Faith in God is the basis of soul salvation for every Orthodox believer. Sincere prayer can work real miracles, but the most important thing is that it helps a person take the righteous and true path that will lead him to the Kingdom of God, it can inspire a person to do good and open his heart. The Church believes that gratitude is one of the most important Christian feelings. Prayers of thanksgiving directed to the Lord God are very important for every believer. It should be understood that it is imperative to thank the Almighty for help in business.
Gratitude expressed to the Lord God in prayer is a ray of light that will help expel resentment and anger, hatred and disgust from the soul. Thanks to the Almighty, a person claims that he has learned the lessons sent down and made the right conclusions.
What is a prayer of gratitude
The Prayer of Gratitude is a special prayer that must arise in a person’s heart. It should be remembered that if it is pronounced correctly, it can radically change the life of a believer. After all, it is in this way that you can make it clear to the Lord that you humbly accept everything that he gives in real life. You are grateful to him not only for the joys, but also for the trials that he sends you. The Church offers a special way of offering thanksgiving - this is a thanksgiving prayer to the Savior. Every believer can order it in any church, but it should be remembered that it is mandatory to attend such a service.
Each person can offer a prayer of thanksgiving to God or his Holy Helpers in his own way. There are no strict rules about this. But due to the different characters of people, some believers do it easily, while others experience certain difficulties during prayer.
Difficulties with a prayer of thanks arise for a believer when serious difficulties and obstacles arise on the path of life. But we must remember that it is impossible to grumble at God in any situation, because trials from above are not sent to us in vain. All obstacles on the path of life arise when the Almighty wants to show a person that he is leading a lifestyle that is displeasing to God’s plan. And this, first of all, can be disastrous for the person himself. Therefore, if it seems to you that everything in your life is not working out as you would like, just pray and offer your thanksgiving to God in a prayerful appeal.
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.
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".
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!"
Prayers of thanksgiving for the occasion
Very often prayers of thanksgiving are read on a specific occasion. It is permissible to apply them to any Saint who is related to a specific area of life.
Upon receipt of the requested
People very often turn to Saint Nicholas the Pleasant for help. Moreover, the sphere of influence of this Saint is extensive, he helps to heal and improve health, find happiness in your personal life and improve family relationships, find a common language with colleagues and get a good job. He performs miracles and resolves his own situations. Therefore, St. Nicholas the Wonderworker must be thanked for his good deeds. It is important to read such a prayer of gratitude when everything is going well in life and life is filled with peace and warmth. This will help you avoid life's trials and losses in the coming period of life.
The prayer text below should be read 12 times before the icon of St. Nicholas:
Great Wonderworker, Saint Nicholas! I, the Servant of God (my own name), at this hour do not turn to you for help, but with great gratitude. You are the Protector of the human race and you atone for the sins of everyone who asks before God; we bow to You for this. I thank You for this and ask for mercy for all people. Pray for us, for our peaceful life and family happiness in peace and grace. I, the Servant of God (my own name), praise Your holy name and send a prayer of gratitude to You. Amen".
After healing from illness
When a person is seriously ill, he turns to God with prayers for healing. Therefore, after recovery, you should definitely read a prayer of gratitude. There is a special prayer appeal from St. John of Kronstatt to God, which is recommended to be read after healing.
The text of the prayer is:
“I praise You, Lord Almighty and Merciful, Only Begotten Son of the Beginning Father, Jesus Christ. By your will alone, you heal all sorts of ailments and all sorts of human illnesses. Thank you for having mercy and giving me forgiveness, for delivering me from my serious illness and for saving me, a sinner, from hopelessness that could kill me. I pray, the Lord of Heaven Almighty, from now on to grant me the inner strength to walk the righteous path and do Your will for the salvation of my soul. Now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen".
After getting rid of temptations and enmity
There is another very important prayer for every believer from St. John of Kronstatt, which is read after deliverance from temptations and enmity.
Its text reads as follows:
“Glory to You, Almighty Heavenly King. I thank You that You did not leave me in the devil’s darkness. You sent me a ray of light and showed me the righteous path. My Lord, Almighty and All-Merciful Lord Jesus Christ! My speedy Intercessor, I thank You for your mercy towards me. When I called out to you in the darkness, you quickly responded and graciously delivered me from my enemies. My soul was filled with light and lightness. I praise Your grace, Master, for delivering me from dishonor and not allowing me to despair and fall into the damned world. I will always glorify Your name for You are a Lover of mankind. Amen".
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!”
How to properly thank God or Guardian Angel
Prayers can be said in free form - after all, only the person himself knows what the trials cost him, what he asked for and what came true. It is advisable to go to the temple, light a candle to the image of the Savior, read any prayer - you can briefly (Glory... And now...) or the Great Doxology. This is a very ancient chant, which was specially composed to praise, thank and worship God.
Here we briefly show how a person receives from Christ the greatest gift - the salvation of his soul. Gradually opening up to the grace of God, the believer at the end expresses the hope that he will see the divine light that will drive away all the darkness from his soul. Only those who strive for perfection realize the whole necessity of gratitude, or rather, it already becomes a desirable state for him, because this is what the righteous do in paradise, praising God.
