Almighty God,
who hast given us grace at this time
with one accord to make our common supplications unto thee;
and dost promise that when two or three are gathered together in thy Name
thou wilt grant their requests:
Fulfil now, O Lord,
the desires and petitions of thy servants,
as may be most expedient for them;
granting us in this world knowledge of thy truth,
and in the world to come life everlasting.
Amen.
ANGLICAN ANCIENT; BCP 1544
The Prayer of St. Chrysostom (BCP)
Also known as Almighty God, Who Hast Given Us Grace ยท BCP Chrysostom Prayer
About this prayer
The Prayer of St. Chrysostom in the Book of Common Prayer is a brief collect said at the end of Morning and Evening Prayer, following the General Thanksgiving and the Grace. It is attributed to St. John Chrysostom (c. 349-407 AD), Archbishop of Constantinople, though the attribution is traditional rather than documented. Thomas Cranmer included the prayer in his 1544 Litany and it entered the 1549 BCP. The prayer draws on Matthew 18:19-20, where Christ promises that when two or three gather in his name and agree in prayer, he will grant their request. It asks God to fulfil the desires of his servants as may be expedient for them, granting knowledge of his truth in this world and life everlasting in the world to come. Note: a different prayer attributed to Chrysostom appears in the Orthodox tradition; see the Prayer of St. John Chrysostom page on this site.
When it's said
The Prayer of St. Chrysostom is said at the end of Morning Prayer and Evening Prayer in the Book of Common Prayer, after the General Thanksgiving and immediately before the Grace. It is the final collect of the fixed portion of the service before the congregation is dismissed.
Notes on the text
The phrase 'as may be most expedient for them' is a petition of deliberate reservation: the worshipper asks God to grant what is beneficial rather than merely what is desired. The prayer trusts God's wisdom to discern between the two. This is one of the few BCP prayers that explicitly addresses the gathered congregation as a community rather than as individuals.
Source
Attributed to St. John Chrysostom. Included in the Book of Common Prayer from 1544 onwards; 1662 form used here. Public domain.
Last reviewed: May 2026 against primary source.