A Collection of Prayers

Happy Birthday, A Collection of Prayers

This prayer website began on June 18, 2016 as a collection of classic prayers. Usage (unique visitors and visits to pages in the site) has almost doubled each year. I am humbled and pleased to see my work used or linked by many church and Christian spirituality websites. The prayer database now has about 1,450 entries. In the past year I began posting pages of seasonal “Featured Prayers” as aids to those planning worship.

Something strange happened this year. Previous years showed heightened usage in March because of worship planners looking for resources for Lent and Easter, and then dropped in April after the rush. This year, April usage was greater than March, and May greater than April. With COVID-19, the whole world is in a time of crisis and Christians are looking for prayers and prayer resources for worship. The most visited entries in early 2020 have been “Kyrie Eleison / Lord, Have Mercy,” “In the Midst of Life We Are in Death,” “Litany of the Holy Spirit” and “Litany of the Most Holy Trinity.” The common theme in all of these entries is Christians crying out, “Lord, have mercy.”

I pray that God would continue to make this website a blessing to many who visit it, and as classic prayers are shared, make it a blessing to even more as hearts and minds are directed to our Lord, who has mercy.

Paul C. Stratman
Editor/curator of A Collection of Prayers

Make Us Watchful and Heedful

Lord God, heavenly Father,
make us watchful and heedful
in awaiting the coming of your Son,
our Lord Jesus Christ,
that when he stands at the door and knocks,
he may find us not sleeping in carelessness and sin,
but awake and rejoicing in his appearing;
through your beloved Son,
Jesus Christ our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one true God, now and forever.

Source: Veit Dietrich, d. 1549, Trinity Last

This revision/translation of The Collects of Veit Dietrich is licensed by Paul C. Stratman under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License. Please contact for permission for any commercial use.

You Have No Pleasure in the Death of the Wicked

O almighty, eternal and merciful God,
by your beloved Son,
our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,
you have established the kingdom of grace for us
in your holy Church on earth
that we might believe the forgiveness of our sins.
Since you are a God
who has no pleasure in the death of the wicked,
but that they turn from their ways and live,
graciously forgive us all our sins;
through your Son Jesus Christ,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one true God, now and forever.

Source: Veit Dietrich, d. 1549, Trinity 26

By Your Word You Have Brought Us out of Darkness

Lord God, heavenly Father,
we most heartily thank you
that by your Word
you have brought us out of the darkness of error
into the light of your grace.
Mercifully help us to walk in that light,
guard us from all error and false doctrine
and grant that we may not become ungrateful
and despise and persecute your Word,
as your people did long ago,
but receive it with all our heart,
govern our lives according to it
and put all our trust in your grace
through the merit of your dear Son,
Jesus Christ our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one true God, now and forever.

Source: Veit Dietrich, d. 1549, Trinity 25 / Reformation

We Will Not Die, but Peacefully Sleep and Be Raised

Almighty and eternal God,
by your Son you promised us
forgiveness of our sins
and deliverance from eternal death.
We pray that by your Holy Spirit
you will daily increase our faith
in your grace through Christ
and establish us in the certain hope
that we will not die,
but peacefully sleep
and be raised again on the last day
to eternal life and salvation;
through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one true God, now and forever.

Source: Veit Dietrich, d. 1549, Trinity 24

Govern and Direct Our Leaders

Lord God, heavenly Father,
we thank you for granting us peace
and graciously sparing us from war and foreign dominion.
Graciously let us continue to live
in your fear according to your will,
giving no cause for wars or other punishment.
Govern and direct our leaders and officials,
that they may not hinder the obedience due to you
but maintain righteousness
that we may enjoy happiness and blessing
under their government;
through our Lord Jesus Christ,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one true God, now and forever.

Source: Veit Dietrich, d. 1549, Trinity 23

Neighborly Love, Service and Helpfulness

Almighty and eternal God,
we are poor sinners
and stand under your righteous judgment.
With all our hearts
we thank you for taking all our guilt from us
and laying it on your dear Son Christ Jesus.
Graciously sustain us in faith
and govern us by your Holy Spirit,
that we may live according to your will,
in neighborly love, service and helpfulness,
and not give way to wrath or revenge,
that we may not incur your wrath
but always find in you a gracious Father;
through Jesus Christ our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one true God, now and forever.

Source: Veit Dietrich, d. 1549, Trinity 22

Forgiveness of Sins, Righteousness and Eternal Life

Almighty and eternal God,
by your Son you promised us
the forgiveness of sins,
righteousness and eternal life.
By your Holy Spirit
lead and awaken our hearts
that we daily pray for help in all afflictions,
seek to be near him,
and believing the promise of his Word,
obtain what we pray for,
and at last be saved;
through your Son Jesus Christ,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one true God, now and forever.

Source: Veit Dietrich, d. 1549, Trinity 21

We Seek Our Comfort Only in Your Mercy

Lord God, heavenly Father,
guide and direct us by your Holy Spirit,
that we may not forget our sins and be filled with pride,
but continue in daily repentance and renewal,
seeking our comfort only
in the blessed knowledge
that you will be merciful to us,
forgive us our sins
and grant us eternal life;
through your beloved Son,
Jesus Christ our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and forever.

Source: Veit Dietrich, d. 1549, Trinity 11

Help Us Hear Your Word and Praise Your Grace

Almighty and eternal God,
you have graciously created all things.
We thank you for giving us sound bodies
and for preserving us from the power of the evil foe.
Help us to rightly use our ears and tongues,
to hear your Word diligently and devoutly
and to praise you for your grace
so that no one will be offended by our words,
but that all may be strengthened in faith;
through your beloved Son,
Jesus Christ our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one true God, now and forever.

Source: Veit Dietrich, d. 1549, Trinity 12