“Watch, stand firm in the faith, be of good courage, be strong” (1 Cor. 16:13)

Prayer of St. Tikhon of Moscow

Merciful Lord, God of hosts! From the depths of our souls we humbly cry out to Thee: by the power of Thy Cross, humble the insolence of those who hate and blaspheme Thy holy name, who desecrate and destroy the shrine of Thy temples and who cruelly persecute the faithful children of Thy holy Church.

Send Thy holy angels to all who suffer and are exhausted for confessing their faith in Thy name, so that Thy faithful people may be strengthened in bearing Thy good yoke by the angelic protection and intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos and all Thy saints.

Most merciful Lord! With a painful heart, with tears, we pray to You: look at the cry, groaning and tender prayers of all faithful people, from the attack of Your enemies, O Lord, those who suffer, the shrines of Your temples and the grace of Your holy Sacraments.

Have mercy, O Lord, on the unilluminated infants with the light of holy baptism and the unsealed seal of the gift of the Holy Spirit. Have mercy, O Lord, the youths, young men and virgins who are seduced by the haters of Your name into all unbelief, wickedness, blasphemy, dissolute living, envy and malice towards their neighbor.

Have mercy, O Lord, on the old and sick, deprived in the hour of death of the gracious consolation of anointing and the communion of Your Holy Mysteries and the hopeless Christian burial. Protect, O Lord, the face of monastics who have been expelled from holy monasteries and endured reproach.

Above all, O Lord, strengthen Your priests with the strength of Your Spirit, so that fearlessly, even unto death, in unity they stand guard over Your flock. For the sake of You, for the sake of those who have accepted martyrdom, grant You the honor to reign with Your saints in Your eternal glory.

On the Cross, praying for Thy crucifiers and accepting the thieves’ repentance at the last hour, do not destroy, O Lord, the apostates, blasphemers and persecutors of the holy faith and Thy holy Church, but if this is possible, grant them also the joy of knowing You, Divine Love and Wisdom, and End your days in true repentance. In You, Lord, we trust and will not be ashamed forever, for You are our Intercessor, help and victory that has conquered the world, Light more than any light, Joy more than any joy, Hope more than any hope, True life and eternal salvation, and to You, in To the Trinity we worship, we send all glory, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.

Psalm 26

The Lord is my enlightenment and my Savior, whom shall I fear? The Lord is the Protector of my life, from whom shall I fear? Sometimes those who are angry come close to me, and destroy my flesh; those who insult me ​​and defeat me become exhausted and fall. Even if a regiment takes up arms against me, my heart will not fear, even if it rises up to fight me, I will trust in Him.

I have asked one thing from the Lord, and this I will require: that I may live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, that I may behold the beauty of the Lord, and that I may visit His holy temple. For He hid me in His village in the day of my evil, for He covered me in the secret of His village, and lifted me up on a stone.

And now, behold, you have lifted up my head against my enemies: I have died and devoured in His village a sacrifice of praise and shouting, I will sing and sing praises to the Lord. Hear, O Lord, my voice to which I cried: have mercy on me and hear me. My heart says to you, I will seek the Lord. I will seek Your face, O Lord, I will seek Your face.

Do not turn Your face away from me and do not turn aside in anger from Your servant: be my helper, do not reject me, and do not forsake me, O God of my Savior. For my father and mother have abandoned me, but the Lord will receive me. Give me the law, O Lord, in Thy way and guide me on the right path for my enemy’s sake.

Do not betray me into the souls of those who are suffering from me, as if I stood up as a witness to unrighteousness and lied untruthfully to myself. I believe in seeing the good of the Lord on the land of the living. Be patient with the Lord, be of good courage and let your heart be strong, and be patient with the Lord.

Psalm 58

Deliver me from my enemies, O God, and deliver me from those who rise up against me. Deliver me from workers of iniquity and save me from bloodshed. For behold, having caught my soul, the mighty ones have attacked me, lower is my iniquity, lower is my sin, O Lord. Having flown without iniquity and corrected it, arise to meet me and see.

And You, Lord God of hosts, God of Israel, visit all nations, so that you may not show mercy to all those who practice iniquity. They will return in the evening and will hunger like a dog and will go around the city. These people answer with their lips, and the sword is in their mouth, as if anyone heard? And You, Lord, laugh at them and abase all languages.

I will preserve my power towards You, for You, God, are my Protector. My God, His mercy will precede me, my God will show me in all my misfortunes. Do not kill them, so that one day they will forget Your law, scatter me with Your power and bring me down, my Protector, Lord.

The sin of their lips, the word of their lips, and let them be in their pride, and from oaths and lies they will be proclaimed in their death. In the wrath of death, they will not and will take away, for God rules over Jacob and the ends of the earth. They will return in the evening, and will hunger like a dog, and will go through the city. Tia will be bursting with food. Or if they are not satisfied, they will grumble.

I will sing of Your power and rejoice in the morning about Your mercy, for You were my Intercessor and my Refuge in the day of my sorrow. Thou art my helper, I sing to Thee: for thou art my God, my Protector, my God, my mercy.

Prayer to Saint Apostle Paul

O holy supreme Apostle Paul, the chosen vessel of Christ, the teller of heavenly mysteries, the teacher of all languages, the church trumpet, the notorious orbit, who endured many troubles for the name of Christ, who measured the sea and walked the earth and turned us from the flattery of idols! I pray to you and cry to you: do not disdain my foul (name), raise up the one who has fallen through sinful laziness, just as you raised the temple in Lystra from your mother’s womb; and just as Eutychus, who was dead, was revived, raise me also from dead deeds; and just as with your prayer you once shook the foundation of the prison and you allowed the prisoners to do the will of God. For all you can do by the authority given to you from Christ God, to Him belongs all glory, honor and worship, with His Beginning Father, and with His Most Holy and Good and Life-Giving Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.

Prayer to Saint Tikhon, Patriarch of Moscow

About our good shepherd, the great saint Patriarch Tikhon, as if you were a city on high, your good deeds still shine before people. We, as you, standing before the throne of the Most Holy Trinity, have great boldness in prayers before the Lord.

Look now at us, sinful and unworthy of your children, for you, as you have great boldness before the Creator of all things, now we fall down and fervently pray: pray to the Lord, that He may give us the determination to acquire the piety of our fathers, which you have acquired from your youth.

In your life you were a zealous protector and keeper of the true faith; help us to unshakably observe the Orthodox faith. Your quiet soul has greatly succeeded in divine humility, teach us to nourish our minds not with the turbulent human wisdom, but with the humble knowledge of the will of God.

Before the face of the fierce enemies of Christ, you boldly confessed the True God; with your prayer, strengthen us, the faint-hearted, so that we will always and everywhere resist the spirit of atheism and flattery.

To her, saint of God, do not despise us who pray to you (names), for we ask not only for deliverance from troubles and sorrows, but for strength and firmness, generosity and love, in order to endure these misfortunes that befall us. Ask us for unflagging patience even until the end of our lives, peace with the Lord and remission of sins.

Holy Father! Tame the winds of unbelief and unrest in our country, may the Lord establish silence and piety and unfeigned love in the Russian land. With your prayers may you save us from internecine warfare, may we strengthen our Holy Orthodox Church, may it not become depleted of true shepherds, good workers who rightly rule the word of the Gospel truth. God forbid the lost sheep of Christ's flock. Most of all, pray to the Lord of strength, that the Russian Land may be reborn with holy repentance, and with one heart and one mouth glorify Divnago in His saints, glorifying God in the Trinity, the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit forever and ever. Amen.

Prayer to the Hieromartyr Hermogenes, Patriarch of Moscow

O great saint of Christ, our holy father Hermogenes! We earnestly flock to you, a warm prayer book and unashamed representative before God, asking for consolation and help in our needs and sorrows.

In the ancient time of temptation, when the wickedness of our country had suddenly plagued our country, the Lord revealed to the Church His unshakable pillar and the Shepherd of goodness to the Russian people, who laid down his soul for the sheep and drove away the fierce wolves. Now look also upon us, your unworthy children (names), who call upon you with a tender soul and a contrite heart.

Our strength has become impoverished, and the enemy’s trappings and nets have beaten us. Help us, our intercessor! Confirm us in the holy faith: teach us to always keep the commandments of God and all the traditions of the church, commanded to us from our father.

Be our shepherd, archpastor, warrior, spiritual leader, physician to the sick, comforter to the sad, intercessor to the persecuted, mentor to the young, benevolent father to all, and warm prayer book for all, as if by your prayers we protect you, let us unceasingly sing and glorify the all-holy name of the Life-Giving Trinity, the Father and the Son and the Holy One Spirit forever and ever. Amen.

Prayer to Saint Spyridon of Trimifuntsky

Oh, all-blessed Saint Spyridon, great servant of Christ and glorious miracle worker! Stand in heaven before the Throne of God with the face of an Angel, look with your merciful eye on the people (names) coming here and asking for your strong help.

Pray to the compassion of God, the Lover of Mankind, not to condemn us for our iniquities, but to deal with us according to His mercy! Ask us from Christ and our God for a peaceful and serene life, mental and physical health, earthly prosperity and all abundance and prosperity in everything, and may we not turn the good things given to us from the generous God into evil, but into His glory and the glorification of your intercession ! Deliver everyone who comes to God with undoubted faith from all spiritual and physical troubles, from all yearnings and the devil’s slander! Be a comforter to the sad, a physician to the sick, a helper in times of adversity, a patron to the naked, a protector to widows, a protector to the orphans, a nourisher to the infant, a strengthener to the old, a guide to the wandering, a helmsman to the sailors, and intercede to all who require your strong help, whatever is useful for salvation! For if we are guided and observed by your prayers, we will reach eternal rest and together with you we will glorify God, glorified in the Trinity of Saints, the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.

Prayer to the Holy New Martyrs and Confessors of Russia

Holy New Martyr and Confessor of the Russian Church, hear our fervent prayer! We, as children from you, listened to the ancient passion-bearers and thought in our hearts how kind and praiseworthy it is to imitate them, even though neither torment nor death separated them from the love of God.

It is good for you, for you followed the nature of the faith and patience of those, and since at any time it is possible to bring upon us an unexpected test, ask from the Lord for us the gift of courage, which is so useful in the life of mankind.

Having sanctified all the ends of our Fatherland through your suffering, as prayer books common to all of us, beg God to deliver our Fatherland from a yoke more terrible than any other.

And may we and our entire family be forgiven the sin that weighs heavily on the Russian people: the murder of the Tsar, the anointed of God, the saints and shepherds with their flock, and the suffering of confessors, and the desecration of our shrines.

May the schisms in our Church be abolished, may they all be one, and may the Lord bring His workers into the harvest, may the Church not become destitute of good shepherds, who are able to enlighten with the light of the true faith such a great multitude of people who have not been taught the faith or have turned away from the faith. You are unworthy of God’s mercy, but rather suffer for your sake, may Christ our God be merciful and have mercy on all of us who call on you for help. Let us always offer Him, our Savior, together with the Father and the Holy Spirit, contrition for sins and thanksgiving for everything, glorifying Him forever and ever. Amen.

Prayers before the icons of the Mother of God “Softening Evil Hearts”

O long-suffering Mother of God, Higher than all the daughters of the earth, in Your purity and in the multitude of sufferings You have endured on earth, accept our much-painful sighs and keep us under the shelter of Your mercy.

Do You know of no other refuge and warm intercession, but, since You have the boldness to be born of You, help and save us with Your prayers, so that we may without stumbling reach the Kingdom of Heaven, where with all the saints we will sing praises in the Trinity to the One God, now and ever, and forever and ever. Amen.

Prayers before the icons of the Mother of God “Seeking the Lost”

O zealous intercessor, kind-hearted Mother of the Lord, I come running to You, the accursed one and the most sinful man above all; Hear the voice of my prayer, and hear my cry and groaning. For my iniquities have exceeded my head, and I, like a ship in the abyss, am plunging into the sea of ​​my sins.

But You, all-good and merciful Lady, do not despise me, desperate and perishing in sins; have mercy on me, who repent of my evil deeds, and turn my lost, cursed soul to the right path. On You, my Lady Theotokos, I place all my hope.

Thou, Mother of God, preserve and keep me under Thy roof, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.