Prayer and Armed Conflict

Christian prayer written by General La Verne Saunders, World War II hero

O God, most merciful and just … Make me strong in conflict, brave in adversity, and patient in suffering. Make me vigilant to defend my country against her enemies and proud to carry her cause fearlessly into battle. I do not ask to be preserved free from all bodily harm, and if death is the price I must pay for our country’s freedom, I will pay it gladly, trusting in Thy infinite mercy that Thou wilt make a place for me in heaven, there to know peace and happiness in all eternity …

Prayer for Peace with Iraq

From the Iona Community

Lord of hope and compassion, Friend of Abraham
Who called our father in faith to journey to a new future,

We remember before you the country of Iraq from which he was summoned
Ancient land of the Middle East, realm of the two rivers,

Birthplace of great cities and of civilization.
May we who name ourselves children of Abraham,

Call to mind all the peoples of the Middle East who honor him as father.
Those who guard and celebrate the Torah,

Those for whom the Word has walked on earth and lived among us
Those who follow their prophet, who listened for the word in the desert
And shaped a community after what he heard.

Lord of reconciliation, God of the painful sacrifice uniting humankind
We long for the day when you will provide for all nations of the earth your blessing of peace.

But now when strife and war are at hand, help us to see in each other a family likeness,
our inheritance from our one father Abraham.

Keep hatred from the threshold of our hearts, and preserve within us a generous spirit
which recognizes in both foe and friend a common humanity.

This we ask in the name of the one who came to offer us the costly gift of abundant life.

(In Arabic, Abraham is often called “El Khalil” which means ‘the Friend [of God].’ Ur and Haran, the cities from which, according to Genesis, Abraham was summoned by God both lie within the territory of modern Iraq.)

Cherokee Blessing

A Prayer in Time of War

One: Eternal God, in whose will is our enduring peace, we find ourselves again in the wilderness of war. With hopes dashed on the rocks of failed diplomacy among nations filled with distrust and fear, we cry out to you for mercy.

All: With memories of a fragile peace now lost, we ask for courage to face the uncertainty of a world vulnerable to unimaginable death. God, in your mercy, save us.

One: Loving God, we confess our complicity in the misunderstanding and hostility that have brought us to this tragic hour. Forgive our callousness to the hurts of others and our contempt for the heritage that shapes their lives.

All: Hear the lament of our hearts for anything and everything worthy of peace that we have neglected on the road to war. God, in your mercy, forgive us.

One: Righteous God, in whose sacred justice both mercy and truth embrace, forbid that we fail to see in all persons, including those we now call our enemy, the grandeur of your image and likeness.

All: Across the chasm of our separation open our eyes to our common humanity pronounced good by your voice at the dawn of creation. God, in your mercy, reconcile your people.

One: Saving God, sustain us in the things necessary for a just peace in the aftermath of this conflagration. Deliver us and all others from the use of wanton weapons of wrath that promise only to poison the earth and fan the expanding fires of human hatred.

All: Deliver us from the temptation to imitate what we say we deplore and from cowardice to embody the costly freedom we seek to defend. God, in your mercy, save us from the enemy within our hearts.

One: Healing God, guardian of those in harm’s way, hold close our sons and daughters who serve our nation in this conflict fraught with contradiction. Return them soon and safely to us and the land of their hopes and dreams.

All: We pray as well for those who are at enmity with us in this struggle and who are sons and daughters beloved in their own land. God, in your mercy, hasten the end of this war.

One: Eternal God, by your power transform your world into the global family you created us to be.

A Sikh Prayer for Peace

We attain God when we love, and only that victory
endures in consequences of which no one is defeated.

Christian Prayer

The Lord Be Our Defender
St. Ethelwold

May God the Father bless us,
may Christ take care of us,
the Holy Ghost enlighten us all the days of our life.
The Lord be our defender and keeper of body and soul,
both now and for ever, to the ages of ages.

Eastern Orthodox Prayer

Source: Eastern Catholic Center of San Francisco
Prayer for Soldiers Going Off to Battle

O Holy Master, Almighty Father and Pre-Eternal God, Who alone made and directs all things; Who rise up quickly against the evil of the impious ones; Who, by Providence, teach Thy people preservation of Justice and the obliteration of the sword on earth; Who condescend to raise up military columns to help the people: O God, Who commanded the Forerunner John to say to the soldiers coming to him in the desert, ‘Do not intimidate anyone… and be content with your wages’:

We entreat Thee with compunction, that Thou gavest Thy child David the power to defeat Goliath, and as Thou didst condescend, through Judas Maccabeus, to seize victory from the arrogant pagans who would not call on Thy Name; so too, grant protection in righteousness and truth to these Thy servants against the enemies rising against them, and by Thy heavenly loving-kindness, strength and might for the preservation of faith and truth.

Condescend, out of Thy mercy, O Master, to grant them the fear of Thee, together with humility, obedience and good endurance; that they kill no one unrighteously, but rather preserve all righteousness and truth; that they may fear Thee and honor Justice; that they run in friendship to those who are scattered, extending thy love to those near them, serving the elderly with justice; and that their ranks fulfill all things righteously;

For thou art our God, and to Thee do we ascribe glory; to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen.

Christian Prayer

Prayer for Soldiers Killed in the Iraq War

May all soldiers who fell in Iraq be blessed and praised for giving the ultimate sacrifice. May our Lord be holding all in his arms, and bring peace and comfort to their families.

A Hindu Prayer for Peace

O God, lead us from the unreal to the Real.
O God, lead us from darkness to light.
O God, lead us from death to immortality.
Shanti, Shanti,
Shanti unto all.

Christian Prayer, appropriate for many faiths

Source: The Presidential Prayer Team
Prayer for Those in the Armed Services

O God of Mercy, we beg You now to protect in a special way those who are fighting for us and for the country we love. Bless them and take care of them. If they are tired, give them strength. If they are wounded and suffering, give them comfort. If they are lonely, touch them with Your gentle hand and let them know that You are near them. Grant them strength, wisdom and help through Your power and Your limitless love. Amen.

Christian prayer written by General La Verne Saunders, World War II hero

Multifaith Prayer

Attributed to Corp. Zirnheld, Special Air Service
Source: International War Veterans’ Poetry Archives

Give me, my God, what you still have;
give me what no one asks for.
I do not ask for wealth, nor success,
nor even health.
People ask you so often, God, for all that,
that you cannot have any left.
Give me, my God, what you still have.
Give me what people refuse to accept from you.
I want insecurity and disquietude;
I want turmoil and brawl.
And if you should give them to me,
my God, once and for all,
let me be sure to have them always,
for I will not always
have the courage to ask for them.

A Native American Prayer for Peace

O Great Spirit of our Ancestors… Give us the wisdom
to teach our children to love, to respect, and to be kind to
each other so that they may grow with peace in mind.
Let us learn to share all the good things that you provide
for us on this Earth.

Christian Prayer

Prayer for the Military Wife
Source: Wonderful Miracles

Dear God, I am proud to be wed to one who defends freedom and peace. My challenges are many and I pray for your love and guidance to meet them. Special to me are the symbols representing my religion, country, community, and home. I pray for the wisdom and grace to be true to their meanings. You are the symbol of my religious beliefs and the source of my strength. Because my life is full of change, I cherish the solid and constant spiritual foundation that you provide. Help me Lord, to be an example of your teachings. My national flag represents freedom. Let me never forget, or take for granted, the hope it shows to the world. Bless those who have made sacrifices for freedom.

Please grant us your continued blessings, increased strength and infinite guidance, as we live to your honor and glory. Amen.

A Muslim Prayer for Peace

In the name of Allah, the beneficent, the merciful.
Praise be to the Lord of the Universe who has created
us and made us into tribes and nations that we may
know each other, not that we may despise each other.

Catholic Prayer

Prayer for Fallen Soliders
Source: Beliefnet memorial

Dear Lord Jesus and Mary, Mother of God,
Hold all these brave souls in the palm of your hand, comfort them and their families.

Send angels of protection, love, and comfort to all the service men and women still at war,
bring them home safely and comfort their families.

We ask all our prayers in Jesus’ name. Amen.

A Buddhist Prayer for Peace

May all beings everywhere plagued with sufferings
of body and mind quickly be freed from their illness.
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.

Christian Prayer

Chaplain John Stevey
Source: www.sfalx.com
The Special Forces Prayer

Almighty God Who art the Author of Liberty
and the Champion of the oppressed
hear our prayer.
We the men of Special Forces,
acknowledge our dependence upon Thee
in the preservation of human freedom.
Go with us as we seek to defend the defenseless
and to free the enslaved.
May we ever remember that our nation,
whose motto is “In God We Trust,”
expects that we shall acquit ourselves with honor,
that we may never bring shame upon our faith,
our families, or our fellow men.
Grant us wisdom from Thy mind,
courage from Thine heart,
strength from Thine arm,
and protection by Thine hand.
It is for Thee that we do battle,
and to Thee belongs the victor’s crown.
For Thine is the kingdom,
and the power and glory forever,
Amen!

A Zoroastrian Prayer for Peace

We pray to God to eradicate all the misery in the world:
that understanding triumph over ignorance, that
generosity triumph over indifference, that trust triumph
over contempt, and that truth triumph over falsehood.

A Shinto Prayer for Peace

Although the people living across the ocean surrounding
us, I believe all are our brothers and sisters, Why are
there constant troubles in this world? Why do winds and
waves rise in the oceans surrounding us? I only earnestly
wish that the wind will soon puff away all the clouds
which are hanging over the tops of mountains.