O merciful Father, you have taught us in your holy Word that you do not willingly afflict or grieve the children of men: Look with pity on the sorrows of your servants in trouble. Remember him, O Lord, in mercy; nourish his soul with patience; comfort him with a sense of your goodness; lift up your countenance upon him; and give him peace; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Draft — AI-assisted research under editorial review.
A prayer for someone facing grief or hardship, first printed in the American prayer book of 1928 under the heading "For a Person under Affliction." Its opening line draws on the prophet Jeremiah's Lamentations, and it reached its present title and wording through the 1979 and 2019 American prayer books.