Every novice Orthodox Christian should know the important, most basic prayers and read them at home, on the road, at all critical moments of his life. Although, rather, every person should know them for
People who visit the temple during the liturgy, during ordinary worship, know which prayers should be read and in what order. Things are different for those who begin a conversation with God, for those who take the first steps on the path of faith. What are the main prayers and what are the secondary ones? Of course, there is no such division; any prayer is a conversation with God. But there are those that are considered basic.
So, the main prayers for an Orthodox Christian. These conversions are the beginning of all beginnings, the basis of the foundations of Christianity.
“Our Father” is the main prayer of a Christian
“Our Father” is the fundamental, main prayer of all Christians for all occasions, with it the service in the temple begins, and every Christian should begin the morning with it and end his difficult day. It should be read before a conspiracy ritual in order to give even more power to any ritual. It is believed that this is the only prayer that does not belong to the human mind. The Lord himself gave it to us.
“Our Father” is read before starting any serious business, it accompanies any conspiracy, they begin treatment of a patient, and they thank our Lord with it. The prayer is read three times.
Our Father, who art in heaven! (can be replaced with the phrase “who is in heaven”)
Hallowed be Thy name, Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, as it is in heaven and on earth.
Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our debts, just as we forgive our debtors;
and do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.
Now forever and forever and ever. Amen.
With the help of this prayer, thieves and atheist robbers repented and turned to God and received God's help. The power of prayer is learned not only in trouble. If you read “Our Father” every day, your life will be filled with goodness and light.
Whether to believe these words or not is a personal matter for everyone, but for believers this prayer is of great importance.
The second most important is the appeal to the mother of our God Jesus Christ, the Most Holy Theotokos, the Virgin Mary.
Orthodox prayer “I believe in one God, the Father Almighty”
The prayer that begins with these words is called the Creed and is one of the most important prayers . Unlike other prayers, the Creed does not contain an appeal to God, the Mother of God, saints or angels, but sets out in a brief form the whole essence of Orthodox Christian teaching. A person who does not agree with the statements listed in the Creed, or simply does not understand them, cannot be called an Orthodox Christian.
This is one of two prayers that are sung aloud at the Liturgy by all those praying in the church, and not just by the singers. Before baptizing a child, future godparents must learn the Creed by heart: the godfather or godmother pronounces it during the sacrament.
Song to the Mother of God
Every woman, even an unchurched one, should know the appeal and thanksgiving to the mother of Jesus Christ to the Holy Mother of God the Virgin Mary by heart.
Virgin Mary, Rejoice, Blessed Mary,
The Lord is with You, blessed are You among women, and blessed is the fruit of Your womb,
For you gave birth to the Savior of our souls. Amen
No less powerful, but a little more voluminous, is the “Creed” prayer, which is also read often.
Prayers throughout the day
Prayer before leaving home
I deny you, Satan, your pride and service to you, and I unite with you, Christ, in the Name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen. (Protect yourself with the sign of the cross)
Prayer of the last Optina elders
Lord, let me meet with peace of mind everything that the coming day will bring me. Let me completely surrender to Your holy will. For every hour of this day, instruct and support me in everything. Whatever news I receive during the day, teach me to accept it with a calm soul and a firm conviction that everything is Your holy will. Lord, guide my thoughts and feelings in all my words and deeds. In all unforeseen cases, do not let me forget that everything was sent down by You. Teach me to act directly and wisely with each member of my family, without confusing or upsetting anyone. Lord, give me strength to endure the fatigue of the coming day and all the events during the day. Guide my will and teach me to repent, pray, believe, hope, endure, forgive and love everyone. Amen.
Prayers for the well-being of children
Prayer to the Savior for children throughout the day
Lord Jesus Christ, bring Your mercy to my children ( names
), keep them under Your roof, cover them from all evil lust, drive away from them every enemy and adversary, open their ears and the eyes of their hearts, grant tenderness and humility to their hearts.
Lord, we are all Your creation, have pity on my children ( names
) and turn them to repentance.
Save, O Lord, and have mercy on my children ( names
) and enlighten their minds with the light of the mind of Your Gospel, and guide them on the path of Your commandments, and teach them, O Savior, to do Your will, for You are our God.
Mother's prayers to the Savior
First prayer (Kazan Ambrosievskaya stauropegial women's desert)
Sweetest Jesus, God of my heart! You gave me children according to the flesh, they are Yours according to the soul; You redeemed both my soul and theirs with Your priceless blood; For the sake of Your Divine blood, I beg You, my sweetest Savior: with Your grace touch the hearts of my children ( names
) and my godchildren (
names),
protect them with Your Divine fear, keep them from bad inclinations and habits, direct them to the bright path of life, truth and goodness, decorate their lives with everything good and saving, arrange their fate as You yourself want and save their souls are weighed by their destinies.
Lord God of our fathers! to my children (names)
and my godsons
(names)
a right heart to keep Your commandments, Your revelations and Your statutes and to fulfill all this. God! To the Creator of all creatures, adding mercy to mercy, You have made me worthy to be the mother of a family; Your goodness has given me children, and I dare to say: they are Your children! Because You gave them existence, revived them with an immortal soul, revived them through baptism for a life in accordance with Your will, adopted them and accepted them into the bosom of Your Church. God! Keep them in a state of grace until the end of their lives; grant them to be partakers of the sacraments of Your Covenant; sanctify by Thy truth; may Thy holy name be sanctified in them and through them! Send down upon me Your gracious help in educating them for the glory of Your name and the benefit of your neighbor! Give me methods, patience and strength for this purpose! Teach me to plant in their hearts the root of true wisdom - Thy fear! Illuminate them with the light of the ruling universe of Your Wisdom! May they love You with all their soul and with all their thoughts, may they cleave to You with all their hearts and may they tremble at Your words throughout their entire lives! Grant me the understanding to convince them that true life consists in keeping Your commandments; that work, strengthened by piety, brings serene contentment in this life and ineffable bliss in eternity. Open to them the understanding of Your law! May they act until the end of their days in the feeling of Your omnipresence! Plant in their hearts horror and disgust from all lawlessness, may they be blameless in their ways, may they always remember that You are the All-Good God, a zealot of Your law and righteousness! Keep them in chastity and reverence for Your name! Let them not discredit Your Church by their behavior, but let them live according to its instructions! Inspire them with a desire for useful teaching and make them capable of every good deed! May they acquire a true understanding of those objects whose information is necessary in their condition; may they be enlightened with knowledge beneficial to humanity. God! Manage me to impress with indelible marks on the minds and hearts of my children the fear of partnerships with those who do not know Thy fear, to instill in them every possible distance from any alliance with the lawless. May they not listen to rotten conversations, may they not listen to frivolous people, may they not be led astray by bad examples from Your path, may they not be tempted by the fact that sometimes the path of the lawless is successful in this world! Heavenly Father! Grant me the grace to take every possible care to tempt my children with my actions, but, constantly keeping their behavior in mind, to distract them from errors, correct their mistakes, curb their stubbornness and obstinacy, refrain from striving for vanity and frivolity; Let them not be carried away by foolish thoughts, let them not follow their hearts, let them not become proud in their thoughts, let them not forget You and Your law. May iniquity not destroy their mind and health, may sins not weaken their mental and physical strength. Righteous Judge, who punishes children for the sins of their parents to the third and fourth generation, turn away such punishment from my children, do not punish them for my sins, but sprinkle them with the dew of Thy grace, that they may prosper in virtue and holiness, and may they grow in Thy favor and love. pious people. Father of generosity and all mercy! According to my parental feeling, I would wish for my children every abundance of earthly blessings, I would wish them blessings from the dew of heaven and from the fatness of the earth, but may Thy holy will be with them! Arrange their fate according to Your good pleasure, do not deprive them of their daily bread in life, send down to them everything they need in time to acquire a blissful eternity; be merciful to them when they sin before You; do not impute to them the sins of their youth and their ignorance, bring their hearts into contrition when they resist the guidance of Your goodness; punish them and have mercy, directing them to a path pleasing to You, but do not reject them from Your presence! Accept their prayers with favor, grant them success in every good deed, do not turn Your face away from them in the days of their sorrow, so that temptations beyond their strength may not befall them, Overshadow them with Your mercy, may Your Angel walk with them and protect them from all misfortune and evil path, All-merciful God! Make me a mother who rejoices over her children, so that they will be my joy in the days of my life and my support in my old age. Honor me, with trust in Your mercy, to appear with them at Your Last Judgment and with unworthy boldness to say: “Here I am and my children whom You gave me, Lord!” Yes, together with them glorifying Your ineffable goodness and eternal love, I extol Your most holy name, Father, Son and Holy Soul, forever and ever. Amen.
Second prayer, for the warrior
Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, prayers for the sake of Your Most Pure Mother, hear me, unworthy of a servant (name).
Lord, in Your merciful power are my children, Your servants
(names).
Have mercy and save them, for Thy name's sake.
Lord, forgive them all the sins, voluntary and involuntary, that they committed before You. Lord, guide them on the true path of Your commandments and enlighten their minds with the light of Christ for the salvation of the soul and the healing of the body. Lord, bless them at home, at school, on the road, and in every place of Your dominion. Lord, protect them under Your holy shelter from a flying bullet, poison, fire, from a deadly ulcer and vain death. Lord, protect them from all visible and invisible enemies, from all illness, cleanse them from all filth and ease their mental suffering. Lord, grant them the grace of Your Holy Spirit for many years of life, health, chastity. Lord, increase and strengthen their mental abilities and physical strength, which You have given them, Your blessing for a pious and, if You wish, family life and shameless childbearing. Lord, grant to me, Thy unworthy and sinful servant (name),
a parental blessing on my children and Thy servant at this time of morning, day, night for the sake of Thy name, for Thy Kingdom is eternal, omnipotent and omnipotent. Amen.
Hymn to the Most Holy Theotokos
Virgin Mary, Rejoice, O Blessed Mary, the Lord is with You! Blessed are You among women and blessed is the fruit of Your womb, for You have given birth to the Savior of our souls.
Prayer to the Mother of God
O Most Holy Lady Virgin Theotokos, save and keep my children (names) under Your roof,
all youths, young women and infants, baptized and nameless and carried in the womb of their mother.
Cover them with the robe of Your motherhood, keep them in the fear of God and in obedience to their parents, pray to my Lord and Your Son to grant them what is useful for their salvation. I entrust them to Your maternal supervision, for You are the Divine Protection of Your servants. Mother of God, lead me into the image of Your heavenly motherhood. Heal the mental and physical wounds of my children (names)
caused by my sins. I entrust my child entirely to my Lord Jesus Christ and Your, Most Pure, heavenly protection. Amen.
Prayers for prosperity in business and teaching
Prayer before starting any work pleasing to God and useful to people.
Heavenly King, Comforter, Soul of truth, Who is everywhere and fulfills everything, Treasure of good things and Giver of life, come and dwell in us, and cleanse us from all filth, and save, O Good One, our souls. Amen.
Prayer to the Savior before starting a good deed
Lord Jesus Christ, our God, accept our earnest prayer and bless the good intention and work of your servants ( name)
, even begin safely, and complete it without any obstacle to your glory. Make haste as a worker and correct the works of your hands, and hasten to accomplish them by the power of your Most Holy Spirit! For it is yours to have mercy and save us, our God, and we send up glory to you, with your beginningless Father, and your most holy and good and life-giving Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.
Prayers at the end of any task
The fulfillment of all good things You are, my Christ, fill my soul with joy and gladness and save me, For I am the only One who is most merciful. Amen.
Prayer "Creed"
I believe in one God, the Father, Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth, visible to all and invisible.
And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the only begotten, who was born of the Father before all ages;
Light from Light, true God from true God, born, uncreated, consubstantial with the Father, to Whom all things were.
For our sake, man and our salvation came down from heaven and became incarnate from the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary, and became human.
She was crucified for us under Pontius Pilate, and suffered and was buried.
And he rose again on the third day according to the Scriptures.
And ascended into heaven, and sits at the right hand of the Father.
And again the coming one will be judged with glory by the living and the dead, and His Kingdom will have no end.
And in the Holy Spirit, the Life-Giving Lord, who proceeds from the Father, who with the Father and the Son is worshiped and glorified, who spoke the prophets.
Into one Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church.
I confess one baptism for the remission of sins.
I hope for the resurrection of the dead and the life of the next century.
Amen.
If you want to know more prayers, here are two more prayers for you
Prayers for the coming day are prayers before and after meals, prayers for every task
Prayers for the coming day include prayers before and after meals, prayers before reading spiritual literature, prayers for every task, prayers before leaving the house and others. You can read daily prayers from one o'clock in the afternoon until the evening. It is believed that holy prayers are necessary for a person like air and water. Without prayer it is impossible to grow spiritually.
Many Orthodox people believe that it is simply necessary to read prayers before starting any business. Be it cleaning or work. During the day, prayers are as important as morning and evening prayers.
A page from the prayer book, where we see that daily prayers refer to prayers for every need of the soul. Photo: static-eu.insales.ru
At the beginning of the matter
Any business will please you more and will go without problems and obstacles if you ask for blessings from the Lord before starting it. You can read the canonical prayer from the prayer book, but if this is not possible, then you can simply, in your own words, silently, ask the Almighty to bless you to do this or that business, travel, negotiate, or make a major purchase.
As a prayer illuminating the beginning of any undertaking, you can read the prayer “To the Heavenly King, the Comforter, the Soul of Truth.” Its text is short and clear, it can be easily learned by heart.
At the end of the task, it is important to thank God for his help; you can also read canonical prayers to the Mother of God, for example, “It is worthy to eat.”
Prayer is a dialogue between the soul and God
Prayer is a person’s way of communicating with God. The purpose of any prayer is to turn to God, the desire to feel His presence in life. Prayer takes the form of a conversation, a conversation, and in essence, prayer is a dialogue between the human soul and God. An answer to prayer can come in various forms, and a sincere question will never go unanswered. Therefore, there are certain prayers that everyone should know.
Prayer accompanies the life of every Orthodox Christian; every business and undertaking must be sanctified by prayer. The prayer can be petitionary, grateful or repentant. You can pray both in your own words and in prayers compiled by the Church.
Prayer
Options for basic short prayers
The short prayers presented below can be read at any time provided for by church rules. They are very effective and if pronounced with sincere faith, they will definitely be heard.
Holy Spirit
A short prayer to the Holy Spirit is a stichera, that is, a short chant dedicated to the holiday of Pentecost. During the period from Easter to Pentecost, this prayer is not recommended.
In this prayer, Christian believers turn to the Holy Spirit. He is the third Person of the Holy Trinity. In this short address the Holy Spirit is called the King of Heaven. This is because He is equal to God the Father and God the Son. The Holy Trinity invisibly reigns over the whole world and everyone living in it. In this prayer he is called the Comforter, because only he is able to calm a believer in grief and sadness. He is called in this prayer the Spirit of truth, because that is what the Savior called Him, and this explains that the Holy Spirit can teach a believer only one truth, that is, he reveals to people what is useful for them and will serve as salvation. The Holy Spirit is the Omnipresent God, since He is around us in everything and fills everything with Himself. He rules the whole world, he sees everything and knows what to give and to whom. He is the treasure of good things, the source of all good things and the guardian of all good deeds. In prayer, the Holy Spirit is called the Giver, since everything in the world around us lives and moves by Him. Believers from Him receive spiritual, holy and eternal life after death, being cleansed from their sins through Him.
Saying the words of a short prayer, believers turn to the Holy Spirit with the request:
“Come and dwell in us.”
This petition means a request for cleansing from all filth and sins, and also expresses a person’s desire to become worthy and receive salvation for this.
A short prayer to the Holy Spirit goes like this:
“Heavenly King, Comforter, Spirit of truth, omnipresent and filling the whole world, Source of blessings and Giver of life, come and dwell in us; cleanse us from all sin and save, O Good One, our souls.”
Holy Mother of God
The Mother of God is the greatest and one of the most revered Saints. Her icons are miraculous, and her prayers have special power. It depends, first of all, on the sincerity of faith. A short prayer to the Most Holy Theotokos can be read anywhere and at any time. The Mother of God will always hear the prayer of a sincere believer and provide support in a difficult life situation.
The short prayer goes like this:
“Worthy and truly good are You, the Most Holy Theotokos, the Ever-Blessed and Immaculate Mother of our God. The most honorable and most glorious of all the Saints, who conveys God the Word without corruption, we magnify the present Mother of God.”
Such a short prayer can support a believer in difficult times. It will provide reliable protection in a dangerous situation and will provide invaluable assistance in making the right decision. This prayer should be used before significant life events and any responsible undertakings.
In times of trouble, even the simplest appeal is considered effective:
“Most Holy Theotokos, save us!”
How to pray in church
In most cases, believers try to observe all the little things related to prayer, but at the same time they forget for what purpose they pray and go to church. This is why beginners often face outside criticism from those who consider themselves more experienced.
We should not forget that we visit church in order to turn to God, and not with the aim of criticizing others. Criticism means a search for conflicts, the emergence of anger, aggression, and this is an additional sin. In this case, a person puts his pride above his love for the Lord.
If you are reprimanded, try not to be indignant, not to make retaliatory insults or show anger. On the contrary, you should say words of gratitude to the person and consider this as good advice given to you, then return to your business.
These are some tips that will tell you how to pray correctly in church:
- If it is planned to hold joint prayers, they should be performed in the temple. Such prayers include those that ask for peace in the country and the prevention of natural disasters. All this must be done with the support of other believers, and of course, in front of holy images.
- Church should be visited not only on major holidays and more than once a year. If a person is a believer, he should not come to church only on Easter, but also when he feels spiritual anxiety. It is correct to attend Sunday services. Constantly visiting a holy place will remove anxiety and you will feel more comfortable.
- There is no need to be afraid of mistakes. Some people don’t go to church not because they don’t believe, but because they are afraid of doing something wrong. Their fear is to stand in the wrong place, to put a candle in the wrong place. You will learn all this over time. If you have any doubts, contact the clergy, they will definitely help.
- Some people think that the louder a prayer is read, the faster God will hear them. Actually this is not correct. The Lord will hear you even if you pray in a whisper or without saying anything at all. And loud pronunciation can disturb others.
- Before you start praying, get in the right mood. Prayer should not be said while you are thinking about something else. The mind needs to be cleared and completely focused on the task at hand. And the end of the prayer must be correct, stay at the icon for a while, do not immediately switch to other things, as if the prayer never happened.
These are not all recommendations on the question of how to pray for a beginner. There are a few more rules regarding clothing. For women, the mandatory dress code is a skirt and headscarf. Men must not wear a hat or short shorts. A defiant appearance in the temple is unacceptable. When leaving the church, you need to turn to her and cross yourself.
Prayer is not magic
“And whatever you ask in prayer in faith, you will receive” (Matthew 21:22).
Every Orthodox Christian can confirm these words of the Lord; in fact, prayer to God can work miracles. However, this property of prayer may seem to be an effective tool in realizing one’s desires. This approach is incorrect in terms of understanding what prayer is. Prayer should not be associated with a magic spell, after reading which a person always gets what he wants.
Jesus Christ taught:
“And when you pray, do not say too much, like the pagans, for they think that for their many words they will be heard; Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him” (Matthew 6:6-8).
God is all-good and fulfills all good requests and undertakings, and only He knows what exactly will be necessary and useful for us. Therefore, every prayer must end with the words “Nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will” (Matthew 26:39).
Prayer is not a spell, because a prayer is fulfilled not thanks to the text of the prayer, but by the power of God himself. The text of the prayer in itself, separately from the human heart, does not have any special power. The main thing is faith in the Lord and His mercy towards us.
However, not every prayer can be useful to the human soul. A prayer for gaining wealth, a prayer for finding love - all such texts, which are called prayers only in name, are, in fact, not such. Prayers compiled by the Church are published in Orthodox prayer books, which have the stamp “Recommended for publication by the Publishing Council of the Russian Orthodox Church.” These publications publish the basic prayers that every Orthodox Christian should know.
