“The LORD bless thee, and keep thee: The LORD make his face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee: The LORD lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace.”
“I will both lay me down in peace, and sleep: for thou, LORD, only makest me dwell in safety.”
“Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”
“Now the Lord of peace himself give you peace always by all means. The Lord be with you all.”
Numbers 6:24-26 is the priestly blessing. God gave these words to Aaron and his sons to speak over Israel (Numbers 6:22-23), and they end with the gift of peace. To pray it over someone, put their name where the blessing says “thee.”
Psalm 4:8 is David's bedtime prayer: he could sleep in peace because God kept watch. It makes a good last prayer of the day, and our evening prayers have more like it.
Philippians 4:6-7 uses “careful” in its old sense of full of care, or anxious. Paul does not promise that every problem will be solved. He promises that when you bring everything to God with thanks, His peace will keep your heart and mind, even when nothing about the situation makes sense.
2 Thessalonians 3:16 is Paul's closing blessing, asking the Lord of peace to give peace at all times and in every way. It makes a good goodbye prayer for a friend, a child leaving home or a group at the end of a meeting.
In Faithero you can read Numbers 6 or Philippians 4 in the King James Version or the Douay-Rheims, and have the chapter read aloud.
The Peace Prayer of St. Francis
The prayer that begins “Lord, make me an instrument of your peace” is almost always credited to St. Francis of Assisi. He did not write it. It is not found in his writings, and it has not been traced back further than 1912.
Its first known appearance was in Paris in December 1912, in La Clochette (The Little Bell), a small magazine published by a Catholic association called the Holy Mass League. It was printed without an author's name under the title “A beautiful prayer to say during Mass.” The author may have been the league's founder, Father Esther Bouquerel, but no one knows for sure. In 1916 the Vatican newspaper, L'Osservatore Romano, printed it in Italian. Around 1920 a French Franciscan printed it on the back of a picture of St. Francis, still without calling it his, and in 1927 a French Protestant peace movement became the first known to attribute it to him. The name stuck.
Most English versions are shortened. Here is our own translation of the full 1912 French text:
The Peace Prayer, from the French of 1912
Lord, make me an instrument of Your peace.
Where there is hatred, may I bring love.
Where there is wrong, may I bring forgiveness.
Where there is discord, may I bring unity.
Where there is error, may I bring truth.
Where there is doubt, may I bring faith.
Where there is despair, may I bring hope.
Where there is darkness, may I bring Your light.
Where there is sorrow, may I bring joy.
O Master, may I seek not so much
to be comforted as to comfort,
to be understood as to understand,
to be loved as to love.
For it is by giving that we receive,
by forgetting ourselves that we find,
by forgiving that we are forgiven,
and by dying that we rise again to eternal life.
The prayer turns the usual request around. Instead of asking God to give us peace, it asks Him to make us people who bring it, and to free us from needing to be comforted, understood and loved first.
Prayer for peace with God
The Bible starts here, because every other kind of peace grows from it. If you feel far from God, or you are carrying guilt you cannot shake, this prayer is for you.
Coming home
Father, I have been keeping my distance from You, and I am tired of it. Thank You that peace with You does not depend on my getting everything right. Jesus made that peace for me at the cross. I come back now, just as I am. Forgive me, and let me rest in Your welcome. Then let that peace settle into the rest of my life: my mind, my home and the way I treat people. Amen.
“Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ”
Prayer for peace of mind
For a restless, crowded or worried mind. For more help with worry, see these prayers for anxiety.
When my mind is crowded
God of peace, my mind is crowded. Thoughts pile on top of each other, and I cannot find the quiet underneath. I do not need everything solved to have peace; I need You. Turn my thoughts toward You and hold them there. Where I am replaying the past, give me Your forgiveness. Where I am bracing for the future, give me trust. Where I am simply tired, give me rest. Keep me in Your peace today, the steady kind that does not depend on how I feel. Amen.
“Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.”
Prayer for peace in the family
For a home with tension in it: siblings who will not speak, a marriage under strain, an argument that keeps coming back. A prayer for peace is never a call to stay in danger. If someone at home is hurting you, your safety comes first: in the US, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 or text START to 88788.
For peace in our home
Lord, there is no peace in our home right now, and I am part of the problem as much as anyone. Soften the hard words between us. Help us listen before we answer, and stop keeping score. Show me what I need to apologize for, and give me the humility to go first. Where someone has hurt me, help me forgive, even if I cannot forget yet. Make our home a place where it is safe to be honest and safe to be weak. Do in us what we cannot do on our own. Amen.
“If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.”
Before a hard conversation
Lord, I have to talk with (name), and I am dreading it. Go before me. Keep my voice calm and my words honest and kind. Help me listen for what they mean, not just what they say. Keep me from needing to win. If we cannot agree, help us part without contempt. Make me someone who looks for peace and keeps after it. Amen.
“Depart from evil, and do good; seek peace, and pursue it.”
Prayer for peace in the world
For wars, violence and division, near and far. It helps to be specific: name the places and the people you have seen in the news.
For a world at war with itself
God of all nations, the world is at war with itself again. I pray for the places in the headlines and the ones nobody reports on. Protect the children, the old, the sick and everyone who cannot run. Comfort those who have lost people they love. Turn the hearts of those who make war, and give courage and wisdom to those who work for peace. Show me where I keep my own small wars going: in my words, my online life, my grudges. Make me a peacemaker where I live. Let Your kingdom come. Amen.
“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.”
For leaders
Lord, I pray for those in authority: presidents and prime ministers, generals and diplomats, mayors and judges. Give them wisdom beyond their own and consciences they cannot ignore. Turn them away from violence and toward justice. Where they are working for peace, help them succeed. Where they are not, change their hearts. Give every people on earth the chance to live quiet, peaceful lives. Amen.
“I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty.”
Frequently asked
What is a short prayer for peace?
Try: “Lord, You are the God of peace. Quiet my heart, mend what is broken between me and others, and make me a peacemaker today. Amen.” Or pray a promise back to God: “the LORD will bless his people with peace” (Psalm 29:11, KJV).
What are the peace prayers in the Bible?
The best known are the priestly blessing in Numbers 6:24-26, David's bedtime prayer in Psalm 4:8, Paul's promise of God's peace in Philippians 4:6-7 and his blessing in 2 Thessalonians 3:16. Jesus also gave His followers His peace before He died: “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you” (John 14:27, KJV).
Did St. Francis write “Lord, make me an instrument of your peace”?
No. The prayer first appeared, with no author's name, in a small French Catholic magazine, La Clochette, in December 1912. It is not among the writings of Francis of Assisi. It was first credited to him in 1927, and the name stuck. Its real author is unknown.
What is the original Peace Prayer of St. Francis?
The original is in French and begins “Seigneur, faites de moi un instrument de votre paix” (Lord, make me an instrument of your peace). The 1912 text is longer than most English versions. It also asks to bring unity where there is discord and truth where there is error, and it ends “c'est en mourant qu'on ressuscite à l'éternelle vie”: it is by dying that we rise again to eternal life. Our full translation is on this page.
How do I pray for peace of mind?
Bring God the specific thoughts that are stealing your peace, one at a time, and ask Him to turn your mind toward Him instead. Colossians 3:15 is a good verse to pray: “let the peace of God rule in your hearts” (Colossians 3:15, KJV). Then do one small thing that helps your mind rest: a walk, a call to a friend, an early night.
How can I pray for world peace?
Pray specifically: name the countries and people you know are suffering, pray for leaders by name, and pray for peacemakers and aid workers. Then ask God to show you where you can make peace close to home. The prophets looked ahead to a day when “nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more” (Isaiah 2:4, KJV).
Prayers for peace from the Bible
These are the Bible's own peace prayers, in the King James Version. You can pray them as they are, for yourself or over someone you love.