Prayer of St. Francis
Make me an instrument of peace
Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.
Where there is hatred, let me bring love.
Where there is offence, let me bring pardon.
Where there is discord, let me bring union.
Where there is error, let me bring truth.
Where there is doubt, let me bring faith.
Where there is despair, let me bring hope.
Where there is darkness, let me bring your light.
Where there is sadness, let me bring joy.
O Lord, 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 one receives,
it is in self-forgetting that one finds,
it is in forgiving that one is forgiven,
it is in dying that one awakens to eternal life.
An anonymous prayer long associated with St. Francis of Assisi. These words are a common English translation of the French original.
From the Recovery Prayers on Colors in Recoveryhttps://colorsinrecovery.com/prayers/prayer-of-st-francis/© 2026 Colors in Recovery / JC M. All rights reserved. The prayer’s wording belongs to its source above.
“God” can mean whatever higher power you are working with. Take your time. There is no right way to say it.
If this stirs up more than you can sit with, see the crisis and recovery resources, or Urge Help if an urge is close.