Prayers About Lent
Find 50 prayers about Lent to guide, comfort, and strengthen your faith.
Rend 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)
BiblicalHave 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)
BiblicalAct 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
TraditionalHe 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)
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)
BiblicalMy God, My God, Why Have You Forsaken Me?
My God, my God, why have You forsaken me? Why are You so far from saving me, so far from my words of groaning? O my God, I cry out by day, but You do not answer, and by night, but I have no rest. Yet You are holy, enthroned on the praises of Israel. In You our fathers trusted; they trusted and You delivered them. But I am a worm and not a man, scorned by men and despised by the people. Yet You brought me forth from the womb; You made me secure at my mother's breast. From birth I was cast upon You; from my mother's womb You have been my God.
Psalm 22:1-4, 6, 9-10 (BSB)
BiblicalSave Me, O God, for the Waters Have Risen
Save me, O God, for the waters have risen to my neck. I have sunk into the miry depths, where there is no foothold. I have come into deep waters, where the floods engulf me. I am weary from crying for help; my throat is parched. My eyes fail, looking for my God. But as for me, my prayer to You, O Lord, is for a time of favor. In the abundance of Your loving devotion, O God, answer me with Your sure salvation. Answer me, O Lord, out of Your abundant goodness; in Your great compassion, turn to me.
Psalm 69:1-3, 13, 16 (BSB)
BiblicalHe Will Sit as a Refiner
But who can endure the day of His coming, and who can stand when He appears? For He will be like a refiner's fire, like a launderer's soap. And He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver; He will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver. Then they will present offerings to the Lord in righteousness.
Malachi 3:2-3 (BSB)
BiblicalFather, Forgive Them
Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.
Luke 23:34 (BSB)
BiblicalPrayer of St. Bonaventure
Pierce, O most sweet Lord Jesus, my inmost soul with the most joyous and healthful wound of Your love, with true, serene, and most holy apostolic charity, that my soul may ever languish and melt with love and longing for You, that it may yearn for You and faint for Your courts, and long to be dissolved and to be with You. Grant that my soul may hunger after You, the bread of angels, the refreshment of holy souls, our daily and supersubstantial bread.
St. Bonaventure, The Tree of Life (d. 1274)
SaintIf 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)
BiblicalPrayer for Advent
Almighty God, give us grace that we may cast away the works of darkness and put upon us the armor of light, now in the time of this mortal life, in which Your Son Jesus Christ came to visit us in great humility; that in the last day, when He shall come again in His glorious majesty to judge both the quick and the dead, we may rise to the life immortal. Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Collect for the First Sunday of Advent (Book of Common Prayer, 1662)
TraditionalPrayer of the Publican
God, be merciful to me, a sinner!
Luke 18:13 (BSB)
BiblicalSoul of Christ
Soul of Christ, sanctify me. Body of Christ, save me. Blood of Christ, inebriate me. Water from the side of Christ, wash me. Passion of Christ, strengthen me. O good Jesus, hear me. Within Your wounds hide me. Separated from You, let me never be. From the evil one protect me. At the hour of my death, call me. And close to You bid me, that with Your saints I may be praising You forever and ever. Amen.
Traditional Catholic prayer (14th century)
TraditionalThe Jesus Prayer
Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.
Traditional Orthodox prayer (early Christian)
TraditionalSeek 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)
BiblicalDe 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)
TraditionalBlessed 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)
BiblicalWill 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)
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)
TraditionalPrayer of Humble Access
We do not presume to come to this thy Table, O merciful Lord, trusting in our own righteousness, but in thy manifold and great mercies. We are not worthy so much as to gather up the crumbs under thy Table. But thou art the same Lord, whose property is always to have mercy: Grant us therefore, gracious Lord, so to eat the flesh of thy dear Son Jesus Christ, and to drink his Blood, that we may evermore dwell in Him, and He in us. Amen.
Book of Common Prayer (1662, public domain)
TraditionalO Lord, God of My Salvation
O Lord, God of my salvation, day and night I cry out before You. May my prayer come before You; incline Your ear to my cry. For my soul is full of troubles, and my life draws near to Sheol. O Lord, I cry out to You; in the morning my prayer comes before You. Why, O Lord, do You reject me? Why do You hide Your face from me? From my youth I have been afflicted and near death; I have borne Your terrors and am in despair. But to You, O Lord, I cry for help; in the morning my prayer meets You.
Psalm 88:1-3, 13-15 (BSB)
BiblicalWesley's Covenant Prayer
I am no longer my own, but Thine. Put me to what Thou wilt, rank me with whom Thou wilt. Put me to doing, put me to suffering. Let me be employed by Thee or laid aside for Thee, exalted for Thee or brought low for Thee. Let me be full, let me be empty. Let me have all things, let me have nothing. I freely and heartily yield all things to Thy pleasure and disposal. And now, O glorious and blessed God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, Thou art mine, and I am Thine. So be it. And the covenant which I have made on earth, let it be ratified in heaven. Amen.
John Wesley's Covenant Service (1755, public domain)
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)
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)
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)
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)
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)
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
TraditionalThe 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)
BiblicalThe Lord Is My Light
The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? Though an army encamps around me, my heart will not fear; though a war breaks out against me, I will keep my trust. One thing I have asked of the Lord; this is what I desire: to dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze on the beauty of the Lord and seek Him in His temple. Wait for the Lord; be strong and courageous. Wait for the Lord!
Psalm 27:1, 3-4, 14 (BSB)
BiblicalMy Soul Finds Rest in God Alone
My soul finds rest in God alone; my salvation comes from Him. He alone is my rock and my salvation; He is my fortress; I will never be shaken. Find rest, O my soul, in God alone; my hope comes from Him. He alone is my rock and my salvation; He is my fortress; I will not be shaken. My salvation and my honor rest on God; He is my strong rock, my refuge. Trust in Him at all times, O people; pour out your hearts before Him. God is our refuge.
Psalm 62:1-2, 5-8 (BSB)
BiblicalTaste and See That the Lord Is Good
I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise will always be on my lips. My soul will boast in the Lord; the humble will hear and be glad. O magnify the Lord with me; let us exalt His name together. I sought the Lord, and He answered me; He delivered me from all my fears. Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him. The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and His ears are inclined to their cry. The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears; He delivers them from all their troubles. The Lord is near to the brokenhearted; He saves the contrite in spirit.
Psalm 34:1-4, 8, 15, 17-18 (BSB)
BiblicalAs the Deer Pants for Water
As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for You, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear in God's presence? Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why the unease within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise Him, my Savior and my God.
Psalm 42:1-2, 5 (BSB)
BiblicalTeach 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)
BiblicalGreat Is the Lord
I will exalt You, my God and King; I will bless Your name forever and ever. Every day I will bless You, and I will praise Your name forever and ever. Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised; His greatness is unsearchable. The Lord is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in loving devotion. The Lord is good to all; His compassion rests on all He has made. The Lord upholds all who fall and lifts up all who are bowed down. The Lord is near to all who call on Him, to all who call on Him in truth.
Psalm 145:1-3, 8-9, 14, 18 (BSB)
BiblicalGive Thanks to the Lord
Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; His loving devotion endures forever. In my distress I called to the Lord, and He answered me and set me free. The Lord is with me; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me? The Lord is with me as my helper; I will look in triumph on those who hate me. This is the day that the Lord has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.
Psalm 118:1, 5-7, 24 (BSB)
Biblical
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Build a habit around praying & spend less time on social media.
