St. Francis prayer for animals honors God’s creation by asking blessings upon creatures great and small everywhere.
These powerful prayers reflect Franciscan spirituality that recognizes all creatures glorify their Creator through existence and beauty.
St. Francis Prayer For Animals
1. Genesis 1:24-25 (ESV)
And God said, “Let the earth bring forth living creatures according to their kinds—livestock and creeping things and beasts of the earth according to their kinds.” And it was so. And God made the beasts of the earth according to their kinds and the livestock according to their kinds, and everything that creeps on the ground according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.
Thank You for creating animals and declaring them good in Your sight.
Divine creation includes animals. God intentionally made creatures declaring them good, making animals valuable parts of creation deserving respect rather than mere resources for exploitation.
Goodness validates worth. Through prayer, we honor animals as God’s handiwork that pleased Him, recognizing their intrinsic value beyond human utility.
2. Psalm 148:7-10 (ESV)
Praise the Lord from the earth, you great sea creatures and all deeps, fire and hail, snow and mist, stormy wind fulfilling his word! Mountains and all hills, fruit trees and all cedars! Beasts and all livestock, creeping things and flying birds!
Let all animals praise You according to their nature and design today.
Animals worship through existence. Creatures praise God by fulfilling purposes for which He created them, making their lives acts of worship honoring Creator.
Universal praise includes creatures. Through prayer, we recognize that animals participate in cosmic worship, contributing their unique voices to creation’s symphony.
3. Proverbs 12:10 (ESV)
Whoever is righteous has regard for the life of his beast, but the mercy of the wicked is cruel.
Help me regard animals’ lives righteously with compassion and proper care today.
Righteous treatment demonstrates character. How people treat animals reveals spiritual condition, making compassionate care indicator of genuine righteousness rather than superficial piety.
Cruelty contradicts mercy. Through prayer, we ask that God convicts those mistreating animals, recognizing that harming defenseless creatures opposes divine character.
4. Genesis 9:9-10 (ESV)
Behold, I establish my covenant with you and your offspring after you, and with every living creature that is with you, the birds, the livestock, and every beast of the earth with you, as many as came out of the ark; it is for every beast of the earth.
Thank You for including animals in Your covenant promises and care.
Divine covenant encompasses creatures. God’s covenant extends beyond humanity to include animals, making creatures covenant partners deserving protection and consideration.
Universal scope validates worth. Through prayer, we recognize that animals participate in divine promises, elevating their status beyond mere property to covenant beneficiaries.
5. Job 12:7-10 (ESV)
But ask the beasts, and they will teach you; the birds of the heavens, and they will tell you; or the bushes of the earth, and they will teach you; and the fish of the sea will declare to you. Who among all these does not know that the hand of the Lord has done this? In his hand is the life of every living thing and the breath of all mankind.
Help us learn from animals the wisdom You built into creation today.
Animals teach spiritual lessons. Creatures demonstrate divine wisdom through instincts and behaviors, offering insights that observant humans can learn from studying creation.
Divine hand sustains all life. Through prayer, we recognize that God holds every creature’s life, making animals dependent on His providential care constantly.
6. Psalm 104:24-25 (ESV)
O Lord, how manifold are your works! In wisdom you have made them all; the earth is full of your creatures. Here is the sea, great and wide, which teems with creatures innumerable, living things both small and great.
Thank You for manifold creatures demonstrating Your infinite wisdom and creativity today.
Divine wisdom creates diversity. God’s wisdom manifests through countless animal species, each demonstrating unique aspects of His creative genius and intentional design.
Innumerable creatures reveal magnitude. Through prayer, we marvel at creation’s scope, recognizing that even smallest creatures reflect divine attention and purposeful creation.
7. Matthew 10:29-31 (ESV)
Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not, therefore; you are more worth than many sparrows.
Thank You for noticing every sparrow that falls, caring for smallest creatures today.
Divine attention encompasses sparrows. God notices even insignificant birds, demonstrating that no creature exists beneath His concern regardless of commercial value.
Comparative worth validates care. Through prayer, we recognize that if God cares for sparrows, He certainly attends to larger animals requiring protection and provision.
8. Genesis 1:28 (ESV)
And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”
Help humanity exercise godly dominion over animals with compassion and responsibility today.
Dominion requires stewardship. God grants authority over animals demanding responsible care rather than exploitative domination, making stewardship sacred trust.
Divine pattern models leadership. Through prayer, we ask that humans imitate God’s compassionate rule when exercising dominion over creatures entrusted to our care.
9. Psalm 145:9 (ESV)
The Lord is good to all, and his mercy is over all that he has made.
Extend Your mercy over all animals You have made today.
Divine goodness encompasses all creation. God’s mercy extends universally to everything He made, including animals deserving compassionate treatment reflecting His character.
Comprehensive mercy validates care. Through prayer, we recognize that God’s mercy toward animals obligates humans to treat creatures mercifully imitating divine compassion.
10. Jonah 4:11 (ESV)
And should not I pity Nineveh, that great city, in which there are more than 120,000 persons who do not know their right hand from their left, and also much cattle?
Thank You for showing pity on animals along with human populations today.
Divine pity includes animals. God’s compassion toward Nineveh explicitly included cattle, demonstrating that His mercy encompasses creatures alongside human inhabitants.
Inclusive compassion models care. Through prayer, we recognize that God’s concern for animals should inspire similar compassion in humans toward vulnerable creatures.
11. Luke 12:6 (ESV)
Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? And not one of them is forgotten before God.
Remember every animal in Your sight, forgetting none of Your creatures today.
Divine memory encompasses all creatures. God forgets no sparrow despite their insignificance commercially, ensuring even smallest animals receive His attention constantly.
Individual notice validates worth. Through prayer, we trust that God knows each creature individually rather than perceiving animals as undifferentiated masses lacking uniqueness.
12. Deuteronomy 25:4 (ESV)
You shall not muzzle an ox when it is treading out the grain.
Help us treat working animals justly, allowing them to benefit from their labor.
Justice extends to animals. God commands fair treatment for working animals, ensuring creatures benefiting humans receive appropriate compensation through accessing food they produce.
Compassionate regulations protect creatures. Through prayer, we ask that humans treat animals humanely, recognizing biblical principles that prohibit exploiting creatures without regard.
13. Proverbs 27:23 (ESV)
Know well the condition of your flocks, and give attention to your herds…
Help animal caretakers know their animals’ conditions and attend to their needs diligently.
Attentive care demonstrates responsibility. God commands knowing animals’ conditions rather than neglecting creatures entrusted to human care through ignorance or indifference.
Individual attention ensures wellbeing. Through prayer, we ask that caretakers monitor animals closely, detecting problems early and addressing needs before they become crises.
14. Numbers 22:32 (ESV)
And the angel of the Lord said to him, “Why have you struck your donkey these three times? Behold, I have come out to oppose you because your way is perverse before me.”
Convict those who abuse animals and oppose cruelty toward defenseless creatures today.
Divine opposition confronts abuse. God’s angel opposed Balaam for striking his donkey, demonstrating that animal cruelty offends heaven and invites divine confrontation.
Angelic defense protects animals. Through prayer, we trust that God sends angels opposing those who harm creatures, ensuring animal abuse doesn’t escape supernatural notice.
15. Isaiah 11:6-9 (ESV)
The wolf shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the young goat, and the calf and the lion and the fattened calf together; and a little child shall lead them. The cow and the bear shall graze; their young shall lie down together; and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. The nursing child shall play over the hole of the cobra, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the adder’s den. They shall not hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain, for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.
Hasten the day when animals live in perfect peace without fear or violence.
Messianic peace includes animals. God’s future kingdom eliminates violence among creatures, creating harmony where predators and prey coexist peacefully without harm.
Divine knowledge produces peace. Through prayer, we anticipate creation’s restoration where knowledge of God eliminates destruction, making all creatures safe.
16. Psalm 50:10-11 (ESV)
for every beast of the forest is mine, the cattle on a thousand hills. I know all the birds of the hills, and all that moves in the field is mine.
Thank You for owning every animal and knowing each creature individually today.
Divine ownership establishes authority. God owns all animals rather than humans possessing absolute rights, making creatures ultimately His property deserving respectful treatment.
Individual knowledge demonstrates care. Through prayer, we recognize that God knows every bird individually, ensuring no creature exists beneath His personal attention.
17. Genesis 2:19 (ESV)
Now out of the ground the Lord God had formed every beast of the field and every bird of the heavens and brought them to the man to see what he would call them. And whatever the man called every living creature, that was its name.
Help humans name and relate to animals with respect and understanding today.
Naming demonstrates relationship. God brought animals to Adam for naming, establishing human-animal relationships where people recognize creatures as individuals worthy of identification.
Divine partnership honors creatures. Through prayer, we ask that humans engage animals thoughtfully, recognizing them as fellow creatures rather than mere objects.
18. Exodus 23:5 (ESV)
If you see the donkey of one who hates you lying down under its burden, you shall refrain from leaving him with it; you shall rescue it with him.
Inspire rescuing burdened animals even when inconvenient or uncomfortable today.
Compassion transcends enmity. God commands helping even enemies’ animals, demonstrating that creature welfare supersedes human conflicts requiring compassionate intervention.
Active rescue demonstrates care. Through prayer, we ask that people intervene when animals suffer, refusing to ignore distress requiring immediate assistance.
19. Psalm 36:6 (ESV)
Your righteousness is like the mountains of God; your judgments are like the great deep; man and beast you save, O Lord.
Save both humans and animals according to Your righteous judgments today.
Divine salvation includes animals. God saves creatures alongside humans, making animal welfare part of His salvific concern rather than exclusively human focus.
Comprehensive care reflects character. Through prayer, we recognize that God’s righteousness extends to all creation, ensuring animals receive attention alongside humanity.
20. Genesis 6:19-20 (ESV)
And of every living thing of all flesh, you shall bring two of every sort into the ark, to keep them alive with you. They shall be male and female. Of the birds according to their kinds, and of the animals according to their kinds, of every creeping thing of the ground, according to its kind, two of every sort shall come to you to keep them alive.
Thank You for preserving animals through Noah, demonstrating commitment to creatures’ survival.
Divine preservation includes animals. God commanded saving animal species during the flood, demonstrating commitment to creatures’ continued existence beyond mere human salvation.
Species diversity matters divinely. Through prayer, we recognize that God values maintaining animal diversity, making conservation efforts align with His purposes.
21. Job 38:39-41 (ESV)
Can you hunt the prey for the lion, or satisfy the appetite of the young lions, when they crouch in their dens or lie in wait in their thicket? Who provides for the raven its prey, when its young ones cry to God for help, and wander about for lack of food?
Provide food for wild animals that depend entirely on Your providence today.
Divine provision feeds wildlife. God personally ensures wild animals receive food, making creature sustenance His direct concern rather than relegating it to natural processes.
Young animals receive attention. Through prayer, we recognize that God hears young ravens crying, ensuring even animal offspring receive providential care.
22. Matthew 6:26 (ESV)
Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more worth than they?
Thank You for feeding birds that neither sow nor reap today.
Divine feeding demonstrates care. God feeds birds without their agricultural efforts, showing that His providence extends to creatures lacking ability to provide independently.
Comparative worth validates concern. Through prayer, we recognize that if God feeds birds, He certainly provides for humans who possess greater value.
23. Psalm 147:9 (ESV)
He gives to the beasts their food, and to the young ravens that cry.
Give animals their food and answer young creatures crying for sustenance today.
Divine provision includes beasts. God personally supplies animals’ food rather than leaving creatures to find sustenance without providential assistance or care.
Crying receives response. Through prayer, we trust that God hears animal distress, responding to creatures’ needs when they lack resources for survival.
24. Hosea 2:18 (ESV)
And I will make for them a covenant on that day with the beasts of the field, the birds of the heavens, and the creeping things of the ground. And I will abolish the bow, the sword, and war from the land, and I will make you lie down in safety.
Establish Your covenant with animals, abolishing violence and creating safety today.
Future covenant includes creatures. God promises making covenant with animals, ensuring their participation in redemptive purposes extending beyond human salvation.
Safety eliminates fear. Through prayer, we anticipate creation’s restoration where animals live without threat from humans or predators, experiencing perfect security.
25. Isaiah 65:25 (ESV)
The wolf and the lamb shall graze together; the lion shall eat straw like the ox, and dust shall be the serpent’s food. They shall not hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain, says the Lord.
Hasten the day when predators become peaceful and all animals live safely.
Dietary transformation eliminates violence. God’s kingdom changes predators’ diets, making carnivores herbivorous and eliminating hunting that causes animal suffering.
Universal safety characterizes restoration. Through prayer, we anticipate creation where no animal hurts or destroys others, fulfilling original peaceful design.
26. Deuteronomy 22:6-7 (ESV)
If you come across a bird’s nest in any tree or on the ground, with young ones or eggs and the mother sitting on the young or on the eggs, you shall not take the mother with the young. You shall let the mother go, but the young you may take for yourself, that it may go well with you, and that you may live long.
Help humans practice sustainable care that preserves breeding animals for future generations.
Compassionate regulations protect populations. God commands preserving breeding animals ensuring species survival, making conservation practices biblically mandated rather than modern inventions.
Blessing follows obedience. Through prayer, we recognize that treating animals sustainably produces divine blessing, creating incentives for responsible stewardship.
27. Exodus 23:12 (ESV)
Six days you shall do your work, but on the seventh day you shall rest; that your ox and your donkey may have rest, and the son of your servant woman, and the alien, may be refreshed.
Grant working animals Sabbath rest alongside humans needing refreshment today.
Rest includes animals. God commands Sabbath rest for working animals, ensuring creatures receive weekly recovery from labor rather than endless exploitation.
Refreshment restores strength. Through prayer, we ask that animals receive adequate rest enabling them to work sustainably without exhaustion destroying health.
28. Luke 14:5 (ESV)
And he said to them, “Which of you, having a son or an ox that has fallen into a well on a Sabbath day, will not immediately pull him out?”
Inspire immediate rescue when animals face danger regardless of inconvenient timing today.
Emergency care supersedes rules. Jesus teaches that rescuing endangered animals justifies breaking religious regulations, demonstrating that creature welfare supersedes legalistic observance.
Immediate action prevents suffering. Through prayer, we ask that people respond urgently when animals need help rather than delaying assistance for convenience.
29. Psalm 104:10-14 (ESV)
You make springs gush forth in the valleys; they flow between the hills; they give drink to every beast of the field; the wild donkeys quench their thirst. Beside them the birds of the heavens dwell; they sing among the branches. From your lofty abode you water the mountains; the earth is satisfied with the fruit of your work. You cause the grass to grow for the livestock and plants for man to cultivate, that he may bring forth food from the earth…
Provide water and food for all animals through Your providential care today.
Divine provision sustains wildlife. God creates water sources and vegetation specifically for animals, demonstrating intentional provision rather than leaving creatures to chance.
Comprehensive care ensures satisfaction. Through prayer, we recognize that God waters mountains and grows grass specifically ensuring animals receive adequate sustenance.
30. Romans 8:19-21 (ESV)
For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God.
Free animals from corruption’s bondage and restore creation to original glory today.
Creation awaits liberation. Animals suffer under sin’s curse, groaning for deliverance that comes when God fully redeems creation alongside humanity.
Hope sustains creatures. Through prayer, we trust that God will free animals from suffering, restoring creation to original design where creatures flourish.
Conclusion
These St. Francis prayers for animals honor God’s creation by acknowledging creatures as beloved handiwork deserving compassion.
May these petitions inspire Franciscan reverence for animals recognizing them as fellow creatures sharing earth as gifts.