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For Guidance

O God, by whom the meek are guided in judgment, and light rises up in darkness for the godly: Grant us, in all our doubts and uncertainties, the grace to ask what you would have us do, that the Spirit of wisdom may save us from all false choices; that in your light we may see light, and in your straight path we may not stumble; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

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Collect
Prayers

A Collect for Peace (Evening)

Monday — Evening Prayer

O God, the source of all holy desires, all good counsels, and all just works: Give to your servants that peace which the world cannot give, that our hearts may be set to obey your commandments, and that we, being defended from the fear of our enemies, may pass our time in rest and quietness; through the merits of Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.

Deus, a quo sancta desideria, recta consilia, et justa sunt opera: da servis tuis illam, quam mundus dare non potest, pacem: ut et corda nostra mandatis tuis dedita, et hostium sublata formidine, tempora sint tua protectione tranquilla.

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Original-language source · public domain

Provenance

Gelasian, c. 750 / Cranmer 1549

Draft — AI-assisted research under editorial review.

One of the oldest prayers in the Anglican evening office, this collect has been said at Vespers and Evening Prayer for well over a thousand years. Its Latin original sits in the Gelasian Sacramentary, compiled around 750 CE from earlier Roman prayer material; Cranmer translated it for the very first English prayer book in 1549, and it has remained in every major prayer book since.