One month after the outbreak of World War I, U.S. President Woodrow Wilson asked Americans of all faiths to join in prayer, seeking the blessing of peace for Europe and the world. In Salt Lake City, perhaps as many as 10,000 Latter-day Saints gathered in the Tabernacle on Temple Square during General Conference and joined in prayer.

That prayer for peace, offered by President Charles W. Penrose of the First Presidency, is as relevant today as it was a century ago.

A Prayer for Peace

O God, our Eternal Father, the Father of the spirits of all men, we come unto thee in the name of Jesus Christ, our Redeemer, and worship thee, and render thanks unto thee for all things that we have received, both spiritual and temporal, for our sustenance, for our guidance, for our enlightenment, for our understanding and knowledge that we may be prepared to come into thy presence eventually and be crowned with eternal lives. Wilt thou accept of our thanksgiving, this morning, for all thy favors; look in mercy upon us and unite our hearts together under the influence of thy Divine Spirit, that we may be one in very deed, and that our supplications may come up unto thee acceptable. Forgive us of all our sins, our follies, our imperfections, our unworthiness, our lack of obedience unto thy commandments and thy counsels; and wherein we have in any way offended thee, we crave thy pardon and forgiveness.

We ask thee, our Eternal Father, to look in mercy upon the nations of the earth. They are thy children, even though they may have gone astray, and have been stirred up in bitterness and in anger unto war one with another. Wilt thou, O Lord, look down upon them in thy loving tenderness and kindness, bestow thy mercy upon them and prepare the way whereby war may cease and peace may be established.

Thou hast inspired thy prophets, in days of old and in these latter days, to predict that the day would come when men would cease their strife and would study war no more, when they would turn their weapons of destruction into agencies of peace for the cultivation of the earth and for the development of its resources, and we pray, our Father, that that time may be hastened. Wilt thou look down in mercy upon the rulers of the nations, upon all who have part in the conduct of human affairs in the various governments in the world, and cause thy divine spirit to shine upon their understandings and to touch their hearts that they may feel the absolute need of establishing peace on the earth, drawing the people of the world together in fraternity instead of going forth upon the field of battle to destroy each others’ lives.

O Lord, look in mercy upon the wives and the children and other relatives of those who are now personally engaged in the strife that is causing bloodshed and horror throughout the continent of Europe. Have mercy upon them, O Lord, and turn aside the outpouring of the spirit of war, and grant that the angel of peace may hover over the nations and that the influences flowing from his presence may come down upon them; that the wives and the children may be relieved of their sufferings, and that their loved ones may be restored to them – those that remain of them who are striving against each other, and may they who seek to establish unrighteousness and untruth and oppression and tyranny not succeed.

We ask thee, O Lord, to look in mercy upon those nations. No matter what may have been the cause which has brought about the tumult and the conflict now prevailing, wilt thou grant, we pray thee, that it may be overruled for good, so that the time shall come when, though thrones may totter and empires fall, liberty and freedom shall come to the oppressed nations of Europe, and indeed throughout the world. We pray that liberty may come out of this oppression, that freedom may come out of this strife; and wilt thou grant that in thy divine providence all things may conspire together for good, so that righteousness may be established, that the fruit of righteousness, which is peace, may be enjoyed.

Wilt thou grant, Heavenly Father, that the Spirit of the Lord may rest down mightily upon thy peace, even thy Saints, those who are assembled here in conference, and those whom they represent in the various stakes of Zion and the missions abroad, and grant that they may obey the instructions that have been imparted, and dwell together in peace. May there be no spirit of enmity or of strife among thy Saints. Do thou grant that they may be able to understand each other, that they may be able to accord to each other that liberty which they desire for themselves, so that though they may differ in opinions and in views, they may accede and concede to others that liberty which every man should enjoy under the Constitution of the United States which thou didst raise up good and wise men to establish. Grant, O Lord, that there may be no real spirit of strife among them, that thy Saints, as neighbors, may dwell together in amity and in brotherly love, and in unity, and may this peace prevail throughout the land of Zion, that Zion may be indeed the pure in heart, those who serve God and keep his commandments.

Now, O Lord, we unite with all who are praying unto thee this day to ask thee that in thy mercy, in thy providence, this terrible slaughter may soon be brought to an end, that the spirit of strife may depart, that the spirit of peace may brood over the nations, so that all these terrors that have come may speedily pass away, and that thy righteous purposes may be accomplished, that good may come to the world, and the way be prepared for the coming of the King of Peace, even Jesus Christ, thy Son, our elder Brother in the spirit, whom we love and adore this day, and in whose holy name we come unto thee. Wilt thou hear our prayers, O God, the Ruler of nations, the Mighty One on high! Wilt thou look down in mercy upon the world, and wilt thou cause the spirit of peace to come forth to accomplish that which we desire in our hearts. We know, O Lord, that thy purposes shall be accomplished; we do not wish to step in the way or to attempt to hinder them in any degree, but we come unto thee and express the desires of our souls. Thy children, O Lord, plead with thee that peace may come, and that the time may soon arrive when thy will shall be done on earth as it is done in heaven. We dedicate ourselves and all that we have and all that we are unto thy service, and desire to be ambassadors of peace, to carry with us the spirit of peace, to have it in our hearts, to have it in our homes, to have it prevail throughout our land, and go forth from Zion to the uttermost parts of the earth; and to this end we dedicate ourselves and all we have and are unto thee, and ask these favors at thine hands, in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.