Lord Almighty, Holy King! Look down from heaven and see how peoples are at enmity and plotting vain and evil things against each other, how everyone shudders from the memory of the former horrors of the war and trembles from the anticipation of new, even more terrible ones.
O Many Merciful! Have mercy on Your creatures. Forgive our sins and iniquities, for their sake many sorrows, misfortunes and fears have come upon us. With the grace of the Holy Spirit, water the love-dried hearts of men, overgrown with thorns of self-love, hatred and envy, malice, enmity and wickedness and other iniquities, so that they may increase the love burning for you and for your brothers, and through it may all strife, contention, divisions, civil strife and wars be destroyed, so that all peoples may not speak with one mouth about world, but having loved him with all their hearts, they will unfeign their swords and spears into instruments of peaceful work and will turn to only peaceful work.
Humane and Merciful! We earnestly pray to You: grant peace to Your world, Your Churches, Orthodox people and all Your creations. For You are the King of the world and Your peace knows no bounds, and to You may glory and thanksgiving and worship be sent from all, now and ever, and to the end of the century. Amen.
Letters from various persons to Saint Athanasius (Sakharov). Book 2. O-Yu
The prayer for peace was written by Saint Athanasius (Sakharov) during the Great Patriotic War.