselves as your beloved.
We pray for peace in our families;
help us to speak the truth to one another in love;
help us to respect and value one another.

Let there be peace in our communities;
help us to create a peace born of justice and equity;
help us to honour and serve the common good.

Let there be peace in our nation;
sustain our hope; grant us wisdom;
empower us with courage.

Let there be peace in our world.
Help us to love the earth as our mother;
help us to see other nations as our neighbours;
help us to wage peace.

(Rev Kay Sylvester, Rector, St. Paul’s, Tustin – Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles)

This week was the fourth anniversary of the war in Ukraine.

In February 2022, when Ukraine was invaded by Russia, the Archbishops of Canterbury and York wrote a prayer for the country and its people:

A Prayer for Ukraine God of peace and justice,
we pray for the people of Ukraine today.
We pray for peace and the laying down of weapons.
We pray for all those who fear for tomorrow,
that your Spirit of comfort would draw near to them.
We pray for those with power over war or peace,
for wisdom, discernment and compassion to guide their decisions.
Above all, we pray for all your precious children, at risk and in fear,
that you would hold and protect them.
We pray in the name of Jesus, the Prince of Peace.

Light a candle, as a visible sign of the light of Christ, who is the light of the world.

Take a deep breath. Feel the breath of God that has given you life.

Centre yourself and pray…

Lord, we pray for the power to be gentle; the strength to be forgiving; the patience to be understanding; and the endurance to accept the consequences of holding to what we believe to be right. 
May we put our trust in the power of good to overcome evil and the power of love to overcome hatred. 
We pray for the vision to see and the faith to believe in a world emancipated from violence, a new world where fear shall no longer lead men to commit injustice, nor selfishness make them bring suffering to others. 
Help us to devote our whole life and thought and energy to the task of making peace, praying always for the inspiration and the power to fulfill the destiny for which we and all men were created.

A prayer from the Catholic Weekly 1978

Once a year I choose the Peace Prayer of St Francis for our weekly Prayer for Peace. Those on the internet may like to click on this link to listen to a rendition of the prayer. I think that I have suggested this same video before as well! https://youtu.be/vs644Vp_mLM?si=24co5GYXrvM2nD1O

PEACE PRAYER OF SAINT FRANCIS

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace:
where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
where there is sadness, joy.

O divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek
to be consoled as to console,
to be understood as to understand,
to be loved as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive,
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.
Amen.

We are moulded, each one of us,
in the image of God,
and within our souls there is a fingerprint
none can erase.
We pray for those who have no regard
for anyone but self,
who put no value on human life.
For nations and individuals who abuse and kill.
We are not called to be judge or jury,
but we are called to be agents of change,
and if the butterfly that flaps its wings
should be our attitude to others
then so be it, Lord,
and may the hurricane this generates
somewhere within the world
reach into the hearts and souls of those
for whom we pray, and reveal to them
how precious are those
for whom they have no love,
and how precious are they
who now bring tears to the eyes of God.

– John Birch

Dear Lord, amid wars and turmoil, we seek Your peace that surpasses all understanding. Calm the hearts of those who fight and heal the wounds of those who suffer. Bring reconciliation where there is anger and understanding where there is hate. May Your Spirit guide leaders and warriors alike to choose the path of peace and justice. Help us to be instruments of Your peace in a broken world.

Prayerlift

Prayer for Peace 25/01/2026

“Let us pray.

We pray for all people who are outside the security of peace and stability. Battle zones are so numerous, and those suffering are often innocent bystanders in the conflicts that rage around them. They are often left without shelter, water, health, and educational opportunity. They are at the mercy of those warring around them. We pray that cease-fires may become a reality – that leaders will seek genuine peace rather than vengeance or reprisal. Amen”

This prayer was prepared by Dernancourt Uniting Church as part of Uniting in Prayer 2024 and became part of the Prayer for Others prayed in our church last Sunday.