In everything related to prayer and pious life, the Lord Jesus Christ, the apostles and saints can serve as an example for us. The Gospel says that Christ prayed in solitude for several hours and even throughout the whole night. The Apostle Paul called for prayer without ceasing, that is, all the time. Are there any restrictions on the duration of prayer?
You can pray to God almost everywhere:
- in the temple
- where they eat
- At work
- and even on the way
At home they read home prayers (morning, evening, before or after eating food). With the blessing of the priest, morning prayers can be read on the way to work. In the office, you can pray before and after the work day.
During services in the temple, believers together perform public (otherwise known as church) prayer.
To pray in church alone, you need to come outside the service, purchase and light candles. It is not necessary to light them: the ministers will light them before the start of the service. Then you need to venerate the icon of the day or holiday - it lies on the lectern (a special inclined table) in the middle of the temple - as well as to the shrines that may be in the temple: revered icons, relics of saints. After this, you can find a place to read silently (whisper) any prayer that you know by heart, or pray in your own words.
How many times a day should Orthodox Christians pray?
Prayer is time dedicated to God. There should be such a time every day.
- in the morning,
- In the evening,
- before and after meals,
- before starting and after completing something (for example, work or study)
- in order to first ask God for blessings, and in the end to thank Him.
In addition, it is important in the temple to perform church prayer and acceptance. If necessary, in case of special needs or life circumstances You can pray privately (at home in front of icons or in church between services) to saints or heavenly powers, so that they will intercede for the person praying before the Lord.
Time for reading Orthodox prayers in church and at home
In ancient monasteries, nine long services were performed per day, and between them the monks alone read psalms or said. Night was considered a particularly fertile time for solitary prayer.
Modern laity do this in the morning at home, and in the evening upon returning home. If a person is weak or has little time, then instead of the morning and evening rules, he can read during the day St. Seraphim Sarovsky.
It is advisable to discuss the duration of morning and evening prayers with the priest to whom the parishioner regularly confesses.
Saturday evening and the day before church holidays one should attend the all-night vigil in the church, and the Liturgy in the morning on Sundays and holidays.
During They go to church to pray more often: in the first four days they try not to miss evening services- Great Compline with the Canon of St. Andrew of Crete is celebrated on them. You should also try to attend as many services as possible during Holy Week, which precedes Easter. During Bright Week, the Liturgy is celebrated daily., and believers strive to visit it in order to partake of the Holy Mysteries of Christ not only on Sunday, but also on weekdays.
Morning prayer time
Morning prayers are read at home, immediately upon waking. Having woken up, you need to stand in front of the icons and begin to read prayers by heart or according to the prayer book.
Evening prayer time
Evening prayers are read at home at the end of the day or before bed. The evening rule is not recommended to be postponed until later, because the later, the stronger the fatigue and the more difficult it is to concentrate.
Just before going to sleep, already lying in bed, they say: “In Your hands, Lord my God, I commend my spirit, You save me, You have mercy on me and grant me eternal life.”
Prayer all day long
The Orthodox Church does not set strict times for prayers. We must strive to pray constantly. This, first of all, means constantly remembering God and from time to time, if possible, turning to Him during the day with short prayers (for example, the Jesus Prayer “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me a sinner” or a short thanksgiving prayer“Glory to Thee, our God, glory to Thee!”).
Continuous Prayer
You can read short prayers continuously throughout the day, repeating the same prayer many times in a row and counting the number of repetitions using the rosary. This is how the Jesus Prayer is usually read. However, for such a prayer you must take the priest's blessing, And the number of repetitions is strictly regulated.
There are many restrictions on continuous prayer; it cannot be read uncontrolled.
The Monk Ambrose of Optina ordered his spiritual children to read the Jesus Prayer only out loud, because reading to oneself can cause strong emotional sensations and lead to falling into delusion. Prelest means self-deception, even to the point of mental insanity.
How long should prayer be?
Durationprayers are not regulated by rules.
- What is most important is the focus on prayer, not the duration or number of prayers.
- You need to pray slowly, thinking about every word.
- The number of prayers should correspond to the time we can devote to them.
The Lord said “I want mercy, not sacrifice” (Matthew 9:13), therefore, if there is a lack of time or severe fatigue, it is permissible to reduce prayer rule to read it with concentration.
(50 votes: 4.68 out of 5)with the blessing of His Grace Simon, Bishop of Murmansk and Monchegorsk
Trifonov Pechenga Monastery
"The ark"
Moscow
2004
What is prayer
In the Christian catechism, that is, in the instruction on the Christian faith, it is said about prayer this way: “Prayer is the offering of the mind and heart to God and is a person’s reverent word to God.” Prayer is the threads of the living fabric of the church body, going in all directions; The prayer connection permeates the entire body of the Church.
Prayer connects each member of the Church with the Heavenly Father, members of the earthly Church with each other, and members of the earth with those in heaven.
The content of prayer is: praise, or glory; thanksgiving; repentance; a request for God's mercy, for the forgiveness of sins, for the granting of mental and physical blessings, heavenly and earthly. Prayer happens for oneself and for others. Praying for each other expresses mutual love members of the Church.
Spiritual worship is necessarily accompanied by physical worship due to the close connection between soul and body. Prayer is expressed in various external forms. This includes kneeling, the sign of the cross, raising of hands, the use of various liturgical objects, and all external actions of public Christian worship.
Prayer has extraordinary power. “Prayer not only defeats the laws of nature, not only is it an insurmountable shield against visible and invisible enemies, but it even holds back the hand of the Almighty God Himself, raised to defeat sinners,” writes the saint.
But reading the words of a prayer from memory or from a prayer book, standing in front of an icon at home or in a temple, making bows is not yet prayer. “Reading prayers, standing in prayer and bowing constitute only prayerful standing,” writes the saint, “and prayer, in fact, comes from the heart. When this one is not there, there is none. Prayer without feelings is the same as a dead miscarriage.” Prayer itself, as St. Theophan the Recluse writes, “is the emergence in our hearts of one after another reverent feelings for God - feelings of self-abasement, devotion, thanksgiving, glorification, forgiveness, diligent prostration, contrition, submission to the will of God, and so on.”
Most of all, during prayer, we must take care that these and similar feelings fill our soul, so that when we read prayers out loud or internally, during bows, our heart is not empty, so that it rushes to God. When we have these feelings, then our prayer, our bows are prayer...
Why you need to pray according to the prayer book
The Fathers of the Church were very careful about those prayers that were composed by the believers themselves.
“Do not dare to bring to God verbose and eloquent prayers composed by you... they are the product of a fallen mind and... cannot be accepted on the spiritual altar of God,” wrote. Our example in praying in other people's words is the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. His prayerful exclamations during the sufferings of the cross are lines from the psalms ().
Books for home prayers contain many prayers written by the Holy Fathers of the Church.
These prayers were written many centuries ago by the monks and Macarius of Egypt, Roman the Sweet Singer, the saints, and other great prayer books. Filled with a prayerful spirit, they put into words what this spirit inspired and conveyed these words to us. In their prayers a great movement moves prayer power, and whoever approaches them with attention and diligence will definitely experience a feeling of prayer. Reading prayers connects a person with their creators - the psalmists and ascetics. This helps to gain a spiritual mood akin to their heartfelt burning.
What prayers are included in the prayer book
Books for home prayers, most often called, have many similarities with each other, because they contain the same prayers. The prayer books contain prayers for those coming to bed and morning prayers, an akathist to the Sweetest Jesus, an akathist to the Most Holy Theotokos, an akathist to St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, a canon of repentance to our Lord Jesus Christ, a canon of prayer to the Most Holy Theotokos, sung in every spiritual sorrow and situation, a canon to the Guardian Angel , following before Holy Communion and prayers for Holy Communion.
The word akathist comes from the Greek akathistos gymnos - “non-seated hymn”, a hymn that is sung while standing. An akathist is a contemplation of a miracle; it is, as it were, a verbal icon of a sacred person or a blessed event, which explains its static nature. The Akathist consists of 12 double songs - sequentially alternating ikos and kontakia. Kontakion is a short Orthodox chant that sets out dogmatic or historical meaning the event or person being celebrated, the kontakion reveals some moment of the Church’s teaching about one of the mysteries of God. Each kontakion ends with the exclamation “Alleluia.” The kontakion is followed by an ikos, which reveals the content of the kontakion and concludes a more extensive development of the theme contained in the kontakion.
A canon is one of the forms of the Orthodox hymn. The canon consists of nine songs arranged in thanksgiving and praise to God. The song of the canon is divided into irmos (from the Greek verb “I bind”, “I unite”) and several troparia (a song depicting the lifestyle of a saint or the celebration of a holiday). The Canon of the Guardian Angel contains a prayer service to the Guardian Angel, a prayer canon to the Most Holy Theotokos - a prayer for the aversion of internal mental and physical illnesses and, in particular, for the healing of sinful ulcers that affect the soul, as the very content of the songs and verses of the canon shows.
What prayers should a layperson’s prayer rule consist of?
The prayer rule of a layman consists of morning and evening prayers, which are performed daily. This rhythm is necessary, because otherwise the soul easily falls out of the prayer life, as if waking up only from time to time. In prayer, as in any big and difficult matter, inspiration, mood and improvisation are not enough.
There are three basic prayer rules:
1) a complete prayer rule, designed for monks and spiritually experienced laity, which is printed in the Orthodox Prayer Book;
2) a short prayer rule designed for all believers; in the morning: “Heavenly King”, Trisagion, “Our Father”, “Virgin Mother of God”, “Rising from sleep”, “Have mercy on me, O God”, “I Believe”, “God, cleanse”, “To You, Master”, “ Saint Angele», « Holy Lady", invocation of saints, prayer for the living and the dead; in the evening: “Heavenly King”, Trisagion, “Our Father”, “Have mercy on us, Lord”, “Eternal God”, “Good King”, “Angel of Christ”, from “ Chosen Voivode" to "It is worthy to eat"; these prayers are contained in any prayer book;
3) a short prayer rule for the saint: three times “Our Father”, three times “Virgin Mother of God” and once “I Believe” - for those days and circumstances when a person is extremely tired or very limited in time.
The duration of prayers and their number are determined by spiritual fathers and priests, taking into account everyone’s lifestyle and spiritual experience.
You cannot completely omit the prayer rule. Even if the prayer rule is read without due attention, the words of the prayers, penetrating the soul, have a cleansing effect.
Saint Theophan writes to one family person: “In case of emergency, one must be able to shorten the rule. You never know family life accidents. When things do not allow you to complete the prayer rule in full, then perform it abbreviated.
But one should never rush... The rule is not an essential part of prayer, but is only its external side. The main thing is the prayer of the mind and heart to God, offered with praise, thanksgiving and petition... and finally with complete devotion to the Lord. When there are such movements in the heart, there is prayer there, and when not, there is no prayer, even if you stood on the rule for whole days.”
A special prayer rule is performed during preparation for the Sacraments of Confession and Communion. On these days (they are called fasting and last for at least three days), it is customary to fulfill one’s prayer rule more diligently: whoever usually does not read all the morning and evening prayers, let him read everything in full; whoever does not read the canons, let him read at least one canon these days. On the eve of communion, you must be at the evening service and read at home, in addition to the usual prayers for going to bed, the canon of repentance, the canon to the Mother of God and the canon to the Guardian Angel. The canon for communion is also read and, for those who wish, an akathist to the Sweetest Jesus. In the morning, morning prayers are read and all the prayers for holy communion are read.
During fasting, prayers are especially long, in order, as the righteous saint writes, “so that through the duration of fervent prayer we can disperse our cold hearts, hardened in prolonged bustle. For it is strange to think, much less to demand, that a heart matured in the vanity of life could soon be imbued with the warmth of faith and love for God during prayer. No, this requires work and time. The Kingdom of Heaven is taken by force, and those who use force delight it (). The Kingdom of God does not come to the heart soon when people run so diligently from it. The Lord God Himself expressed His will that we pray not briefly when He presents as an example a widow who went to the judge for a long time and bothered him for a long time (for a long time) with her requests ().”
When to do your prayer rule
In the conditions of modern life, given the workload and accelerated pace, it is not easy for the laity to set aside a certain time for prayer. We must develop strict rules of prayer discipline and strictly adhere to our prayer rules.
Morning prayers are best read before starting any task. As a last resort, they are pronounced on the way from home. The evening prayer rule is recommended by prayer teachers to be read in free minutes before dinner or even earlier - late in the evening it is often difficult to concentrate due to fatigue.
How to Prepare for Prayer
The basic prayers that make up the morning and evening rules should be known by heart so that they penetrate deeper into the heart and so that they can be repeated in any circumstances. First of all, in free time, it is advisable to read the prayers included in your rule, translate the text of the prayers for yourself from Church Slavonic into Russian in order to understand the meaning of each word and not pronounce a single word meaninglessly or without precise understanding. This is what the Church Fathers advise. “Take the trouble,” writes the monk, “not during the hour of prayer, but at another, free time, to think about and feel the prescribed prayers. Having done this, even during prayer you will not encounter any difficulty in reproducing the content of the prayer being read.”
It is very important that those who begin to pray should expel resentment, irritation, and bitterness from their hearts. The saint teaches: “Before prayers, you must not be angry with anyone, not be angry, but leave all offense behind, so that God himself will forgive your sins.”
“When approaching the Benefactor, be beneficent yourself; when approaching the Good, be good yourself; approaching the Righteous One, be righteous yourself; when approaching the Patient One, be patient yourself; when approaching the Humane, be humane; and also be everything else, approaching the Kind-hearted, the Benevolent, the Sociable in good things, the Merciful to everyone, and, if anything else is seen of the Divine, becoming like in all this by will, thereby acquiring the boldness to pray,” writes the saint.
How to make your own prayer rule at home
During prayer, it is recommended to retire, light a lamp or candle and stand in front of the icon. Depending on the nature of family relationships, we can recommend reading the prayer rule together, with the whole family, or for each family member separately. Common prayer It is recommended primarily on special days, before a festive meal and in other similar cases. Family Prayer- this is a type of church, public (family is a kind of home church) and therefore does not replace individual prayer, but only complements it.
Before starting prayer, you should sign yourself with the sign of the cross and make several bows, either from the waist or to the ground, and try to tune in to an internal conversation with God. “Stay silently until your feelings calm down, place yourself in the presence of God to the consciousness and feeling of Him with reverent Fear and restore in your heart a living faith that God hears and sees you,” says the beginning of the prayer book. Saying prayers out loud or in a low voice helps many people focus.
“When starting to pray,” the saint advises, “in the morning or evening, stand a little, or sit, or walk, and try at this time to sober up your thoughts, distracting it from all earthly affairs and objects. Then think about who is the One to whom you will turn in prayer, and who you are who now have to begin this prayerful appeal to Him - and arouse in your soul the corresponding mood of self-abasement and reverent fear of standing before God in your heart. This is all the preparation - to stand reverently before God - small, but not insignificant. This is where prayer begins, and a good beginning is half the battle.
Having thus established yourself internally, then stand in front of the icon and, having made several bows, begin the usual prayer: “Glory to Thee, our God, glory to Thee,” “To the Heavenly King, the Comforter, the Soul of Truth,” and so on. Read slowly, delve into every word, and bring the thought of every word to your heart, accompanying it with bows. This is the whole point of reading a prayer that is pleasing and fruitful to God. Delve into every word and bring the thought of the word to your heart, otherwise, understand what you read and feel what you understand. No other rules are required. These two - understand and feel - when performed properly, adorn every prayer with full dignity and impart to it all its fruitful effect. You read: “cleanse us from all defilement” - feel your defilement, desire purity and seek it with hope from the Lord. You read: “forgive us our debts, just as we forgive our debtors” - and in your soul forgive everyone, and in your heart, which has forgiven everyone, ask the Lord for forgiveness. You read: “Thy will be done” - and in your heart completely commit your fate to the Lord and express an unquestioning readiness to graciously meet everything that the Lord wants to send you.
If you act like this with every verse of your prayer, then you will have a proper prayer.”
In another of his instructions, Saint Theophan so briefly systematizes advice on reading the prayer rule:
“a) never read hastily, but read as if in a chant... In ancient times, everything recited prayers taken from the psalms... But nowhere do I find the word “read”, but everywhere “sing”...
b) delve into every word and not only reproduce the thought of what you read in your mind, but also arouse the corresponding feeling...
c) in order to trigger the urge to hastily read, make it a point - not to read this and that, but to stand for a reading prayer for a quarter of an hour, half an hour, an hour... how long you usually stand... and then don’t worry... how many prayers you read - and how the time has come, if not If you want to stand any further, stop reading...
d) having put this down, however, do not look at the clock, but stand in such a way that you can stand endlessly: your thoughts will not run ahead...
e) in order to promote the movement of prayerful feelings in your free time, reread and rethink all the prayers that are included in your rule - and re-feel them, so that when you begin to read them according to the rule, you know in advance what feeling should be aroused in the heart...
f) never read prayers without interruption, but always break them up with personal prayer, with bows, whether in the middle of prayers or at the end. As soon as something comes to your heart, immediately stop reading and bow. This last rule is the most necessary and most necessary for cultivating the spirit of prayer... If any other feeling is very consuming, you should be with it and bow down, but leave reading... so until the very end of the allotted time.”
What to do when distracted during prayer
Praying is very difficult. Prayer is primarily a spiritual work, therefore one should not expect immediate spiritual pleasure from it. “Do not look for pleasures in prayer,” he writes, “they are by no means characteristic of a sinner. The desire of a sinner to feel pleasure is already self-delusion... Do not prematurely seek high spiritual states and prayerful delights.”
As a rule, it is possible to maintain attention on the words of the prayer for several minutes, and then thoughts begin to wander, the eye glides over the words of the prayer - and our heart and mind are far away.
If someone prays to the Lord, but thinks about something else, then the Lord will not listen to such a prayer,” writes the reverend.
At these moments, the Fathers of the Church advise to be especially attentive. Saint Theophan the Recluse writes that we must prepare in advance for the fact that when reading prayers we are distracted, often mechanically reading the words of the prayer. “When a thought runs away during prayer, return it. If he runs away again, come back again. It's like that every time. Every time you read something while your thoughts are running away and, therefore, without attention or feeling, do not forget to re-read. And even if your thought wanders off in one place several times, read it several times until you read it with concept and feeling. Once you overcome this difficulty, another time, perhaps, it will not happen again, or it will not happen again with such force.
If, while reading the rule, a prayer breaks through in your own words, then, as St. Nicodemus says, “do not let this opportunity pass by, but dwell on it.”
We find the same thought in St. Theophan: “Another word will have such a strong effect on the soul that the soul will not want to extend further in prayer, and although the tongue reads prayers, the thought keeps running back to the place that had such an effect on her. In this case, stop, do not read further, but stand with attention and feeling in that place, nourish your soul with them, or with the thoughts that it will produce. And don’t rush to tear yourself away from this state, so if time is pressing, it’s better to leave the unfinished rule, and don’t ruin this state. It will overshadow you, perhaps all day, like a Guardian Angel! This kind of beneficial influence on the soul during prayer means that the spirit of prayer begins to take root and that, therefore, maintaining this state is the most reliable means to educate and strengthen the spirit of prayer in us.”
How to end your prayer rule
It is good to end the prayer with thanksgiving to God for the gift of communication and contrition for one’s inattention.
“When you finish your prayer, do not immediately move on to any of your other activities, but also, at least for a little while, wait and think that you have accomplished this and what it obliges you to, trying, if you are given something to feel during prayer, to preserve it after prayers,” writes St. Theophan the Recluse. “Do not immediately rush into everyday affairs,” teaches St. Nicodemus, “and never think that, having completed your prayer rule, you have finished everything in relation to God.”
When getting down to business, you must first think about what you have to say, do, see during the day, and ask God for blessings and strength to follow His will.
How to learn to spend your day in prayer
Having finished our morning prayers, we should not think that everything is completed in relation to God, and only in the evening, during evening rules, we must return to prayer again.
The good feelings that arise during morning prayers will be drowned out in the bustle and busyness of the day. Because of this, there is no desire to attend evening prayer.
We must try to make sure that the soul turns to God not only when we stand in prayer, but throughout the entire day.
Here is how Saint Theophan the Recluse advises learning this:
“First, it is necessary to cry out to God from the heart more often throughout the day. in short words, judging by the need of the soul and current affairs. You start by saying, for example: “Bless, Lord!” When you finish the job, say: “Glory to you, Lord!”, and not only with your tongue, but also with the feeling of your heart. Any passion that arises, say: “Save me, Lord, I am perishing!” The darkness of disturbing thoughts finds itself, cry out: “Bring my soul out of prison!” Wrong deeds lie ahead and sin leads to them, pray: “Guide me, Lord, on the path” or “Do not let my feet become troubled.” Sins suppress and lead to despair, cry out in the publican’s voice: “God, be merciful to me, a sinner.” So anyway. Or simply say often: “Lord, have mercy; Lady Mother of God, have mercy on me. Angel of God, my holy guardian, protect me,” or cry out in some other word. Just make these appeals as often as possible, trying in every possible way so that they come from the heart, as if squeezed out of it. When you do this, we will often make intelligent ascents to God from the heart, frequent appeals to God, frequent prayer, and this frequency will impart the skill of intelligent conversation with God.
But in order for the soul to begin to cry out like this, it must first be forced to turn everything into the glory of God, every one of its deeds, big and small. And this is the second way to teach the soul to turn to God more often during the day. For if we make it a law to fulfill this apostolic commandment, so that we do everything for the glory of God, even whether you eat, drink, or whatever you do, you do everything for the glory of God (), then we will certainly remember God in every action, and we will not just remember , but with caution, so as not to act wrongly in any case and not to offend God in any way. This will make you turn to God with fear and prayerfully ask for help and admonition. Just as we almost constantly do something, we will almost constantly turn to God in prayer, and, therefore, almost continuously go through the science of lifting up prayer in our souls to God.
But in order for the soul to perform this, that is, doing everything for the glory of God, as it should, it must be set up for this from early morning - from the very beginning of the day, before a person goes out to do his work and to do his work until the evening. This mood is produced by the thought of God. And this is the third way of training the soul to frequently turn to God. Thought on God is a reverent reflection on the Divine properties and actions and on what knowledge of them and their relationship to us obliges us, this is a reflection on the goodness of God, justice, wisdom, omnipotence, omnipresence, omniscience, on creation and providence, on the dispensation of salvation in the Lord Jesus Christ, about the goodness and word of God, about the holy sacraments, about the Kingdom of Heaven.
Whichever of these subjects you don’t think about, this reflection will certainly fill your soul with a reverent feeling for God. Start thinking, for example, about the goodness of God - you will see that you are surrounded by God’s mercies both physically and spiritually, and unless you are a stone, you will not fall before God in the outpouring of humiliated feelings of gratitude. Start thinking about the omnipresence of God, and you will understand that you are everywhere before God and God is before you, and you cannot help but be filled with reverent fear. Begin to reflect on the omniscience of God - you will realize that nothing in you is hidden from the eye of God, and you will certainly decide to be strictly attentive to the movements of your heart and mind, so as not to offend the all-seeing God in any way. Begin to reason about the truth of God, and you will be convinced that not a single bad deed will go unpunished, and you will certainly intend to cleanse all your sins with heartfelt contrition and repentance before God. So, no matter what property and action of God you begin to reason about, every such reflection will fill the soul with reverent feelings and dispositions towards God. It directs the whole being of a person directly to God and is therefore the most direct means to accustom the soul to ascend to God.
The most decent, convenient time for this is the morning, when the soul is not yet burdened with many impressions and business concerns, and precisely after morning prayer. Finish your prayer, sit down and, with your thoughts sanctified in prayer, begin to think about one thing today, and another tomorrow. God's property and action and create a corresponding disposition in the soul. “Go,” said the saint, “go, holy thought of God, and let us immerse ourselves in meditation on the great deeds of God,” and his thoughts passed through either the works of creation and providence, or the miracles of the Lord Savior, or His suffering, or something else, thereby touching his heart and began to pour out his soul in prayer. Anyone can do this. There is little work, all you need is desire and determination; and there is a lot of fruit.
So here are three ways, in addition to the prayer rule, to teach the soul to ascend in prayer to God, namely: to devote some time in the morning to contemplation of God, to turn every matter to the glory of God and often turn to God with short appeals.
When the thought of God is well accomplished in the morning, it will leave a deep mood for thinking about God. Thinking about God will force the soul to carefully carry out every action, both internal and external, and turn it into the glory of God. And both will put the soul in such a position that prayerful appeals to God will often be expelled from it.
These three - thinking about God, all creation for the glory of God and frequent appeals are the most effective tools of mental and heartfelt prayer. Each of them lifts the soul to God. Whoever sets out to practice them will soon acquire in his heart the skill of ascent to God. This work is like climbing a mountain. The higher someone climbs the mountain, the freer and easier he breathes. So here, the more one gets used to the exercises shown, the higher the soul will rise, and the higher the soul rises, the more freely prayer will act in it. Our soul by nature is an inhabitant of the heavenly world of the Divine. There she should have been undiminished in both thought and heart; but the burden of earthly thoughts and passions drags and weighs her down. The methods shown tear it off the ground little by little, and then completely tear it off. When they are completely torn away, then the soul will enter its own region and will sweetly dwell in grief - here heartily and mentally, and then with its very being it will be honored before the face of God to dwell in the faces of Angels and Saints. May the Lord vouchsafe all of you with His grace. Amen".
How to force yourself to pray
Sometimes prayer doesn’t come to mind at all. In this case, Saint Theophan advises doing this:
“If this is prayer at home, then you can put it off a little, for a few minutes... If it doesn’t happen after that... force yourself to fulfill the prayer rule forcibly, straining, and understand what is being said, and feel... just like when a child does not want to bend over, they take him by the forelock and bend over... Otherwise, this is what can happen... now you don’t feel like it, tomorrow you don’t feel like it, and then the prayer is completely over. Beware of this... and force yourself to willingly pray. The work of self-compulsion overcomes everything.”
What you need for successful prayer
“When you desire and seek success in your prayer work, adapt everything else to this, so as not to destroy with one hand what the other creates.
1. Maintain your body strictly in food, in sleep, and in rest: do not give it anything just because it wants it, as the apostle commands: Do not turn care for the flesh into lust (). Give no rest to the flesh.
2. Reduce your external relations to the most inevitable. This is for the time of teaching yourself to pray. Afterwards, the prayer, acting in you, will indicate that without prejudice to it it can be added. Take special care of your senses, and most of all, your eyes, your ears, and your tongue. Without observing this, you will not take a step forward in the matter of prayer. Just as a candle cannot burn in the wind and rain, so prayer cannot be warmed by the influx of impressions from the outside.
3. Use all your free time after prayer for reading and meditation. For reading, choose primarily books that write about prayer and, in general, about inner spiritual life. Think exclusively about God and Divine things, about the Incarnate Economy of our salvation, and in it especially about the suffering and death of the Lord Savior. By doing this, you will plunge into the sea of Divine light. Add to this going to church as soon as you have the opportunity. One presence in the temple will overshadow you with a prayer cloud. What will you get if you spend the entire service in a truly prayerful mood!
4. Know that you cannot succeed in prayer without succeeding in general Christian life. It is necessary that there is not a single sin on the soul that has not been cleansed by repentance; and if during your prayerful work you do something that troubles your conscience, hasten to be cleansed by repentance, so that you can boldly look to the Lord. Always keep humble contrition in your heart. Do not miss a single upcoming opportunity to do some good or to demonstrate any good disposition, especially humility, obedience and renunciation of your will. But it goes without saying that zeal for salvation should burn unquenchably and, filling the entire soul, in everything, from small to great, should be the main driving force, with the fear of God and unshakable hope.
5. Having thus tuned in, bother yourself in the work of prayer, praying: now with ready-made prayers, now with your own, now with short invocations to the Lord, now with the Jesus Prayer, but without missing out on anything that can help in this work, and you will receive what you are looking for. Let me remind you what Saint Macarius of Egypt says: “God will see your prayer work and that you sincerely desire success in prayer - and will give you prayer. For know that although prayer done and achieved through one’s own efforts is pleasing to God, real prayer the one that settles in the heart and becomes persistent. She is a gift of God, a work of God's grace. Therefore, when you pray about everything, do not forget to pray about prayer” (Rev.).
How to learn to fall before God in prayer
Saint righteous John Kronstadtsky writes:
“In prayer, the main thing that you need to take care of first of all is a living, clairvoyant faith in the Lord: imagine Him vividly before you and in yourself, and then, if you want, ask for Christ Jesus in the Holy Spirit, and you will have it. Ask simply, without hesitation, and then your God will be everything for you, performing great and wonderful deeds in an instant, just as the sign of the cross accomplishes great powers. Ask not for yourself alone, but for all the faithful, for the entire body of the Church, spiritual and material blessings, not separating yourself from other believers, but being in spiritual unity with them, as a member of the one great body of the Church of Christ - and loving everyone, as your children in Christ, the Heavenly Father will fill you with great peace and boldness.
If you want to ask God for some good from God through prayer, then before praying, prepare yourself for undoubted, strong faith and take remedies in advance against doubt and unbelief. It’s bad if, during the prayer itself, your heart becomes weak in faith and does not stand in it, then don’t even think that you will receive what you asked God for in doubt, because you have offended God, and God does not give His gifts to a scolder! Whatever you ask in prayer with faith, you will receive (), and, therefore, if you ask in disbelief or with doubt, you will not accept. If you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what was done to the fig tree, but if you also say to this mountain: be taken up and cast into the sea, it will happen (). This means that if you doubt and don’t believe it, you won’t do it. Let (every person) ask with faith, without doubting at all, because he who doubts is like sea wave, lifted and blown by the wind. Let such a person not think of receiving anything from the Lord. A person with double thoughts is not firm in all his ways, says the Apostle James ().
A heart that doubts that God can grant what is asked is punished for doubt: it painfully languishes and is embarrassed by doubt. Do not anger the Almighty God with even a shadow of doubt, especially you, who have experienced God’s omnipotence many, many times. Doubt is blasphemy against God, a bold lie of the heart or a spirit of lies nestling in the heart against the Spirit of truth. Fear him like poisonous snake, or no, what I'm saying is, neglect it, don't pay the slightest attention to it. Remember that God, at the time of your petition, expects an affirmative answer to the question He internally offers you: Do you believe that I can do this?! Yes, you must answer from the depths of your heart: I believe, Lord! (Wed:). And then it will be according to your faith. May the following reasoning help your doubt or unbelief: I ask God:
1) existing, and not just imaginary, not dreamy, not fantastic good, but everything that exists received existence from God, because Everything began to be through Him, and without Him nothing began to be (), and, therefore, nothing exists without Him, what happens, and everything either received existence from Him, or by His will or permission happens and is done through the means of His powers and abilities given to creatures from Him - and in all that exists and happens, the Lord is the sovereign Ruler. In addition, He calls not existing, but existing (); This means that if I asked for something that does not exist, He could give it to me by creating it;
2) I ask for the possible, and for God our impossible is possible; This means that there is no obstacle on this side either, because God can do for me even what, according to my concepts, is impossible. Our misfortune is that our faith is interfered with by myopic reason, this spider that catches the truth in the nets of its judgments, conclusions, and analogies. Faith suddenly embraces, sees, and reason reaches the truth in a roundabout way; faith is a means of communication between spirit and spirit, and reason - the spiritually sensual with the spiritually sensual and simply material; that one is spirit, and this one is flesh.”
You say, I asked many times and did not receive it. Undoubtedly, this is because you asked poorly - either with unbelief, or with pride, or something that was not useful to you; if you asked often and for something useful, then not with persistence... If you do not ask with effort and great persistence, then you do not receive. First you need to wish, and having wished, ask truly with faith and patience for what is useful to everyone, and so that your conscience does not condemn you in anything as asking carelessly or frivolously - and then you will receive if God wants it. After all, He knows better than you what is good for you, and, perhaps, as a result of this, He postpones the fulfillment of the request, wisely forcing you to be diligent towards Him, so that you know what the gift of God means and guard what is given with fear. After all, they try to preserve everything that is acquired with great effort, so that, having lost what they have received, they do not lose even the great efforts and, having rejected the grace of the Lord, do not find themselves unworthy Eternal Life…
What to ask God for in your prayers
“Carnal verbosity and floridity in prayer are forbidden to us,” writes Saint Ignatius Brianchaninov, “petitions for earthly blessings and advantages are forbidden, petitions with which only the prayers of pagans and carnal people similar to pagans are filled.”
What should a Christian ask God for in his prayers?
“If we are commanded to abstain from worldly goods, even when we have them, then how pitiful and unhappy we turn out to be if we ask God for what He commanded us to reject,” writes the saint. - God will hear us if:
First, we are worthy to receive what we ask for;
secondly, if we pray in accordance with the commandments of God;
thirdly, if we pray unceasingly;
fourthly, if we do not ask for anything worldly;
fifthly, if we ask for something useful;
sixthly, if we fulfill our duty on our part and, being mortal by nature, through communication with God we ascend to Immortal Life.”
“In prayer, ask only for truth and the Kingdom, that is, virtue and knowledge, and everything else will be added to you ()...
Pray
firstly, about cleansing from passions;
secondly, about deliverance from ignorance and, thirdly, about salvation from all temptation and abandonment” (Rev.).
“The objects of our prayer should be spiritual and eternal, and not temporary and material. The main and initial prayer should consist of requests for forgiveness of sins... Do not be reckless in your requests, so as not to anger God with your cowardice: he who asks the King of kings for something insignificant humiliates Him... Ask for what you consider necessary and useful for yourself, but fulfillment and Leave your request to the will of God..." writes Saint Ignatius Brianchaninov.
When intending to ask (for something from the Lord), before you resort to the Giver, consider your request, whether it is pure, carefully delve into the reason prompting the request. If the motive for which we ask entails harm, then (the Lord)... may he block the sources of our petitions... If you ask God for something of your own, then ask not in such a way that you will certainly receive from Him, but leaving it to Him and His will . For example, bad thoughts often oppress you, and you are sad about it, and you want to beg God to free you from the battle. But often it serves you well. For this often happens to you, so that you do not become arrogant, but be humble in your wisdom... Also, if some kind of sorrow or distress has befallen you, do not ask to be sure to get rid of them, because this, my brother, is often useful; I tell you, it often happens that during prayer you neglect your salvation, as was the case with the Israelites... And also, if you ask for something, do not ask in order to receive it without fail. For I say: you, as a person, often consider something useful for yourself that is useless. But if you leave your will and decide to walk according to God’s will, you will be safe. He, who foretells everything before its fulfillment, in His condescension shepherds us, but we do not know whether what we ask is useful to us. Many, having achieved what they wanted, subsequently repented, and often fell into great troubles; without carefully examining whether this was the will of God, but thinking that it was good for them, and under some pretexts that had the appearance of truth, deceived by the devil, they were exposed to extreme dangers. Many such deeds are accompanied by repentance, because we followed our own wishes in them. Listen to what the apostle says: we do not know what to pray for as we should (). For: everything is permissible for me, but not everything is beneficial; everything is permissible for me, but not everything edifies (). So, what is useful and edifying for each of us, God Himself knows, therefore leave it to Him. I say this not to prevent you from turning to God with your petitions; On the contrary, I also beg you to ask Him for everything, from small to great. And this is what I tell you: when you pray, you reveal to Him what is in your heart, tell Him: however, not My will, but Yours be done (); if it is useful, as you yourself know, do it. For it is thus written: Commit your way to the Lord and trust in Him, and He will accomplish (). Look at our Lord Jesus Christ, the Builder, who prays and says: My Father! if possible, let this cup pass from Me; however, not as I want, but as You (). Therefore, if you ask God for something, stand firm in your request, opening up to Him and saying: “If it is Your will, Master, for this to happen, then do it and make it successful. And if it is not Your will for this, do not let this happen, my God! Do not betray me to my own desire, for you know my foolishness... but as You Yourself know, so save me by Your condescension!” If you pray because of sorrow and thoughts, then say: Lord! Do not rebuke me in Your wrath, and do not punish me in Your anger. Have mercy on me, Lord, for I am weak (). Look what the prophet says: To You, O Lord, I cry: my stronghold! do not be silent for me, so that in Your silence I do not become like those who descend into the grave (); but give glory to Your name, you who are unforgettable, do not remember my sins and hear me. And, if possible, may sorrow pass me by, however, not my will, but Yours, be done, only strengthen and preserve my soul, and I will be able to endure this, so that I may find grace before You both in the present age and in the future.” And commend your sorrow to the Lord, and He will do what is good for you. For know that He, as the Good One, wants what is necessary for our salvation. That is why this good Shepherd laid down His soul...
“Do not indignate yourself with prayer, but ask for what is worthy of God. And when you ask for something worthy, do not give up until you receive it... In prayer one should ask not for the fulfillment of one’s own will, but to leave everything to God, who is useful in building the house,” writes the saint.
“If your deeds are not pleasing to God, then do not ask Him for great gifts, lest you end up in the position of a person who tempts God. Your prayer must be consistent with your lifestyle... The desire of each person is shown by his activity. Whatever his efforts are directed towards, he must strive for that in prayer. He who desires great things should not practice the unimportant. Do not ask God for what He Himself gives us without our asking, according to His providence, which gives not only to His own and beloved, but also to strangers the knowledge of Him” (Rev.).
Why are our prayers unheard?
If prayer is so powerful, then why doesn’t everyone get what they ask for? To this the holy Apostle James gives the following answer: You ask, and you do not receive, because you ask not for the good (). He who wants to receive must ask well. If those who ask do not always receive, then it is not prayer that is to blame, but those who do not pray well. Just as someone who does not know how to manage a good ship well does not sail to the intended destination, but is repeatedly broken on the rocks, and it is not the ship that is to blame, but its poor management, so prayer, when the one praying does not receive what he asks for, is not to blame for this, but the one who doesn't pray well.
The only people who do not receive what they ask for are those who are either evil themselves and do not want to evade evil in order to do good, or who ask God for an evil thing, or, finally, although they ask for a good thing, they ask not well, not as they should . Prayer is powerful, but not just any prayer, but perfect prayer, the prayer of those who pray well.
What kind of prayer is this? Talking about this requires more than one day, and therefore I will briefly remember at least something.
The prayer of one who obeys the Lord is heard and pleasing to God. Whoever obeys the words of the Lord, as the Lord Himself told us: Not everyone who says to Me: “Lord! Lord!”, will enter the Kingdom of Heaven, but he who does the will of My Heavenly Father (), who walks in the law of the Lord () and does His will, the Lord will fulfill his desire and hear the prayer of those who obey Him. Humble prayer, not pharisaical, ascends high, to the Third Heaven, to the very Throne of the Most High, the prayer of the humble will pass through the clouds. This, for example, was the prayer of the humble publican: God! be merciful to me, a sinner! (), and Manasseh, king of Jerusalem. The wings of prayer, on which it flies to the Most High, sitting on the six-winged Seraphim, are all kinds of virtues, especially humility, fasting and alms, as Archangel Raphael, who flew from Heaven, told Tobias: A good deed is prayer with fasting and almsgiving and justice ... It is better to give alms than to collect gold (). As in any virtue, so especially in prayer, diligence and zeal are necessary: The intense prayer of the righteous can do much (). “It was not in vain that our Savior said: Ask, and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you (),” writes St. Demetrius of Rostov (103, 361-362).
“The Lord never refuses gifts. If he sometimes refuses ahead of time, he refuses so that the gift becomes more precious for those receiving and so that the recipient is more diligent in prayer... The mouth can ask for everything, but God fulfills only what is useful... The Lord is the wise Distributor. He cares about the benefit of the person asking and, if he sees that what is asked is harmful or, at least, useless to him, he does not fulfill the request and refuses the imaginary benefit. He listens to every prayer, and the one whose prayer is not fulfilled receives from the Lord the same saving gift as the one whose prayer is fulfilled... By everyone possible ways God shows that He is a merciful Giver, He gives us His love and shows us His mercy. And therefore he does not answer any incorrect prayer, the fulfillment of which would bring us death and destruction. However, even in this case, refusing what we ask does not leave us without a very useful gift; by the very fact that He removes what is harmful from us, He already opens for us the door of His bounties. In this Giver there is no place for the foolishness of the one asking: to the unwise, who in his simplicity, contrary to reason, asks for something harmful to himself, God gives wisely. He refuses gifts to those who do not fulfill His commands. Any other course of action would be unreasonable for the omniscience of the Giver. Therefore, be sure that any request that is not fulfilled is undoubtedly harmful, but a request that is heard is beneficial. The Giver is righteous and good and will not leave your requests unfulfilled, because in His goodness there is no malice and in His righteousness there is no envy. If He delays in fulfilling it, it is not because He repents of the promise, on the contrary. He wants to see your patience” (Reverend).
How to Pray for Other People
Prayer for other people is an integral part of prayer. Standing before God does not alienate a person from his neighbors, but binds him to them with even closer ties.
“When praying for the living and the dead and calling them by name,” writes the holy righteous John of Kronstadt, “one must pronounce these names with all my heart, with love, as if carrying in my soul those faces whose names you remember, just as a milkmaid carries and warms her children (), - remembering that they are our members and members (members - Ed.) of the Body of Christ (cf.:). - It is not good in the presence of God to only go over their names with the tongue, without the participation and love of the heart. We must think that God looks at the heart - that the persons for whom we pray also demand from us, out of the duty of Christian love, brotherly sympathy and love. There is a great difference between an insensitive list of names and between a heartfelt remembrance of them: one is separated from the other as heaven is from earth. But the name of the Lord Himself, His Most Pure Mother, the holy Angels and saints God's men First of all, one must always call from a pure heart, with faith and ardent love; In general, the words of the prayer do not need to be sorted out only with the tongue, as if turning over sheets of paper with a finger in a book or as if counting out a coin; It is necessary that the words come out like a spring of living water from its spring, so that they are the sincere voice of the heart, and not be someone else’s borrowed clothes, someone else’s hands.”
How to pray for offenders and enemies
We should not limit ourselves to just praying for people close and dear to us. Praying for those who have caused us grief brings peace to the soul, has an impact on these people and makes our prayer sacrificial.
“When you see shortcomings and passions in your neighbor,” writes the holy righteous John of Kronstadt, “pray for him; pray for everyone, even your enemy. If you see a proud and obstinate brother speaking proudly to you or others, pray for him, so that God will enlighten his mind and warm his heart with the fire of His grace, say: Lord, teach Your servant, who has fallen into the pride of the devil, meekness and humility, and drive away (drive away - Ed.) from his heart the darkness and burden of satanic pride! If you see an evil one, pray: Lord, do good to Thy servant through Thy grace!
If you are money-loving and greedy, say: Our treasure is incorruptible and our wealth is inexhaustible! Grant to this Thy servant, created in Thy image and likeness, to know the flattery of wealth, and how all earthly things are vanity, shadow and sleep. The days of every man are like grass, or like a spider, and as You alone are our wealth, peace and joy!
When you see an envious person, pray: Lord, enlighten the mind and heart of this Thy servant to the knowledge of Thy great, countless and unsearchable gifts, and they will be received from Thy innumerable bounties, for in the blindness of my passion I have forgotten Your rich gifts and impoverished my life. , who is rich in Thy blessings, and for this reason he gazes charmingly at the good of Thy servants, with them, O most unspeakable Blessing, he rewards everyone, in every way against his strength and according to the intention of Thy will. Take away, O all-merciful Master, the veil of the devil from the sight of the heart of Thy servant and grant him heartfelt contrition and tears of repentance and gratitude, so that the enemy does not rejoice over him, captured alive from him into his will, and may he not tear him away from Thy hand.
When you see a drunken person, say with your heart: Lord, look mercifully on Your servant, seduced by the flattery of the belly and carnal joy, grant him to know the sweetness of abstinence and fasting and the fruits of the spirit that flow from it.
When you see someone who is passionate about food and places his bliss in it, say: Lord, our sweetest food, which never perishes, but remains in eternal life! Cleanse this Thy servant from the filth of gluttony, which created all flesh and is alien to Thy Spirit, and grant him to know the sweetness of Thy life-giving spiritual food, which is Thy Flesh and Blood and Thy holy, living and effective word.
Pray in this or a similar way for all who sin and do not dare to despise anyone for his sin or take revenge on him, for this would only increase the ulcers of those who sin; correct with advice, threats and punishments that would serve as a means to stop or keep evil within the boundaries of moderation.”
The person constantly utters an internal monologue, and sometimes argues furiously with an imaginary opponent. He is torn apart by conflicting feelings and oppressed by the need to make decisions. Vain thoughts big problems and small matters, a stream of daily, endless worries. And it already seems that no one can help, and life is passing by, and nothing good awaits ahead. And then we suddenly remember that we have someone to turn to, someone to rely on and from whom to expect help.
It’s better, after all, not to wait for a special mood, failure, God forbid, misfortune, but to know the prayers for every day and read them regularly.
Daily attendance at church is almost impossible for a modern, active, working person, but everyone can read prayers in the morning, entrusting their destiny into the hands of God. Church rite presupposes that full reading daily prayer each day takes at least 40 minutes. Not everyone can afford this, and besides, there are difficulties in understanding Church Slavonic words. This makes it difficult to read and remember. Parish priests and confessors allow and advise to reduce the number of prayers, leaving only those that, as they say, “feel good to the soul.” Orthodox prayers for every day - these are appeals to God, Jesus Christ, the Holy Trinity, Saints, Reverends, Archangels, Apostles, Guardian Angels. And every person praying can turn to the one who is closest to him. Prayer is not a request, much less a demand: to do, to give, to organize, to cure. Deeply felt, correctly read morning prayer helps to concentrate, being a kind of meditative aid. Prayers for every day discipline the mind and soul, giving us the opportunity to feel protected and preserved. If there is no special occasion, then usually daily Orthodox rank includes several basic prayers.
We were not taught to pray, but direct appeal to God, the main prayer for every day, is known to many. This is Our Father. Orthodox Church- the church is a cathedral one, and when many people read a prayer at the same time, its power becomes irresistible. This is why reprimands during church services are so effective.
You can contact the Guardian Angel throughout the day, he is always nearby, protects, protects, and guides.
Prayer to the Guardian Angel
Angel of God, my holy guardian, given to me by the Lord, I pray to you: protect me every day from all evil, guide me to good deeds and direct me on the path of salvation. Amen.
Ugodnik is highly revered in Russia. Icons with his image can be found in the cottages of wealthy people and in poor apartments. Smart and stupid, educated and ignorant, people of the most different ages and professions considered and consider him theirs. The Great Saint does not refuse help to anyone, and this help is always timely and effective.
Prayer to Nicholas the Ugodnik
O All-Good Father Nicholas! Shepherd and teacher of all who pray with faith for your intercession and call to you in fervent prayer! Try and deliver the flock of Christ from the wolves that are destroying the Christian country. Protect and protect the saints with your prayers from rebellion, war and civil strife, from hunger, flood, fire, ball and vain death. And just as you had mercy on three men sitting in prison and delivered them from the wrath of the king and the beating from the sword, so have mercy on me and deliver me from the wrath of the Lord and eternal torment. Through your intercession and help, and through His mercy and grace, Christ God will give me a quiet life and deliver me from troubles and misfortunes. Amen
For a woman no better than prayer for every day than appeal to the Blessed Virgin Mary. It helps with illnesses, protects against despair and evil thoughts.
Lady, Holy Mother of God. With your omnipotent and holy prayers before the Lord, take away from me, your humble servant of God, foul and evil thoughts. I ask You, strengthen me in my faith! Protect my weak soul and sinful heart from despondency and despair. Our intercessor, the Most Holy Theotokos! Do not let yourself fall into the sin of evil thoughts and deeds. May you be blessed your name forever and ever. Amen.
M hi to you, dear visitors of the Orthodox website “Family and Faith”!
TO What should be the daily prayer rule? Orthodox Christian? Is it possible to read akathists according to personal spiritual desire, or are akathists read only with blessing and in certain days? How to read akathists correctly - out loud or silently, in a chant, and in what order? How to read the canons correctly at home? Sitting or standing?
Archimandrite Ambrose (Fontrier) answers these questions:
"P There is a rule and it is mandatory for everyone. These are morning and evening prayers, one chapter from the Gospel, (...) if possible, you can read the kathisma from the Psalter, and also read the canon.
I once asked one person:
– Do I need to have lunch and dinner every day?
“It is necessary,” he replies, “but besides this, I can grab something else and drink some tea.”
- What about praying? If our body requires food, isn’t it even more important for our soul? We feed the body so that the soul is kept in the body and is cleansed, sanctified, freed from sin, so that the Holy Spirit dwells in us. It is necessary for her to unite with God here already. And the body is the clothing of the soul, which ages, dies and crumbles into the dust of the earth. And we are for this temporary, perishable Special attention we give. We really care about him! And we feed, and water, and paint, and dress in fashionable rags, and give peace - we pay a lot of attention. And sometimes there is no care left for our soul. Have you read your morning prayers?
- So you can’t have breakfast. And if you’re not going to read in the evening, then you can’t have dinner. And you can't drink tea.
- I'll die of hunger!
- So your soul dies of hunger!
Now, when a person makes this rule the norm of his life, then he has peace, quiet and quiet in his soul. The Lord sends grace, and the Mother of God and the Angel of the Lord pray. In addition to this, Christians also pray to the saints, read other akathists, the soul is nourished, contented and glad, peaceful, the person is saved.
But you don’t have to read like some people do, proofreading. They read it, rattled it off - through the air, but didn’t hit the soul. Touch this one a little and it bursts into flames! But he considers himself a great man of prayer—he “prays” very well. The Apostle Paul says: “It is better to speak five words with my mind, in order to instruct others, than ten thousand words in an unknown tongue.”(1 Cor.14:19) It is better that five words penetrate the soul than ten thousand words that miss the soul.
— You can read akathists at least every day. I knew one woman (her name was Pelagia), she read 15 akathists every day. The Lord gave her special grace. Some Orthodox Christians have collected many akathists - 200 or 500. They usually read a certain akathist every holiday celebrated by the Church. For example, tomorrow is a holiday Vladimir icon Mother of God. People who have an akathist for this holiday will read it.
— Akathists are good to read from a fresh memory, i.e. in the morning, when the mind is not burdened with everyday affairs. In general, it is very good to pray from morning until lunch, while the body is not burdened with food. Then there is an opportunity to feel every word from the akathists and canons.
All prayers and akathists are best read aloud. Why? Because words enter the soul through the ear and are better remembered. I constantly hear: “We can’t learn prayers...” But you don’t need to learn them - you just need to read them constantly, every day - morning and evening, and they are remembered by themselves. If “Our Father” is not remembered, then it is necessary where our dinner table, attach a piece of paper with this prayer.
Many refer to poor memory due to old age, but when you start asking them, asking various everyday questions, everyone remembers. They remember who was born when, in what year, everyone remembers their birthdays. They know how much everything is now in the store and on the market - but prices are constantly changing! They know how much bread, salt and butter cost. Everyone remembers it perfectly. You ask: “What street do you live on?” - everyone will say. Very good memory. But they just can’t remember the prayers. And this is because the flesh comes first for us. And we care so much about the flesh, we all remember what it needs. But we don’t care about the soul, that’s why we have a bad memory for everything good. We are masters of bad things...
— The Holy Fathers say that those who read the canons daily to the Savior, the Mother of God, the Guardian Angel, and the saints are especially protected by the Lord from all demonic misfortunes and evil people.
If you come to any boss for a reception, you will see a sign on his door “Reception hours from... to...” You can turn to God at any time. Night prayer is especially valuable. When a person prays at night, then, as the holy fathers say, this prayer is, as it were, paid for in gold. But in order to pray at night, you need to take a blessing from the priest, because there is a danger: a person may become proud that he prays at night and fall into delusion, or he will be especially attacked by demons. Through blessing, the Lord will protect this person.
Sitting or standing? If your legs can’t hold you up, you can kneel down and read. If your knees are tired, you can read while sitting. It is better to think about God while sitting than to think about your feet while standing. And one more thing: prayer without bowing is a premature fetus. Fans are a must.”
Unfortunately, the faith of many people is limited to the phrases “Lord, help” and “”. Moreover, the utterance of sayings is not always associated with memories of the Almighty. This is very sad. This situation needs to be corrected. After all, without God’s blessing, no business should be started. First, you should study the basic Orthodox prayers, or at least read them from the prayer book until they are memorized.
Three main prayers of Orthodox believers
There are a lot of prayers, and they all have their own classification, some should be read before starting any task, others at the end, there are morning and evening prayers, thanksgiving and repentance, before eating food and as a follow-up to communion. But there are three main prayers that you cannot do without; they are the most important and necessary. They can be read in any situation, regardless of what events occurred. If you suddenly really need to ask for help from the Almighty, but were unable to find the right words, then one of the three prayers will be an excellent assistance.
1. "Our Father." According to the Holy Gospel, this “Our Father” was given by Jesus to his disciples who asked him to teach them prayer. God himself allowed people to call him father and declared the entire human race to be his sons. In this prayer, a Christian finds salvation and receives the grace of God.
2. "Creed". Prayer combines fundamental dogmas Christian faith. Aspects are accepted by believers without requiring proof and repeat the story of how Jesus Christ was incarnated in human form, appeared to the world, was crucified in the name of delivering people from the burden of original sin, and was resurrected on the third day as a symbol of victory over death.
3. Prayer to the Lord Jesus. Addressing Jesus Christ as the Son of God and demonstrating your faith in him as true God. With this prayer, believers ask the Lord for help and protection.
No matter what happens, at any time of the day or night, remember the name of the Lord your God. Praise his name for every act of God and for the given opportunity to live another bright and joyful day. And having asked something from our Creator, do not forget to subsequently thank our quick helper and intercessor.
Ten Important Prayers for Religious Believers
It is impossible to imagine a pilgrim's day without the Lord's Prayer or the Creed. But there are, although secondary, still the same basic Orthodox prayers, from which daytime and evening prayers are made up. People find peace in turning to the Creator. One has only to start reading the prayer book, and life will immediately become simpler and easier. For there is no power more philanthropic and all-forgiving than the pure love of the Lord God.
Before starting prayer, you should learn one more prayer, the initial one (Son of God, prayers for the sake of Your Most Pure Mother and all the saints, have mercy on us. Amen. Glory to Thee, our God, glory to Thee). It is read after the Publican's prayer, but before all the others. In ordinary language, this is a kind of introduction to a dialogue with the Almighty.
Basic Orthodox prayers are the first step on the religious ladder leading along the path to a pious life. Over time, other prayers will be learned. All of them are delightful and beautiful, as they are endowed with great love for God and a great desire to believe, hope, repent, endure, forgive and love.
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