Favorite Prayers

May all beings everywhere plagued with sufferings of body and mind quickly be freed from their illnesses. May those frightened cease to be afraid, and may those bound be free. May the powerless find power, and may people think of befriending one another. May those who find themselves in trackless, fearful wilderness -- the children, the aged, the unprotected -- be guarded by beneficent celestials, and may they swiftly attain Buddhahood.
-- The Buddha

(This and other prayers can be found at beliefnet.)

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May the whole world enjoy good health, long life, prosperity, happiness and peace.
Om, shanti, shanti, shanti.
-- Vethathiri Maharishi, Siddha saint

(This and other prayers can be found at Common Ground.)

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I arise today through a mighty strength: God's power to guide me, God's might to uphold me, God's eyes to watch over me, God's ear to hear me, God's word to give me speech, God's hand to guard me, God's way to lie before me, God's shield to shelter me, God's host to secure me.
-- Saint Brigid of Kildare (454-524 AD)

(This and other prayers can be found at World Prayers.)

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I lift up my eyes to the hills-
      where does my help come from?
My help comes from the LORD,
      the Maker of heaven and earth.
He will not let your foot slip-
      he who watches over you will not slumber;
indeed, he who watches over Israel
      will neither slumber nor sleep.
The LORD watches over you-
      the LORD is your shade at your right hand;
the sun will not harm you by day,
      nor the moon by night.
The LORD will keep you from all harm-
      he will watch over your life;
the LORD will watch over your coming and going
      both now and forevermore.
-- Psalm 121 (New International Version)

(Via Psalm21.ca.)

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O God! We are weak; give us strength. We are poor; bestow upon us Thine illimitable treasures. We are sick; grant unto us Thy divine healing. We are impotent; give us Thy heavenly power. O Lord! Make us useful in this world; free us from the condition of self and desire. O Lord! Make us brethren in Thy love, and cause us to be loving toward all Thy children. Confirm us in service to the world of humanity so that we may become the servants of Thy servants, that we may love all Thy creatures and become compassionate to all Thy people. O Lord, Thou art the Almighty. Thou art the Merciful. Thou art the Forgiver. Thou art the Omnipotent.
-- `Abdu'l-Bahá

(This and other prayers can be found at Bahai Reference Library.)

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May I become at all times, both now and forever
      A protector for those without protection
      A guide for those who have lost their way
      A ship for those with oceans to cross
      A bridge for those with rivers to cross
      A sanctuary for those in danger
      A lamp for those without light
      A place of refuge for those who lack shelter
      And a servant to all in need.
-- Tibetan Buddhist prayer

(Via International Kalachakra Network.)

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Lord make me an instrument of Thy peace.
      Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
      Where there is injury, pardon.
      Where there is doubt, faith.
Lord make me an instrument of Thy peace.
      Where there is despair, hope.
      Where there is darkness, light.
      Where there is sadness, joy.
0 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,
And it is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
And it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.
Then miracle shall follow miracle,
And wonders shall never cease.
-- St. Francis of Assisi

(This and other prayers can be found at Prayer Foundation.)

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Create in me a clean heart, O God,
      And renew a steadfast spirit within me.
Do not cast me away from Your presence
      And do not take Your Holy Spirit from me.
Restore to me the joy of Your salvation
      And sustain me with a willing spirit.
-- Psalm 51:10-12 (New American Standard Bible)

(This and other prayers can be found at Scripture Text.)

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O Thou forgiving Lord! Thou art the shelter of all these Thy servants. Thou knowest the secrets and art aware of all things. We are all helpless, and Thou art the Mighty, the Omnipotent. We are all sinners, and Thou art the Forgiver of sins, the Merciful, the Compassionate. O Lord! Look not at our shortcomings. Deal with us according to Thy grace and bounty. Our shortcomings are many, but the ocean of Thy forgiveness is boundless. Our weakness is grievous, but the evidences of Thine aid and assistance are clear. Therefore, confirm and strengthen us. Enable us to do that which is worthy of Thy holy Threshold. Illumine our hearts, grant us discerning eyes and attentive ears. Resuscitate the dead and heal the sick. Bestow wealth upon the poor and give peace and security to the fearful. Accept us in Thy kingdom and illumine us with the light of guidance. Thou are the Powerful and the Omnipotent. Thou art the Generous. Thou art the Clement. Thou art the Kind.
-- `Abdu'l-Bahá

(This and other prayers can be found at Bahai Prayers.)

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Whatever sins have been committed by me, in thought, word or deed, may the Supreme Lord, the source of all strength, wisdom and purity, forgive me and purify me of them all.
      May my body become pure.
      May I be free from impurity and sin.
      May I realize myself as the light divine.
      May my mind become ever pure.
      May my self become pure.
      May I realize my self as the light divine.
-- Yajur Veda

(This and other prayers can be found at 1stholistic.com.)

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(Art print available at Allposters.com.)

For each new morning with its light,
For rest and shelter of the night,
For health and food,
For love and friends,
For everything Thy goodness sends.
Father in heaven,
We thank thee.
-- Ralph Waldo Emerson

(This and other prayers can be found at prayer-and-prayers.info.)

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      My God, my Adored One, my King, my desire! What tongue can voice my thanks to Thee? I was heedless, Thou didst awaken me. I had turned back from Thee, Thou didst graciously aid me to turn towards Thee. I was as one dead, Thou didst quicken me with the water of life. I was withered, Thou didst revive me with the heavenly stream of Thine utterance which hath flowed forth from the Pen of the All-Merciful.
      0 Divine Providence! All existence is begotten by Thy bounty; deprive it not of the waters of Thy generosity, neither do Thou withhold it from the ocean of Thy mercy. I beseech Thee to aid and assist me at all times and under all conditions, and seek from the heaven of Thy grace Thine ancient favour. Thou art, in truth, the Lord of bounty, and the Sovereign of the kingdom of eternity.
i-- Baha'u'llah/i

(This and other prayers can be found at bcca.org.)

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Thanks be to thee, my Lord Jesus Christ,
for all the benefits thou hast given me,
for all the pains and insults thou hast borne for me.
O most merciful redeemer, friend and brother,
may I know thee more clearly,
love thee more dearly,
and follow thee more nearly, day by day.
Amen.
-- St. Richard of Chichester (1197-1253)

(Via anglican.org.)

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Oh God! Thou art the Giver of Life, Remover of pain and sorrow, The Bestower of happiness, Oh! Creator of the Universe, May we receive thy supreme sin-destroying light, May Thou guide our intellect in the right direction.
-- The Gayatri Mantra

(Via Gita Blog.)

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Steer the ship of my life, good Lord, to your quiet harbour, where I can be safe from the storms of sin and conflict. Show me the course I should take. Renew in me the gift of discernment, so that I can always see the right direction in which I should go. And give me the strength and the courage to choose the right course, even when the sea is rough and the waves are high, knowing that through enduring hardship and danger in your name we shall find comfort and peace.
-- St. Basil of Caesarea (330-379 AD)

(This and other prayers can be found at Come Aside.)

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(Art print available at Allposters.com.)

Beloved Lord, Almighty God,
Through the Rays of the Sun,
Through the Waves of the Air,
Through the All Pervading Life in Space;
Purify and Revivify Us
And we pray, heal our bodies, hearts, and souls.
Amen
-- Hazrat Inayat Kha

(This and other prayers can be found at Centrum Universel.)

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I seek protection for my soul in the Lord of the earth and the Lord of the heavens. I seek protection for my soul in the One in whose name no sickness can hurt. I seek protection for my soul in the One whose name is Blessed and a Cure.
-- Imam Ar Ridha(as)

(This and other prayers can be found at duas.org.)

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Thy name is my healing, O my God, and remembrance of Thee is my remedy. Nearness to Thee is my hope, and love for Thee is my companion. Thy mercy to me is my healing and my succor in both this world and the world to come. Thou, verily, art the All-Bountiful, the All-Knowing, the All-Wise.
-- Bahá'u'lláh

(This and other prayers can be found at ibiblio.org.)

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God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; courage to change the things I can; and wisdom to know the difference.

Living one day at a time; enjoying one moment at a time; accepting hardships as the pathway to peace; taking, as He did, this sinful world as it is, not as I would have it; trusting that He will make all things right if I surrender to His Will; that I may be reasonably happy in this life and supremely happy with Him forever in the next.

Amen.
-- The Serenity Prayer

(This and other prayers can be found at cptryon.org.)

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O Lord, my God, grant us your peace; already, indeed, you have made us rich in all things! Give us that peace of being at rest, that sabbath peace, the peace which knows no end.
--St. Augustine

(This and other prayers can be found at faithpeace.org.)

(Art print of "Inner Peace" available at Allposters.com.)

Morning


(Photographic print of "Mt. Fuji at Sunrise" available at Allposters.com.)

Eternal Father of my soul, let my first thought today be of You. Let my first impulse be to worship You. Let my first speech be of Your name. Let my first action be to kneel before You. Yet let me not, when this morning prayer is said, think my worship ended and spend the day in forgetfulness of You. Rather from these moments of quiet, let light go forth, and joy, and power, that will remain with me through all the hours of the day. O God, You have been the Refuge of my fathers through many generations, be my Refuge today in every time and circumstance of need. Be my Guide against all that threatens my spirit's welfare. Be my Strength in time of testing. Gladden my heart with Your peace...
-- John Baillie (1886-1960), Scottish theologian and Church of Scotland minister

(This and other prayers can be found at guardianlutheran.org.)

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O God, you have prepared in peace the path I must follow today.
Help me to walk straight on that path.
If I speak, remove lies from my lips.
If I am hungry, take away from me all complaint.
If I have plenty, destroy pride in me.
May I go through the day calling on you, O Lord, who knows no other Lord.
-- Ethiopian prayer

(This and other prayers can be found at heartsteps.)

Evening


Photographic print of "Sunset Over Lake Powell" available at Allposters.com.)

I reverently speak in the presence of the Great Parent God: I give Thee grateful thanks that Thou has enabled me to live this day, the whole day, in obedience to the excellent spirit of Thy ways.
-- Shinto prayer

(This and other prayers can be found at beliefnet.)

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Lord, it is night. The night is for stillness.
Let us be still in the presence of God.
It is night after a long day.
What has been done has been done; what has not been done has not been done; let it be.
The night is dark.
Let our fears of the darkness of the world and of our own lives rest in you.
The night is quiet.
Let the quietness of your peace enfold us, all dear to us, and all who have no peace.
The night heralds the dawn.
Let us look expectantly to a new day, new joys, new possibilities.
In Your name, we pray.
Amen.
-- Christian prayer

(This and other prayers can be found at trinitycathedral.org.)

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Incline your ear, O Lord, and answer me, for I am poor and needy. Preserve my life, for I am devoted to you; save your servant who trusts in you. You are my God; be gracious to me, O Lord, for to you do I cry all day long. Gladden the soul of your servant, for to you, O Lord, I lift up my soul. For you, O Lord, are good and forgiving, abounding in steadfast love to all who call on you. Give ear, O Lord, to my prayer; listen to my cry of supplication. In the day of my trouble I call on you, for you will answer me.
-- Psalms 86: 1-7 (New Revised Standard Version)

(This and other prayers can be found at biblia.com.)

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      O God! Refresh and gladden my spirit. Purify my heart. Illumine my powers. I lay all my affairs in Thy hands. Thou art my Guide and my Refuge. I will no longer be sorrowful and grieved; I will be a happy and joyful being. O God! I will no longer be full of anxiety, nor will I let trouble harass me. I will not dwell on the unpleasant things of life.
      O God! Thou art more friend to me than I am to myself. I dedicate myself to Thee, O Lord.
-- `Abdu'l-Bahá

(This and other prayers can be found at Sanctuary of Hope.)

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Oh, Lord! Help us to hold fast all together to Your path, even in the shaky times. Lord! You have promised to help us in our time of trouble and need. We rest upon Your word.
-- Imam Moujahed Bakhach

(This and other prayers can be found at beliefnet.)

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(Wall tapestry of "The Lord's Prayer" available at Allposters.com.)

I look to Thee in every need, and never look in vain;
      I feel Thy strong and tender love, and all is well again.
      The thought of Thee is mightier far than sin and pain and sorrow are.
Discouraged in the work of life, disheartened by its load,
      Shamed by its failures or its fears, I sink beside the road.
      But let me only think of Thee and then new heart springs up in me.
Thy calmness bends serene above, my restlessness to still;
      Around me flows Thy quickening life, to nerve my faltering will.
      Thy presence fills my solitude, Thy providence turns all to good.
Enfolded deep in Thy dear love, held in Thy law, I stand;
      Thy hand in all things I behold, and all things in Thy hand.
      Thou leadest me by unsought ways, and turn my mourning into praise.
-- Samuel Longfellow (1819-1892), American clergyman and hymn writer

(This and other prayers can be found at hymntime.com.)

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Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us,
and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever and ever.
Amen.
-- The Lord's Prayer

(This and other prayers can be found at Spirit Heart Sanctuary.)

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Is there any Remover of difficulties save God? Say: Praised be God! He is God! All are His servants, and all abide by His bidding!
-- The Báb

(This and other prayers can be found at Bahai Prayers.)

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We will sing thy praises, O God Almighty We will now and evermore sing thy praises, even as they were sung of old. For thy laws are immutable, O God: they are firm like the mountains.
-- Rig Veda, Book 2, XXVIII-8

(This and other prayers can be found at Internet Sacred Text Archive.)

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O God, my God! I have set out from my home, holding fast unto the cord of Thy love, and I have committed myself wholly to Thy care and Thy protection. I entreat Thee by Thy power through which Thou didst protect Thy loved ones from the wayward and the perverse, and from every contumacious oppressor, and every wicked doer who hath strayed far from Thee, to keep me safe by Thy bounty and Thy grace. Enable me, then, to return to my home by Thy power and Thy might. Thou art, truly, the Almighty, the Help in Peril, the Self-Subsisting.
-- Baha'u'liah

(This and other prayers can be found at ishwar.com.)

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The LORD is my shepherd,
      I shall not want.
He makes me lie down in green pastures;
      He leads me beside quiet waters.
He restores my soul;
      He guides me in the paths of righteousness
      For His name's sake.
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
      I fear no evil, for You are with me;
      Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.
You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;
      You have anointed my head with oil;
      My cup overflows.
Surely goodness and lovingkindness will follow me all the days of my life,
      And I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.
-- Psalm 23: 1-6 (New American Standard Bible)

(This and other prayers can be found at BibleGateway.com.)

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Create in me a pure heart, 0 my God, and renew a tranquil conscience within me, 0 my Hope! Through the spirit of power confirm Thou me in Thy Cause, 0 my Best-Beloved, And by the light of Thy glory reveal unto me Thy path, 0 Thou the Goal of my desire! Through the power of Thy transcendent might lift me up unto the heaven of Thy holiness, 0 Source of my being, and by the breezes of Thine eternity gladden me, 0 Thou Who art my God! Let Thine everlasting melodies breathe tranquillity on me, 0 my Companion, and let the riches of Thine ancient countenance deliver me from all except Thee, 0 my Master, and let the tidings of the revelation of Thine incorruptible Essence bring me joy, 0 Thou Who art the most manifest of the manifest and the most hidden of the hidden!
-- Baha'u'liah

(This and other prayers can be found at Baha'i Mosaic blog.)

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God be in my head, and in my understanding;
God be in mine eyes, and in my looking;
God be in my mouth, and in my speaking;
God be in my heart, and in my thinking;
God be at mine end, and at my departing
-- Christian hymn

(This and other prayers can be found at cyberhymnal.org.)

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O my Lord! Make Thy beauty to be my food, and Thy presence my drink, and Thy pleasure my hope, and praise of Thee my action, and remembrance of Thee my companion, and the power of Thy sovereignty my succorer, and Thy habitation my home, and my dwelling-place the seat Thou hast sanctified from the limitations imposed upon them who are shut out as by a veil from Thee.
      Thou art, verily, the Almighty, the All-Glorious, the Most Powerful.
-- Baha'u'liah

(This and other prayers can be found at bcca.org.)

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Let us be united;
Let us speak in harmony;
Let our minds apprehend alike.
Common be our prayer,
Common be the end of our assembly;
Common be our resolution;
Common be our deliberations.
Alike be our feelings;
Unified be our hearts;
Common be our intentions;
Perfect be our unity.
-- Rig Veda

(This and other prayers can be found at Internet Sacred Text Archive.)

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May all beings have happiness and the causes of happiness;
May all be free from sorrow and the causes of sorrow;
May all never be separated from the sacred happiness which is sorrowless;
And may all live in equanimity, without too much attachment and too much aversion,
And live believing in the equality of all that lives.
-- Traditional Buddhist Prayer

(This and other prayers can be found at World Prayers.)

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May the whole world be peaceful.
May the wicked become gentle.
May all creatures think of mutual welfare.
May their minds be occupied with what is auspicious.
And may our hearts be immersed in selfless love for the Lord.
-- Bhagavata Purana 5.18.9

(This and other prayers can be found at bhagavata.org.)

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May there be peace on Earth, peace in the atmosphere and in the heavens. Peaceful be the waters and the plants. May the Divine bring us peace. May the holy prayers and invocations of peace-liturgies generate ultimate Peace and Happiness everywhere. With these meditations which resolve and dissolve harm, violence and conflicts, we render peaceful whatever on earth is terrible, sinful, cruel and violent. Let the earth become fully auspicious, let everything be beneficial to us.
-- Atharva Veda, XIX-9

(This and other prayers can be found at Internet Sacred Text Archive.)

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