Prayers About Forgiveness
Find 49 prayers about Forgiveness to guide, comfort, and strengthen your faith.
Have Mercy on Me, O God
Have mercy on me, O God, according to Your loving devotion; according to Your great compassion, blot out my transgressions. Wash me clean of my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin. For I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me. Against You, You only, have I sinned and done what is evil in Your sight, so that You may be proved right when You speak and blameless when You judge. Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from Your presence; take not Your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, and sustain me with a willing spirit.
Psalm 51:1-4, 10-12 (BSB)
BiblicalFather, Forgive Them
Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.
Luke 23:34 (BSB)
BiblicalBlessed Is the One Whose Sin Is Forgiven
Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man against whom the Lord counts no iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit. When I kept silent about my sin, my body wasted away through my groaning all day long. For day and night Your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was drained as in the summer heat. Then I acknowledged my sin to You and did not hide my iniquity. I said, 'I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,' and You forgave the guilt of my sin. Therefore let all the godly pray to You while You may be found.
Psalm 32:1-6 (BSB)
BiblicalWho Is a God Like You?
Who is a God like You, who pardons sin and forgives the transgression of the remnant of His inheritance? You do not retain Your anger forever, because You delight in loving devotion. You will again have compassion on us; You will tread our sins underfoot. You will hurl all our iniquities into the depths of the sea. You will show faithfulness to Jacob and loving devotion to Abraham, as You swore to our fathers from the days of old.
Micah 7:18-20 (BSB)
BiblicalDivine Mercy Prayer
You expired, Jesus, but the source of life gushed forth for souls, and the ocean of mercy opened up for the whole world. O Fount of Life, unfathomable Divine Mercy, envelop the whole world and empty Yourself out upon us. Eternal God, in whom mercy is endless and the treasury of compassion inexhaustible, look kindly upon us and increase Your mercy in us, that in difficult moments we might not despair nor become despondent, but with great confidence submit ourselves to Your holy will, which is Love and Mercy itself.
Diary of Saint Faustina Kowalska (d. 1938, public domain)
TraditionalAct of Contrition
O my God, I am heartily sorry for having offended You, and I detest all my sins, because I dread the loss of heaven and the pains of hell, but most of all because they offend You, my God, who are all good and deserving of all my love. I firmly resolve, with the help of Your grace, to confess my sins, to do penance, and to amend my life. Amen.
Traditional Catholic prayer
TraditionalIf We Confess Our Sins, He Is Faithful
If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
1 John 1:8-9 (BSB)
BiblicalDo Not Repay Evil for Evil
Finally, all of you, be like-minded and sympathetic, loving as brothers, tenderhearted and humble. Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult, but with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing. For 'whoever would love life and see good days must keep his tongue from evil and his lips from deceitful speech. He must turn from evil and do good; he must seek peace and pursue it. For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and His ears are attentive to their prayer.'
1 Peter 3:8-12 (BSB)
BiblicalThe Lord's Prayer
Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.
Matthew 6:9-13 (BSB)
BiblicalShow Me Your Ways, O Lord
To You, O Lord, I lift up my soul. O my God, in You I trust; do not let me be ashamed; do not let my enemies exult over me. Indeed, none who wait for You will be put to shame. Show me Your ways, O Lord; teach me Your paths. Guide me in Your truth and teach me, for You are the God of my salvation; all day long I wait for You. Remember, O Lord, Your compassion and loving devotion, for they are from age to age. Do not remember the sins of my youth, nor my transgressions; remember me according to Your loving devotion, because of Your goodness, O Lord.
Psalm 25:1-7 (BSB)
BiblicalPraise the Lord, O My Soul
Praise the Lord, O my soul; all that is within me, praise His holy name. Praise the Lord, O my soul, and do not forget all His kind deeds. He forgives all your iniquities and heals all your diseases. He redeems your life from the Pit and crowns you with loving devotion and compassion. He satisfies you with good things; your youth is renewed like the eagle's.
Psalm 103:1-5 (BSB)
BiblicalPrayer of St. 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; and 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.
Traditional prayer attributed to St. Francis of Assisi
TraditionalOut of the Depths I Cry to You
Out of the depths I cry to You, O Lord. O Lord, hear my voice; let Your ears be attentive to my plea for mercy. If You, O Lord, kept track of iniquities, then who, O Lord, could stand? But with You there is forgiveness, so that You may be feared. I wait for the Lord; my soul does wait, and in His word I do hope. My soul waits for the Lord more than watchmen wait for the morning.
Psalm 130:1-6 (BSB)
BiblicalLuther's Evening Prayer
I thank You, my heavenly Father, through Jesus Christ, Your dear Son, that You have graciously kept me this day. I pray that You would forgive me all my sins where I have done wrong, and graciously keep me this night. For into Your hands I commend myself, my body and soul, and all things. Let Your holy angel be with me, that the evil foe may have no power over me. Amen.
Martin Luther's Small Catechism (1529, public domain)
TraditionalWill You Not Revive Us Again?
You showed favor to Your land, O Lord; You restored the fortunes of Jacob. Will You not revive us again, that Your people may rejoice in You? Show us Your loving devotion, O Lord, and grant us Your salvation. I will listen to what God the Lord will say; for He will speak peace to His people, to His saints. Surely His salvation is near to those who fear Him, that His glory may dwell in our land. Loving devotion and faithfulness have met together; righteousness and peace have kissed. The Lord will indeed give what is good, and our land will yield its harvest.
Psalm 85:1, 6-10, 12 (BSB)
BiblicalRend Your Heart and Not Your Garments
'Even now,' declares the Lord, 'return to Me with all your heart, with fasting and weeping and mourning.' Rend your hearts and not your garments. Return to the Lord your God, for He is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger, abounding in loving devotion. And He relents from sending disaster. And afterward, I will pour out My Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions.
Joel 2:12-13, 28 (BSB)
BiblicalPrayer of the Publican
God, be merciful to me, a sinner!
Luke 18:13 (BSB)
BiblicalPrayer of Ezra
O my God, I am too ashamed and disgraced to lift up my face to You, my God, because our sins are higher than our heads and our guilt has reached to the heavens. But now, for a brief moment, grace has come from the Lord our God to preserve for us a remnant and to give us a stake in His holy place. Our God has brightened our eyes and given us a little relief in our bondage.
Ezra 9:6, 8 (BSB)
BiblicalThe Jesus Prayer
Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.
Traditional Orthodox prayer (early Christian)
TraditionalTeach Me Your Way, O Lord
Incline Your ear, O Lord, and answer me, for I am poor and needy. Preserve my soul, for I am godly. Save Your servant who trusts in You. You are my God; be merciful to me, O Lord, for I call to You all day long. Bring joy to Your servant, for to You, O Lord, I lift up my soul. For You, O Lord, are kind and forgiving, rich in loving devotion to all who call on You. Teach me Your way, O Lord, that I may walk in Your truth. Give me an undivided heart to fear Your name.
Psalm 86:1-5, 11 (BSB)
BiblicalSolomon's Prayer at Temple Dedication
O Lord, God of Israel, there is no God like You in heaven above or on earth below, keeping Your covenant of loving devotion with Your servants who walk before You with all their hearts. Now, O Lord, God of Israel, please keep for Your servant David my father the promise You made to him when You said, 'You shall never fail to have a man to sit before Me on the throne of Israel, if only your sons take care to walk before Me as you have done.'
1 Kings 8:23, 25 (BSB)
BiblicalPrayer of Jonah from the Fish
In my distress I called to the Lord, and He answered me. From the belly of Sheol I called for help, and You heard my voice. You hurled me into the deep, into the heart of the seas, and the current swirled about me; all Your breakers and waves swept over me. But I will sacrifice to You with the voice of thanksgiving. I will fulfill what I have vowed. Salvation is from the Lord!
Jonah 2:2-3, 9 (BSB)
BiblicalRepent and Be Baptized
Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off, as many as the Lord our God will call.
Acts 2:38-39 (BSB)
BiblicalOrthodox Prayer Before Sleep
Into Your hands, O Lord, I commend my spirit. You have redeemed me, O Lord, God of truth. Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen. Grant me, O Lord, to pass this night in peace, and let me rise with a pure heart to serve You. Preserve me under Your protection and shelter me under the shadow of Your wings.
Traditional Orthodox Compline prayer
TraditionalLet the Peace of Christ Rule
Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, for to this you were called as members of one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God.
Colossians 3:15-16 (BSB)
BiblicalSeek the Lord While He May Be Found
Seek the Lord while He may be found; call on Him while He is near. Let the wicked man forsake his own way and the unrighteous man his own thoughts; let him return to the Lord, that He may have compassion, and to our God, for He will freely pardon. 'For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways,' declares the Lord. 'For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so My ways are higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts.'
Isaiah 55:6-9 (BSB)
BiblicalNehemiah's Prayer of Confession
O Lord, God of heaven, the great and awesome God who keeps His covenant of loving devotion with those who love Him and keep His commandments, let Your eyes be open and Your ears attentive to hear the prayer that I, Your servant, now pray before You day and night for Your servants, the Israelites. I confess the sins we Israelites have committed against You. Both I and my father's house have sinned.
Nehemiah 1:5-6 (BSB)
BiblicalLet Us Approach the Throne of Grace with Confidence
For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who was tempted in every way that we are, yet was without sin. Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.
Hebrews 4:15-16 (BSB)
BiblicalPrayer of St. Basil the Great
O God and Lord of Hosts, Creator of heaven and earth, look down upon Your servants who lift up their hands and eyes to heaven. Deliver us from every onslaught of the enemy. Grant us Your mercy. We look for help from no other source, but we hope in You alone. Guard our souls, protect our lives. Direct our intentions, sanctify our thoughts, and lead us to our perfection. Help us in our feebleness and save us from all dangers by granting us grace, mercy, and compassion for those whom You have made.
St. Basil the Great (d. 379)
Church FatherDe Profundis
Out of the depths I cry to You, O Lord; Lord, hear my voice. Let Your ears be attentive to my cry for mercy. If You, O Lord, kept a record of sins, O Lord, who could stand? But with You there is forgiveness, so that You may be feared. I wait for the Lord, my soul does wait, and in His word I put my hope. My soul waits for the Lord more than watchmen wait for the morning. O Israel, put your hope in the Lord, for with the Lord is unfailing love, and with Him is full redemption. He Himself will redeem Israel from all their sins.
Psalm 130 (traditional liturgical rendering)
TraditionalPrayer of Examen
Lord, I give You thanks for all the gifts You have bestowed on me this day. I ask for Your light to review the day now ending. Where did I feel Your presence today? Where did I respond to Your grace? Where did I resist Your grace? Lord, show me how I failed to love today. I am sorry for the times I turned away from You and from others. Give me the grace to begin again tomorrow, closer to You, more open to Your love, more ready to serve. I place my trust in You for the day to come.
Based on St. Ignatius of Loyola's Spiritual Exercises (d. 1556)
SaintHe Was Pierced for Our Transgressions
He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, acquainted with grief. Like one from whom men hide their faces, He was despised, and we esteemed Him not. Surely He took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows. Yet we considered Him stricken by God, struck down and afflicted. But He was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed.
Isaiah 53:3-5 (BSB)
BiblicalThe Greatest of These Is Love
If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a ringing gong or a clanging cymbal. Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no account of wrongs. Love takes no pleasure in evil, but rejoices in the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails. And now these three remain: faith, hope, and love; but the greatest of these is love.
1 Corinthians 13:1, 4-8, 13 (BSB)
BiblicalThe Lord Is My Shepherd
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 the sake of His name. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will 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 anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.
Psalm 23 (BSB)
BiblicalHe Who Dwells in the Shelter of the Most High
He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say to the Lord, 'You are my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.' Surely He will deliver you from the snare of the fowler, and from the deadly plague. He will cover you with His feathers; under His wings you will find refuge; His faithfulness is a shield and rampart. You will not fear the terror of the night, nor the arrow that flies by day, nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness, nor the calamity that destroys at noon. Because you have made the Lord your dwelling, no harm will befall you, no plague will approach your tent. For He will command His angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways.
Psalm 91:1-6, 9-11 (BSB)
BiblicalI Lift Up My Eyes to the Hills
I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth. He will not allow your foot to slip; your Protector will not slumber. Behold, He who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. The Lord is your keeper; the Lord is the shade on your right hand. The sun will not strike you by day, nor the moon by night. The Lord will guard you from all evil; He will preserve your soul. The Lord will watch over your coming and going, both now and forevermore.
Psalm 121 (BSB)
BiblicalSearch Me, O God
Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my concerns. See if there is any offensive way in me; lead me in the way everlasting.
Psalm 139:23-24 (BSB)
BiblicalThe Magnificat
My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior. For He has looked with favor on the humble state of His servant. From now on all generations will call me blessed. For the Mighty One has done great things for me. Holy is His name. His mercy extends to those who fear Him, from generation to generation. He has performed mighty deeds with His arm; He has scattered those who are proud in the thoughts of their hearts. He has brought down rulers from their thrones, but has exalted the humble. He has filled the hungry with good things, but has sent the rich away empty. He has helped His servant Israel, remembering to be merciful.
Luke 1:46-55 (BSB)
BiblicalThe Priestly Blessing
The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make His face shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up His countenance upon you and give you peace.
Numbers 6:24-26 (BSB)
BiblicalDo Not Be Anxious
Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 4:6-7 (BSB)
BiblicalThe Serenity Prayer
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.
Reinhold Niebuhr (public domain)
TraditionalSt. Patrick's Breastplate
Christ be with me, Christ within me, Christ behind me, Christ before me, Christ beside me, Christ to win me, Christ to comfort and restore me. Christ beneath me, Christ above me, Christ in quiet, Christ in danger, Christ in hearts of all that love me, Christ in mouth of friend and stranger.
Traditional Irish prayer attributed to St. Patrick
SaintPrayer for Rest in God
You have made us for Yourself, O Lord, and our hearts are restless until they rest in You. Grant us, Lord, to know what we ought to know, to love what we ought to love, to praise what delights You most, to value what is precious in Your sight, to hate what is offensive to You. Do not allow us to judge according to the sight of our eyes, nor to pass sentence according to the hearing of the ears of ignorant men; but to discern with a true judgment between things visible and spiritual, and above all things, always to inquire what is the good pleasure of Your will.
St. Augustine of Hippo, Confessions and other writings
SaintSuscipe of St. Ignatius
Take, Lord, and receive all my liberty, my memory, my understanding, and my entire will, all I have and call my own. You have given all to me. To You, Lord, I return it. Everything is Yours; do with it what You will. Give me only Your love and Your grace, that is enough for me.
St. Ignatius of Loyola, Spiritual Exercises
SaintGlory Be to the Father
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.
Traditional Christian doxology
TraditionalSong of Simeon
Lord, now You are letting Your servant depart in peace, according to Your word. For my eyes have seen Your salvation, which You have prepared in the sight of all people, a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to Your people Israel.
Luke 2:29-32 (BSB)
BiblicalPrayer of St. Thomas Aquinas Before Study
Creator of all things, true source of light and wisdom, origin of all being, graciously let a ray of Your light penetrate the darkness of my understanding. Take from me the double darkness in which I have been born, an obscurity of sin and ignorance. Give me a keen understanding, a retentive memory, and the ability to grasp things correctly and fundamentally. Grant me the talent of being exact in my explanations and the ability to express myself with thoroughness and charm. Point out the beginning, direct the progress, and help in the completion. I ask this through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
St. Thomas Aquinas
SaintPrayer of Jabez
Oh, that You would bless me and enlarge my territory! May Your hand be with me and keep me from harm, so that I will be free from pain.
1 Chronicles 4:10 (BSB)
BiblicalGod Is Our Refuge and Strength
God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth is transformed and the mountains are toppled into the depths of the seas, though their waters roar and foam and the mountains quake in the surge. Be still and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted over the earth. The Lord of Hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our stronghold.
Psalm 46:1-3, 10-11 (BSB)
Biblical
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