Increase, O God, the spirit of neighborliness among us, that in peril we may uphold one another, in suffering tend to one another, and in homelessness, loneliness, or exile befriend one another. Grant us brave and enduring hearts that we may strengthen one another, until the disciplines and testing of these days are ended, and you again give peace in our time; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Draft — AI-assisted research under editorial review.
This prayer for hard times has no known author. It is remembered as a prayer said in English air-raid shelters during World War II, and the earliest prayer book it can be verified in is the Anglican Church in North America's 2019 Book of Common Prayer. Its closing line borrows an ancient plea for peace that has been part of Anglican worship since Cranmer's day.