How often do they read prayers to saints and the Lord asking for help, guidance, and protection? How often do you thank God? Gratitude is a small price to pay for what we have, what the Lord has given us. Ungrateful people are no better than sinners; they do not appreciate God's mercy, which means they do not respect themselves and their surroundings. It seems to many that their life is boring and gray, there is no joy and happiness in it, and they have nothing to thank the Almighty for, but as soon as they read the prayer “Thanksgiving for every good deed of God,” everything around them will appear in a different light.
Words of gratitude are pleasant for everyone; this is how respect and recognition are expressed, this is how love is shown. For his labors, for his gifts to us, the Lord, like no one else, deserves that people read prayers of gratitude for every good deed of God. It doesn’t matter where you live or what language you speak, it is important that the words of gratitude come from the heart.
Troparion, tone 4th1
Audio:
0:24
Give thanks to Your unworthy servants, Lord, for Your great blessings upon us; we glorify You, bless You, thank You, sing and magnify Your compassion, and slavishly love I cry out to You: Our Benefactor, our Savior, glory to You.
Translation: Being grateful, Lord, for Your great benefits shown to us, we, Your unworthy servants, glorify, praise and bless You, thank, glorify and glorify Your mercy and slavishly, with love, we exclaim to You: “Benefactor, our Savior, glory You!"
Kontakion, voice 3rd1
Audio:
0:22
We earnestly flow to You for Your blessings and gifts, as a servant of indifference, O Master, and we give thanks to You as much as we can, and we cry out to You as the Benefactor and Creator. : Glory to You, All-Bountiful God.
Translation: We, as unworthy servants, undeservedly honored with Your blessings and gifts, Master, turn to You with zeal and offer all possible thanksgiving and, glorifying You as the Benefactor and Creator, we exclaim: “Glory to You, All-Merciful God!”
Bogorodichen1
Audio:
0:21
Mother of God, Christian Helper, Thy servants, who have gained Thy intercession, gratefully cry out to Thee: Rejoice, Most Pure Virgin Mother of God, and through Thy prayers always deliver us from all our troubles, united at all times re presenting.
Translation: Mother of God, Helper of Christians, we, Your servants, having received Your help, exclaim to You with gratitude: Rejoice, Most Pure Virgin Mary, and through Your prayers deliver us from all troubles, One speedy Intercessor.
Song of praise of St. Ambrose of Milan1
Audio:
2:23
We praise God to You, we confess to You the Lord, The whole earth magnifies Your Eternal Father; To you all the Angels, to you the Heavens and all the Powers, to you the unceasing voices of the Cherubim and Seraphim cry: Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God of Hosts, the essence of Heaven and earth are full of the majesty of Your glory. The glorious apostolic face is to you, the prophetic number of praise is to you, the bright martyr’s army praises you; Throughout the entire universe the Holy Church confesses to You: the Father of incomprehensible majesty, worshiping Your true and Only Begotten Son, and the Holy Comforter of the Spirit. You are the King of glory, Christ, You are the ever-present Son of the Father; For the sake of deliverance, when you received a man, you did not disdain the Virgin’s womb; Having overcome the sting of death, you have opened the Kingdom of Heaven to believers; You sit at the right hand of God in the glory of the Fathers, the Judge comes to believe. We therefore ask You: help Thy servant, whom Thou hast redeemed with His honest Blood, to reign with Thy saints in Thy eternal glory. Save Your people, Lord, and bless Your heritage, correct them, and exalt them forever. We will bless You all the days, and we will praise Your name forever and ever. Grant, Lord, that on this day we may be preserved without sin. Have mercy on us, Lord, have mercy on us; May Thy mercy, O Lord, be upon us, as we trust in Thee; in Thee, Lord, let us trust, let us not be ashamed forever. Amen.
Translation: We praise You, God, We confess You, Lord, The whole earth magnifies You, the eternal Father. To you all the Angels, to you the heavens and all the powers, to you the Cherubim and Seraphim cry with unceasing voices: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God of hosts, heaven and earth are full of the majesty of your glory.” You are the glorious apostolic council, You are the praising multitude of prophets, The bright army of martyrs praises You. The Holy Church confesses You throughout the entire universe, the Father of incomprehensible majesty, worthy of worship, Your True and Only Begotten Son and the Holy Comforter of the Spirit. You are the King of glory, Christ, You are the Ever-Existing Son of the Father. To deliver people, you did not disdain the Virgin’s womb. You, having won victory over death, created the kingdom of heaven for believers. You sit on the right side of God in the glory of the Father and we believe that You will come to judge us. Therefore we ask You: “Help Your servants, whom You have redeemed with Your precious blood. Make us worthy to reign with Your saints in Your eternal glory. Save, O Lord, Your people and bless Your inheritance, rule them and magnify them forever.” We will bless You all the days and praise Your name forever and ever. Grant, Lord, that on this day we may be preserved without sin. Have pity on us, Lord, and have mercy on us. May Your mercy, O Lord, be upon us, for we trust in You. We trust in You, Lord, so that we may not be ashamed forever. Amen.
Thanksgiving for God's goodness
Lord God
A believer should get into the habit of thanking God for everything that happens to him in the real world, namely:
- In general, for the opportunity to live and feel;
- For moving forward and the ability to make decisions in any situation;
- For victories and rewards for labor;
- For life lessons and challenges that allow you to gain invaluable experience;
- For everything valuable in life: family, children, parents, friends, shelter over your head, work and even your beloved pets.
You can thank the Lord at any time with these simple prayer words:
“Lord, I, the Servant of God (my own name), thank You for my wonderful life, filled with light, for the wonderful and happy feelings that are present in my soul, for the fact that I can be merciful to others, for giving me the fire of insight and mercy. I, the Servant of God (my own name), praise You and thank You, Almighty, for the fact that your instructions help me realize all my internal accumulations. I am grateful to You for the fruitful path in life that You have sent down and for the opportunity to fulfill my destiny. I, the Servant of God (my own name), glorify You and thank You, Almighty, for the prosperity and peace in my home. I am grateful to you for the atmosphere of kindness and understanding between household members, for the loyalty of wonderful friends who always come to my home with an open soul. I, the Servant of God (my own name), glorify You and thank You, Almighty, for the good that You have sent down for all people. I rejoice and accept everything around me with bright thoughts and an open soul. I, the Servant of God (my own name), praise You and thank You, Almighty, for the fact that everything around me is filled every minute with streams of Your wisdom and love. Your strength helps you choose the right path and hope for the Eternal Salvation of the Soul. Amen".
Holy Mother of God
The Virgin Mary, who gave birth to the Merciful and Just Savior Jesus Christ, enjoys special respect and veneration among Orthodox believers. The Most Holy Theotokos is considered the Comforter and Helper of the entire human race and always hears those who ask and suffer. Therefore, prayers of thanks are often offered to her. People thank her for her mercy and understanding. It is recommended to read such prayers before making a request to the Most Holy Theotokos. As a rule, women most often turn to the Virgin Mary with such a prayer.
You can use the following version of the prayer of thanksgiving:
“Theotokos, Mother of God, Ever-Virgin Mary. I, the Servant of God (proper name), send my words of gratitude and prayer to you. I praise and thank the Most Holy Theotokos for all her deeds aimed at protecting and supporting the human race. You are the Queen of Heaven, all the Angels and Archangels worship and serve you. I praise Your greatness and Your womb. You, Most Holy Theotokos, gave the Savior to the whole world. You have given us hope to live Eternal Life. You are our Comforter and Helper, you take all women and mothers under your protection. You give us the strength to resist any evil and go through life with our heads held high. I, the Servant of God (proper name), thank you for my life, for your help and endless support. I glorify Your name and continue to trust in Your mercy. For everything I have in life, I say thank you, for every day I give you a song of gratitude. I bow to you deeply. I ask for mercy and forgiveness of my sins. Amen".
The words of the prayer of thanks addressed to the Most Holy Theotokos are best read in the morning, completely alone, in front of the icon. It is recommended to repeat the prayer text three times.
Guardian Angel
Prayers of gratitude directed to the Guardian Angel are often used. These incorporeal and immortal creatures are appointed by God at the birth of a person. The Guardian Angel always walks through life next to a person, protecting him and warning him against wrong actions and decisions. Very often he saves a person or provides assistance in the most hopeless situation. Gratitude expressed in prayer always helps to establish closer contact with your Guardian Angel.
The following prayer should be read three times alone in the morning several times a month:
“I, the Servant of God (my own name), glorify and thank the Almighty for his mercy, which he shows to all living. I, the Servant of God (my own name) turn to my protector Guardian Angel. I offer him my gratitude and worship for the fact that every moment he intercedes before the Lord for my sins, known and unknown. For his presence next to me, for his participation in all my deeds and my daily help. My gratitude is limitless, it knows no bounds. Amen".
Prayer to the Lord2
Audio:
1:25
We thank Thee, Lord our God, for all Thy good deeds, even from the first age to the present in us, the unworthy, the former, about those known and not known, about those revealed and unmanifested, those who were in fact, and the word vom: who loved us as he loved the Only Begotten You are willing to give your Son to us. Make us also worthy of Your love. Give wisdom through Your word and through Your fear, inhale strength from Your power, and whatever we want or don’t want to sin, forgive, and not impute, and preserve our holy soul, and present To Your throne, I have a clear conscience, and the end is worthy of Your love for mankind. And remember, O Lord, all who call on Your name in truth: remember all who desire good or evil against us: for all are men, and every man is in vain. Moreover, we pray to You, Lord: grant us Your great mercy.
Translation: We thank You, Lord our God, for all Your good deeds, which from childhood to this day have been performed on us, unworthy: about those that we know and do not know, about obvious and hidden, past deeds and words. You loved us so much that You were willing to give Your Only Begotten Son for us. Grant us also to be worthy of Your love. Grant us wisdom through Your word and inhale strength from Your power through Your fear, and if we have sinned in any way, voluntarily or unwittingly, forgive us and do not hold it against us. And keep our soul in holiness, and place it before Your throne with a clear conscience, and give it an end worthy of Your love for mankind. And remember, Lord, all those who call upon Your name in truth: remember all who wish us good or hostile: for we are all men, and every man is vanity. Therefore, we pray to You, Lord: grant us Your great mercy.
When to Thank the Lord
Orthodox Christians know that we must thank God always and for everything.
It doesn’t matter what happened to a person: good or bad, good or evil.
A believer understands that everything that happens comes from the Lord.
If a person gets sick, it means he needs the illness to bring him to his senses. Such a person goes to church and gives thanks to God for the blessing he has shown - the disease he has sent.
If help is provided in some matter or joy occurs (a child is born, a house is bought, a relative recovers, or another event), Glory to our God is always offered in prayers of thanks.
Prayer of the Holy Righteous John of Kronstadt3
Audio:
3:01
God! What will I bring to You, how will I thank You for Your constant, greatest mercies to me and Your people? For here I am every moment revived by Your Holy Spirit, every moment I breathe the air diffused by You, light, pleasant, healthy, strengthening, I am enlightened by Your joyful and life-giving light, spiritual and material; I feed on sweet and life-giving spiritual food and the same drink - the Holy Mysteries of Your Body and Blood, and material food and drinks of sweetness; You clothe me with a bright, beautiful, royal robe - with Yourself, according to the Scripture: those who were baptized into Christ have put on Christ (Gal. 3:27), and with material garments of beauty in the temple and outside it; You cleanse my sins, You heal and purify my sinful passions, many and fierce, You take away my spiritual corruption in the power of Your immeasurable goodness, wisdom and strength; fill me with Your Holy Spirit, the Spirit of holiness, grace, give my soul truth, peace and joy, space, strength, boldness, courage, strength; You endow my body with precious health; You teach my hand to fight and my fingers to fight (Ps. 143:1) with the invisible enemies of my salvation and bliss and with the enemies of the holiness and power of Your glory - with the spirits of wickedness in high places; You crown my deeds done in Your name with success. For all this I thank, glorify and bless Your all-good, fatherly, all-powerful power, O God, our Savior, our Benefactor. But be known as you were known to me, O Lover of Mankind, and to your other people, so that they may know You, the Father of all, Your goodness, Your providence, Your wisdom and power, and glorify You with the Father and the Holy Spirit now and ever and to the ages of ages. Amen.
How to properly thank God
Having created the entire visible and invisible world, God does not need anything.
Very little is required of those who love Him: to repent of their voluntary and involuntary sins, reading the canon of repentance at home and confessing to the priest in church, to give thanks for every day a person lives safely or not, and to the best of his ability and means to help those in need of help.
Then the Lord will accept gratitude and repeatedly give earthly blessings to people who love Him.
Another prayer of the holy righteous John of Kronstadt4
Audio:
0:51
I thank Thee, Lord my God, for giving me existence, for giving me birth in the Christian faith, for the Most Pure Virgin Mary, Intercessor for the salvation of our race, for Thy saints praying for us, for the Guardian Angel, for public worship that supports us faith and virtue, for the Holy Scriptures, for the Holy Sacraments, and especially Your Body and Blood, for the mysterious grace-filled consolations, for the hope of receiving the Kingdom of Heaven and for all the blessings You have given me.
Akathist of gratitude to the Lord Jesus Christ
Wanting to thank our Savior in a special way, they read the akathist to our Sweetest Lord Jesus Christ, or the akathist “Glory to God for everything .
In these akathists, the Lord is glorified for the special care of the believer and hope is expressed for help in other days of a person’s life.
Akathists can be read both at home (privately) and ordered to be read in church.
The reading of akathists is performed at the end of the Divine Liturgy.
