Guided by Prayer is a library of prayers for the things people actually carry: a sick parent, a marriage in trouble, a long drive home, a first day on a new job, a saint's feast, a season of the Church year. There are more than three hundred, each with a little background on where it comes from, the scripture behind it and when to pray it.
Most people arrive here in the middle of something, looking for words when their own have run out. The site is built for that moment. You should be able to find a prayer, read it slowly and pray it, without signing up for anything or getting through a wall of clutter first.
Who writes it
The site is run by one person, who writes as Stephen S. Griffin. That's a pen name, because I keep my own name off the site for privacy.
I started Guided by Prayer in 2022 to build a prayer database: one place where you can look up a prayer by need, by saint or by season, and find the text alongside where it comes from and the scripture behind it. I'm not a priest, pastor or theologian, and the site doesn't speak for any church. Think of it as a reference library. The prayers carry the weight of the tradition they come from, not of the person who collected them.
How the prayers are written
Every page on the site was rewritten in 2026 to a single standard. Prayers fall into two kinds, and each page makes clear which is which.
- Traditional prayers, such as the Memorare, the St Michael Prayer or a saint's own words, are given in their historical form. Where a prayer's author and date are known, the page says so.
- Original prayers are written for the site, in plain language, for a particular need or occasion. Where a popular prayer is still under copyright, or no one can say who wrote it, I don't reproduce it. I describe it and offer an original prayer in the same spirit.
Scripture is quoted mostly from the King James Version, which is in the public domain. Saints' feast days follow the current Roman calendar.
AI tools are a regular part of how the site is made. I use them to research each prayer and to check the details: who wrote it, when it dates from, the feast days and the scripture references. If something still slips through, the corrections section below explains how to tell me.
The prayers come mostly from the Catholic tradition, because that's where so much of the Church's written prayer has been kept. Most of them can be prayed by any Christian, and anyone is welcome here.
What this site isn't
Guided by Prayer isn't a church or a ministry, and it can't take the place of your parish, your pastor or the sacraments. A prayer for healing doesn't replace a doctor, and a prayer for depression doesn't replace getting help. If you're in crisis in the US, call or text 988 to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. Elsewhere, please contact your local emergency services.
Corrections
If you find a mistake, such as a wrong feast day, a misattributed prayer or a scripture reference that doesn't say what the page claims, please let me know. I read every message and fix errors as soon as I can.
How the site is paid for
The site is free to read and supported by advertising. No one pays to have a prayer included, and nothing here is sponsored.
Elsewhere
Many of the prayers are also read aloud on our YouTube channel, for when you'd rather listen than read. You can also find us on Facebook and Pinterest.
May you be guided by prayer, today and every day.