Prayers for Peace

25th March 2026 Mollie N 228 Views

Day of Prayer for the People of the Middle East, 31 March 2026

During Holy Week, the Primus, Bishop Mark Strange, had planned to visit Jerusalem and the West Bank, with one of his aims being to provide the background for a season of prayer for the region. The flights for this trip have now been cancelled and Bishop Mark cannot travel to the Middle East, so he has asked for a Day of Prayer for the churches and people of the Middle East on the Tuesday of Holy Week (31 March), the day he would have been on the West Bank.

For this Day of Prayer, there’s a dedicated page on the SEC website with prayer resources. If you want to find a church near you that may be opening for a time on this day, please visit our Church Directory.

On 23 March, the World Council of Churches (WCC) initiated a series of global prayers for peace, to bring the worldwide ecumenical community into a shared rhythm of spiritual solidarity, intercession, and hope. The first focus of the global prayer initiative was on the Middle East, in light of ongoing war, the destruction of lives, and the deepening humanitarian suffering affecting communities across the region, and a prayer vigil was held on 26 March. You can review it on YouTube and access related resources here.

The rest of this page includes similar prayers and ideas for you to reflect. Below are some links to external websites, which are also collating resources. You might also be interested in our webpage How Do We Talk to Children About War?

Christian Aid Prayer for Peace

God, we weep for all lives lost in conflict.
We pray for all those who mourn their loved ones.
We bring to you our deep sorrows and our fears for the future.
God, we cry out for peace and for justice.
We pray for everyone to immediately cease fire, and for war to end.
We pray that all in power would act to stop violence now.
We ask this in the name of the Prince of Peace, Jesus Christ. Amen.

Christian Aid Prayer for Peace in the Middle East

God, hear our prayers for peace in the Middle East. 
May all people in the region be protected, safe from harm. 
We pray that this crisis will end now, with no further loss of life. 
God, may the injured and distressed know your healing presence. 
May the powerful and the decision-makers follow the paths of justice, mercy and peace. 
We pray for recognition of the dignity and value of every life. 
May the clamour of violence cease, 
Replaced by the beating of swords into ploughshares. 
God, in your name, Amen. 

Prayer from Churches Together in Britain and Ireland

O God of all
Of Abraham, Sarah, Hagar, Isaac, and Ishmael:
Our hearts are broken in pieces at the suffering and murder of your people.
Our voices cry for peace and for justice.
Comfort those who grieve,
Console and heal the injured,
Be close to those in fear,
Restrain with your mighty hand those who perpetrate violence.
Send us your wisdom in all that we say and do,
That our voice may always seek justice, peace and security for all, Amen.

Prayer from World Council of Churches

For peace in your country
For the victims of violence everywhere
For those struggling for peace and justice
For churches in conflict situations
For a world without war and violence

Lead me from death to life, from falsehood to truth,
Lead me from despair to hope, from fear to trust.
Lead me from hate to love, from war to peace,
Let peace fill our beings, our world and our universe.
Amen.

Prayer from Pope Leo XIV

Lord of Life, you shaped every human being in your image and likeness. We believe you created us for communion, not for war, for fraternity, not for destruction. You who greeted your disciples saying, “Peace be with you,” grant us the gift of your peace and the strength to make it a reality in history.
Today we lift up our prayer for peace in the world, asking that nations renounce weapons and choose the path of dialogue and diplomacy. Disarm our hearts of hatred, resentment, and indifference, so we may become instruments of reconciliation. Help us understand that true security does not come from control fueled by fear, but from trust, justice, and solidarity among peoples.
Lord, enlighten the leaders of the nations, so they may have the courage to abandon projects of death, halt the arms race, and place the lives of the most vulnerable at the center. May the nuclear threat never again dictate the future of humanity.
Holy Spirit, make us faithful and creative builders of daily peace: in our hearts, our families, our communities, and our cities. May every kind word, every gesture of reconciliation, and every choice for dialogue be seeds of a new world. Amen.

Prayer from The Corrymeela Community

God of opened ears;
God of turned cheeks:
we’ve heard your lesson
enough times by now.
We’ve seen the alternative
play out, over and over.
Yet we still choose violence.
We still look to dominate,
to do unto others before
they can do it to us.
It would almost make sense,
it might even seem wise,
if your voice didn’t make
our madness so clear.
So tell us again.
Amen.

Coventry’s Litany of Reconciliation

All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.

The hatred which divides nation from nation, race from race, class from class,
Father forgive.
The covetous desires of people and nations to possess what is not their own,
Father, forgive.
The greed which exploits the work of human hands and lays waste the earth,
Father, forgive.
Our envy of the welfare and happiness of others,
Father, forgive.
Our indifference to the plight of the imprisoned, the homeless, the refugee,
Father, forgive.
The lust which dishonours the bodies of men, women and children,
Father, forgive.
The pride which leads us to trust in ourselves and not in God,
Father, forgive.
Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving one another,
as God in Christ forgave you.

Collect from Coventry Cathedral

Almighty God,
from whom all thoughts of truth and peace proceed;
kindle, we pray, in the hearts of all the true love of peace,
and guide with your pure and peaceable wisdom
those who take counsel for the nations of the earth;
that your kingdom may go forward in justice and peace,
till the earth is filled with the knowledge of your love;
through Jesus Christ our Lord,
who is alive and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever. Amen.

Prayer prompts for your own intercessions

An end to conflict and violence
Everyone to abide by international law
Negotiations and diplomacy to be intensified
Every life to be valued
Emergency supplies like blankets, food, sanitation and medical support to promptly reach those who need them
Courage and persistence amongst those working for peace and justice
Lasting peace and justice

A blessing from 1 Thessalonians

Go forth into the world in peace;
be of good courage;
hold fast that which is good;
render to no one evil for evil;
strengthen the fainthearted; support the weak;
help the afflicted; honour everyone;
love and serve the Lord, rejoicing in the power of the Holy Spirit;
and the blessing of God Almighty, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit,
be with you and remain with you always. Amen.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s creed

I believe that God is both able and willing to bring forth good from everything, even from the worst. For this, God needs people who allow all things to work together for good.

I believe that God wants to give us as much power of resistance as we need in every hardship. Yet God does not give it to us in advance, so that we do not rely on ourselves, but solely on God. In such faith, all fear of the future ought to be overcome.

I believe that God is not a timeless fate, but instead waits for and responds to sincere prayers and responsible actions. Amen.

The Creed of Seoul

We believe in God, who is love, and who has given the earth to all people.
We do not believe in the right of the strongest, in the power of weapons, in the might of oppression.
We believe in Jesus Christ, who has come to heal us, and who has freed us from all deadly dependencies.
We do not believe that wars are inevitable, that peace is unattainable.
We believe in the communion of saints, who are called to serve all people.
We do not believe that suffering is in vain, that death is the end, that God wants the destruction of the earth.
We believe that God wants order for the world, based on justice and love, and that all people are equal human beings.
We believe in God’s promise, to establish justice and peace for all humankind.
We believe in God’s promise of a new heaven and a new earth, where justice and peace will embrace.
We believe in the beauty of simplicity, in love with open hands, in peace on earth. Amen.

Photo by Sunguk Kim on Unsplash