lords prayer words - traditional and contemporary prayers

Prayer for Patience


This page features a number of short prayers for those who are currently reaching out to God and in need of more patience in their lives, whether this be in a relationship with a friend, work colleague or family member, or even with themselves. We begin with the short prayer "God, grant me the serenity.."

Serenity Prayer

a printable image of this famous prayer for those seeking more patience and wisdom:- Serenity Prayer Poster - Serenity, Courage and Wisdom

read the full version of this beautiful prayer by clicking here.





Prayer for Strength

A short uplifting prayer for those in need of God's courage and patience during a difficult time:-


resources on this page



In the silence of the heart God speaks. If you face God in prayer and silence, God will speak to you.

Mother Teresa (1910-1997)


a short prayer about God's patience and kindness

"But you, O Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God,
slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness."

Psalm 85:15 (NIV)



Prayer for patience and understanding


"Yahweh is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abundant in loving kindness".

Psalm 103:8, (WEB)

You may wish to bring to mind any relationships where you need to exercise patience, such as with your family, children, marriage or at work. Then slowly pray the following words:-


Lord, may I be slow to anger and filled with love
I know I'm going to need Your help here
Because if I try to go solo on this I'll fail for sure

Please fill my heart with patience
May I be ready to forgive - myself and others
Not just this once
But as many times as it takes
Thank you that you are forever giving
When it comes to forgiveness

Please fill my heart with understanding
May I always seek to contemplate
What somebody may be suffering
Before I jump to any conclusions
Because I know that you never cease
To pardon me

Lord, may I be slow to anger and filled with love
Because you are my hero
And I'm following You


(a prayer for patience from www.lords-prayer-words.com)



patience and self-understanding
Sometimes it's easier to exercise patience with other people, than it is with ourselves. Sometimes we become annoyed with others when deep down it's ourselves that we are annoyed with. We may need to take some time out, and let God reveal to us our weaknesses. Then we can confess our struggles to God, and forgive and release ourselves. Here's a short prayer of confession that you can say in these times:-
"Lord, the next time I realise that it's me that I'm angry with,
please help me to forgive myself as you have forgiven me"

Patience and seeking to understand


How can I become more patient as a person? Why do I 'lose it' or get angry so quickly? How come I just can't bear to wait for anything?

For most of us, patience does not come naturally - but with God's help we can work at it. One of the keys to becoming more patient is seeking to understand - either yourself or somebody else better. For example, somebody drives into the back of your car. Now it may be that they were negligent, but it may also be that they have something going on in their life that is consuming them - what if that driver has just heard that his daughter has six weeks to live? How would that change our perspective on him, and how we might treat him? The reality is that nobody is leading a perfect life, without some level of illness, stress or hardship. Try taking a moment to think about somebody who you are at odds with. Now imagine that they have just six weeks left to live. Did your attitude to them change? The reality is that we all live with some kind of weakness or sickness, and these weaknesses effect our abilities to interact with others. One persons strengths will be very different to the next persons, and so we should never assume that just because something seems relatively easy for us, it is easy for them.

Bible verse on patience

A promise from scripture on patience and endurance:-

bible verse on prayer for patience

Patience and busyness
"How are you - keeping busy?"

In western culture "busyness" is seen as a virtue. If we're not busy in some way then we believe that we are of less value. Of course this is not true - our sense of value comes from understanding how much God (and our friends and family) loves us. Instead, we believe the lie that being constantly occupied makes us more important. If we are going to be good at patience, then we are going to need to know that it's OK to stop for once in a while.

"Lord, help me to place all my securities in You.
Please release me from thinking that I need to be busy"



Take a moment to hear from God...

here are links to some wonderfully inspired prayers to aid your journey