How to correctly read the Lord's Prayer
Any appeal to God is a message that should convey a depth of understanding of one’s own feelings. The clergy believe that those “Our Father” prayers that are spoken with the fulfillment of this condition will be heard. The foundations on which the person praying must rely:
- when turning to the Heavenly Father, one must believe that the request is really directed to the Father - the only, omnipotent one, as if all hope remains only on him; the Lord must be perceived as the final authority when addressing;
- when the line “Thy kingdom come” is spoken, it is also important to give the correct message: it is necessary to repent of your sins in order to get into the Kingdom of God, according to the Monk Simeon, the lack of understanding of these lines means a lack of understanding of how to prepare for the coming of the Kingdom of Heaven, which reduces no prayer;
- lying is unacceptable when making an appeal, and often the person asking is deceived or disingenuous, it is important to understand that prayer is not just words, but a broadcast of one’s inner state (faith, love, humility in making a decision, received from a soul turned to God), falsehood when this will not allow you to get the desired result, you will be left with a feeling of emptiness and disbelief, since the miracle did not happen, the release of energy when reading the prayer did not occur;
- Orthodox prayer, according to Metropolitan St. John of Tobolsk, should be selfless; for Catholics, Baptists, and Muslims this rule also applies, and when praying, one must ask the Lord to send down the understanding that love for the Almighty is above all else, and requests should come in second place so that there is work and money, health.
When reading the prayer, it is necessary to internally renounce the worldly, to draw your soul closer to the Divine. According to the Monk Isidore Pelusiot, those who by their actions and thoughts show that they are worthy of being called “Son of God” have the right to pray when they turn to the Most High Father.
The main idea of the Lord's Prayer. History of Prayer
Previously, various representatives of the Orthodox Church in different countries made attempts to decipher the message given by God. The text was previously divided into separate fragments - phrases, words and phrases, which were analyzed in search of hidden meaning. Considering that the Lord's Prayer is common to all religions, similar attempts to decipher it were made by representatives of the Catholic Church and other faiths. It is more difficult to understand the meaning separately, but it is also important to understand what message is conveyed not only by a single word, but also by the full version of the prayer.
Metropolitan Veniamin (Fedchenkov) also asked similar questions. With God's help, he managed to find the answer - the main idea of the Lord's Prayer boils down to the need for complete unity with the Almighty. At the same time, one’s own will ceases to exist; the need to fulfill the will of the Lord becomes paramount. Any alienation from it is evidence of damage to faith.
The Lord is the only source of blessings, of all things.
When the need arises to contact him through prayer, the person asking accepts this condition and directs his soul to the Almighty. At the moment, the text being read is a way of communication between a person and the Lord. Requests are addressed to him: “give”, “deliver”, “leave”.
When interpreted, another thought follows from this thought - a new attitude towards the world, which is formed on the basis of the acquired meaning of the words read. Contrary to the usual interpretation of the text of the prayer about earthliness, the need to bring the Kingdom of God to Earth, a new message arises: it is necessary, on the contrary, to rise above everything worldly, to renounce, turning to the Lord.
There is a third message running through the entire text of Our Father; it is less obvious and therefore difficult to discern - this is the salvation of the soul through turning to the Lord. At the same time, forgiveness is mentioned, and it is said about the need to forgive the offenders yourself before the person asking turns to the Almighty.
FIND OUT why they read “OUR FATHER” 40 times a day...
My dad was a believer all his life, and at the same time a party worker... He hid it, didn’t tell anyone.
I remember when I was young I even laughed at him. When she herself came to the Lord, she asked him why and how he believed. And he told me how he lay in a trench and read the Lord’s Prayer to himself 40 times according to the instructions of his grandmother, then there was a battle... Then he still didn’t believe... But after that battle only he survived.
This is truly a very powerful prayer! A prayer given to us by the Lord! For all occasions!
Also, this prayer CALMED down angry bosses.
RECONCILED - spouses during a big family quarrel. CALMED – children, making them obedient – to their parents. HELPED - successfully conduct any complex business negotiations. This prayer - EVERYTHING and EVERYONE - CALMES and PEACE is established around it.
The prayer - "Our Father" read 40 times a day - SAVES a person on this day from any catastrophe, storm, earthquake, flood, accident, from any natural disasters and even inevitable - death in war.
IMPORTANT! ♦ Many people ask the question: why is the prayer repeated 40 times? ... 40 is a sacred number - 40 weeks of pregnancy. A person subconsciously projects onto his everyday and sacred-magical acts what he encountered at the beginning of his life: a woman’s pregnancy (the period of full development of the human embryo) lasts exactly 40 weeks. This number is encoded in us.
The forty-day period is very significant in the history and tradition of the Church as the time necessary for preparation and acceptance of the special Divine gift of the gracious help of the Heavenly Father. The Prophet Moses was honored to talk with God on Mount Sinai and receive the tablets of the law from Him only after a forty-day fast. The Israelites reached the promised land after forty years of wandering. Our Lord Jesus Christ Himself ascended into heaven on the fortieth day after His resurrection. Taking all this as a basis, the Church established commemoration on the fortieth day after death, so that the soul of the deceased would ascend the holy mountain of Heavenly Sinai, be rewarded with the sight of God, achieve the bliss promised to it and settle in the heavenly villages with the righteous.
Christ fasted for 40 days in the desert, in honor of which Great Lent lasts 40 days; 40 days - the time that passed between the Resurrection of Christ and his Ascension; The dome of the main Orthodox church in the world, the Byzantine Hagia Sophia in Constantinople, had 40 “airy” circular windows.
The text of the prayer “Our Father” in Church Slavonic (with accents).
The modern version of the text has been changed to simplify understanding and improve perception. But the prayer in Church Slavonic is also read today. It is recommended to find out the meaning of some words, this will make it easier to understand the meaning. If you repeat the appeal to God up to 40 times, the state of the soul improves, a feeling of peace appears, and goodness is acquired. It is believed that this protects against troubles and misfortunes.
Our Father, who art 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.
Amen.
You can download the video for free and listen to the prayer in Church Slavonic. At the same time, it will be possible to remember complex words and pronounce them independently in the future.
Download a picture with a prayer to your phone
To always have a text at hand that allows you to contact God, you can install an image with a prayer on your phone’s desktop. There are no restrictions on whether the modern version or the Church Slavonic version will be used. The picture can be downloaded from any online resource or made yourself in a photo editor by superimposing words on the image of the desired format.
Send this prayer to your loved ones
Read online text in Russian full version
When the words of appeal to God are at the stage of study, you should keep the source book with notes at hand. It will gradually become easier to read the Lord’s Prayer in Russian; the prayer is easy to remember. But it is recommended to memorize it completely first. Then you can pronounce the shortened version. The clergy believe that it makes no difference how long the appeal to God is pronounced, since the Almighty already knows what the person asking needs.
Send this prayer to your loved ones
About the benefits of modesty
It's unfortunate, but some Christians want to show off their faith wherever possible. They neglect the wise advice that Christ gives to all of us through the Gospel of Matthew: “But when you pray, go into your room and, having shut your door, pray to your Father who is in secret.” And thus they “already receive their reward.”
Ostentatious religiosity has become too common in our age. But a true believer should remember that prayer for show is hypocrisy and a manifestation of pride. Some politicians and people pursuing their own mercantile goals also like to demonstrate pseudo-religiosity.
You should not be like those who consider a speculative and consumerist attitude towards the Church to be the norm. When reading the ancient text “Our Father” (as well as any other Christian prayer), a person must remain alone with his thoughts, alone with God.
Print the prayer
For convenience, you can carry a printed version of the text with you. This is a suitable option for children if they have not yet fully learned the prayer. First you need to download the image to your smartphone or personal computer. Then all that remains is to print the file onto paper. To do this, just press one button (“print”).
Send this prayer to your loved ones
Question answer. Interpretation of the Lord's Prayer
If any ambiguities arise when studying the text of the appeal to the Almighty, you can turn to Father Innocent for clarification.
Let’s decipher what it means: “Our Father who art in heaven”
Valeria, 34 years old, Perm: “I wasn’t a church member before, but I believed in God. I recently decided to study the prayer book more deeply, including the main prayer. Now many questions arise. First of all, I’m interested in the first phrase, tell us more about its meaning?”
Why is the Lord's Prayer called the Lord's Prayer?
Expert opinion
Father Innocent
It may seem that it received this name because it represents an appeal to the Almighty. In fact, everything is exactly the opposite: the Lord gave these lines through his son Jesus Christ to the apostles, and they were supposed to convey their main meaning to people. Here is hidden the whole essence of the universe, the foundations of life - man’s constant desire for the Lord.
Do we call God Father because He created us all?
Expert opinion
Father Innocent
In this case, it is necessary to proceed from word forms. So, if we say “created” the world, it means that we assume that the Lord is the creator. When we call him Father, we must mean a different meaning - an appeal to the Almighty as to our true father. In prayer, every sufferer must turn to God as the ultimate goal of his life, gaining love for the world and people through the Almighty.
Why “Our Father” and not “mine”?
Expert opinion
Father Innocent
Everything is very simple: Our Heavenly Father is one for all. He is the creator, and at the same time the source of everything that he himself created in the future. God is Love, which means that he is present in every being, is the Father of everyone on Earth, which makes people sisters, brothers. When we pray the Lord's Prayer, we emphasize oneness with the universe.
Why “in Heaven” if the Church teaches that God is omnipresent?
Expert opinion
Father Innocent
If you are interested in the mystery of the Lord’s Prayer, a little-known fact goes like this: when addressing the Almighty they say “in Heaven,” but there is no need to put your own meaning into these words (the separation of God from people, his ascension to heaven). The meaning of the phrase is different: prayer is designed to help people distance themselves from everything earthly; they should strive for the heavenly, in this case, Our Father, who is present in all living things and in the atmosphere as well.
The meaning of the words “Hallowed be thy name”
Varvara, 29 years old, Saratov: “I’m now studying prayers for different occasions, but I partially understand the main “Our Father.” Every time I read it, I focus on the phrase: Hallowed be Thy name.”
Expert opinion
Father Innocent
“It may seem that this phrase contains a hidden message about the need to illuminate the name of the Lord. But this is a misconception, since in reality “to be holy” is a synonym for the word “to be glorified.” Do you feel how much the meaning of the phrase changes? So now let's look at it with new knowledge. So, saying, hallowed be Thy name, we proclaim our readiness to follow the commandments of the Most High, thereby we will glorify the Lord.”
What is the phrase: “Thy kingdom come”?
Marina, 32 years old, St. Petersburg: “I would like to fully understand the words of the prayer that I say. This line refers to heaven, right?”
What kingdom are we talking about? Are we asking God to become a world king?
Expert opinion
Father Innocent
“In this phrase there are simultaneously hidden 2 meanings that follow from one another. So, the first priority is the petition to achieve the kingdom of God in your soul. This is a request addressed to the Lord, and the person praying seeks to abandon worldly fences, to live following the commandments of God, and therefore asks for support and help from the Almighty. The second meaning of the phrase is a consequence of the first. Thus, people who have achieved the kingdom of God in their souls will be able to enter the Kingdom of Heaven, which awaits all the pious after the Last Judgment.”
“Thy will be done as it is in heaven and on earth”
Galina, 53 years old, Kaluga: “I see this phrase as a request for permission to carry out the will of the Lord, is that so?”
Doesn’t God carry out His will on earth even without such a request from us?
Expert opinion
Father Innocent
“You can read the full version of the prayer or listen to the audio; it reveals the fuller meaning of this phrase. But I can explain it to you more clearly. You are partly right, only the meaning is slightly different: when a person says a prayer, he does not ask for permission, but seeks support from the Almighty. The one who prays needs the love of the Lord and shows readiness to serve him, to accept the Will of the Almighty (read: follow the commandments). But we all know that a person can give in to temptation and vices, so in this way he expresses his weakness and turns to the source of strength - God.”
“Give us this day our daily bread”
Irina, 39 years old, Pskov: “I can read the Lord’s Prayer in my sleep, even if I wake you up in the middle of the night, I know it perfectly well. Only one phrase is perplexing: if the appeal to God is more sublime, then in this case it all comes down to a request for earthly things—providing food for a person. Is there really a contradiction here?
What do the words “daily bread” and “today” mean?
Expert opinion
Father Innocent
“There is no contradiction in this phrase. On the contrary, the meaning is comprehensive, affecting different areas of human existence, which are united by one phrase - Daily Bread. In this case, what is really meant is something earthly: a person asks for support, asks to be given everything necessary (material) for existence, but without excesses - only “bread” (the basis of life on Earth). In addition, the person praying also needs spiritual food, and therefore asks for strength to always hear the living Word of the Lord in his heart.”
“And forgive us our debts, just as we forgive our debtors.”
Inessa, 41 years old, Vladivostok: “I vaguely guess that debts in this case are grievances, people’s actions that require forgiveness from the person praying. But I don’t fully understand the phrase, how to connect its beginning and end?”
Does God forgive only those who themselves do not hold a grudge against their offenders?
Expert opinion
Father Innocent
“To get into the Kingdom of God (see transcript above), you must follow the commandments. Forgiving others and asking the Lord to ask oneself (the one praying) is one of them. This means that it also needs to be done. Debts are sins, grievances, wrong behavior (from the point of view of the Bible, not human morality).”
“And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.”
Varvara, 30 years old, Irkutsk: “I heard that God tests people in this way: he tempts, but only true believers can avoid temptation. Is it so?"
Does God tempt anyone or lead anyone into temptation?
Expert opinion
Father Innocent
Here there is a hidden request for support in difficult times, when a person is at a crossroads, does not know which path to choose (one of the paths is traditionally wrong, strewn with temptations, worldly happiness, but leads away from our Lord). When a person praying asks to be delivered from temptation, he expresses the need for support in such a way that it will allow him to resist temptation and choose the right path.
Who is he - the evil one or the evil one? How should this word be understood in the context of addressing the Almighty?
Expert opinion
Father Innocent
At the same time, Jesus Christ put a fairly transparent meaning - he called the devil evil. It is something curvilinear, which is the opposite of straight. The request to deliver from the evil one is a logical continuation of the beginning of the phrase. We see that the person praying asks for help in resisting temptation, the source of which is the devil.
Why do they read the prayer 40 times in a row?
Alina, 33 years old, Ufa: “I want to download an audio and listen to a prayer that is repeated 40 times. I wouldn't be able to repeat it myself. Tell me, does this really help in making your wishes come true?”
Expert opinion
Father Innocent
“There is no information on how many times to read the appeal to the Lord. This is a popular belief and does not apply to church canons. But this method is beneficial: it improves memory, disciplines, teaches sacrifice (in this case, abandoning your desires, spending time communicating with the Lord).”
Why do you dream if you read “Our Father” 40 times in a dream?
Marina, 39 years old, Moscow: “I had a strange dream: I was in church, reading a prayer many times (I didn’t count, but I’m sure it was 40). What does it mean?"
Expert opinion
Father Innocent
“You should turn to dream books, not to a clergyman. But in any case, prayer does not bode well. If you are wondering why you dream of such an action, then I can assure you that in reality an improvement in your life situation awaits you, or if you trust in God, your worries will leave you.”
Where is the Lord's Prayer found in the Bible?
Ekaterina, 33 years old, Bryansk: “I’m studying the Word of God now. I want to learn the Lord’s Prayer, but I can’t find it in the original source, tell me where to look.”
Expert opinion
Father Innocent
“You should turn to Matthew 6:9-13.”
How many times do you need to read the Lord's Prayer to make your wish come true?
Alisa, 33 years old, Tomsk: “I have a cherished desire (not empty, but very important). How to pray to get everything you need?
Expert opinion
Father Innocent
“Everything you really need, you’ll get it anyway. If you formulate your desires correctly (they will not cause negative consequences), then turn to God quite often and listen to your heart. Even in a dream, a person can subconsciously concentrate on what he wants, then sooner or later it will come to you.”
How to read a prayer for health?
Ekaterina, 43 years old, Voronezh: “We need to raise the child - he gets sick often. How to pray correctly for health, so that you don’t have the strength to see children’s suffering anymore?”
Expert opinion
Father Innocent
“They read the prayer up to 40 times. And you can see improvements soon after. But I think that the reason is not the sacred meaning of the number 40, but the aspiration to God.”
How many times should we recite the Lord’s Prayer to have a job and money?
Irina, 43 years old, Omsk: “I’ve been looking for a job for a long time, so far no luck. What prayer will help me?
Expert opinion
Father Innocent
“Your desire is enough, you need to read the Our Father 9 times. You can listen to a song (church choir) or an audio recording of an appeal to God (mp3). The meaning of this is the same, since changes can only be caused by your message, which comes while reading the lines of the prayer.”
Is there a difference between the Orthodox version of the prayer and the Catholic version?
Irina, 33 years old, Stary Oskol: “I’m not sure I’m pronouncing the text correctly. I read that there are different options: for Catholics, Orthodox. Guide me to the right option."
Expert opinion
Father Innocent
“I think you are reading the correct version. This can be understood by the phrase “and do not lead us into temptation.” Catholics have changed their prayer. It is this phrase that now sounds differently: “do not let us succumb to temptation.” It is more understandable to the person praying. But the Orthodox Church believes that there are no contradictions in the original version.”
Why read a prayer 40 or more times
Let's figure out why we read the Lord's Prayer 40 times. This is done to enhance the effect for a specific person; the more times the sacred lines are said (a multiple of 40), the more significant the results of the request will be. The Our Father in all languages has the power to move mountains and help the one who asks in his request.
Prayer in Russian is suitable for everyone
It doesn’t matter what nationality a person is and where he lives. You can read Our Father 40 times at any time, in the morning or in the evening, there is no difference, the most important thing is your mental attitude and true gratitude to God. If possible, download this text with accents, save or learn it.
To download the text of the Lord's Prayer, right-click on the picture and select “Save picture as...”. Save it to any convenient place, and you can print it later.
The Lord's Prayer in Russian text
Our Father! Who is in heaven! Hallowed be Thy name, Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven; Give us this day our daily bread; And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors; And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever! Amen.
Sacred text in Old Church Slavonic
Our Father, who art 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, as we forgive our debtors; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil, for Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever and ever. Amen.
My Lord's Prayer
“Once I dreamed that I began to read the Lord’s Prayer in a dream, and for a long time, with emphasis on the right words, as in the Church Slavonic version, even though I only knew it roughly. I was going through a difficult period in my life at that time, and I took such a dream as a guide to action - I went to Church to be closer to God. I read the Our Father, lit a candle, stayed on my feet for a long time, and was very tired then. I repeated this ritual almost every day. I had no goal of improving my life situation, I was simply in a hopeless situation (a loved one was sick).
Galina, 49 years old, Tula:
Soon after this, we learned about an improvement in our relative's health. Happiness knew no bounds. But I didn’t immediately connect these events. Later, I read in a dream book that prayer in a dream is a sign of imminent relief from hardships. But that’s not the point, I believe that it was turning to the Almighty that allowed me to withstand the tests, and at the same time helped my relative survive.”
The power of the Lord's Prayer: why read it 40 times for 40 days
Orthodox Christianity, unfortunately, has not avoided all sorts of superstitions and speculation, which has led to the usual ignorance of modern Christians. Ignorance is the absence of knowledge. Therefore, a huge amount of “pious” advice from lost people who consider themselves Christians does not provide an explanation for why they read the “Our Father” prayer 40 times for 40 days and why it helps.
The Lord's Prayer is the main appeal to God
A person, most often, remembers God when he gets into some troubles of fate. This is the most unfavorable way of knowing Him. Alas, through sorrows, illnesses, and problems, we acquire an understanding of the necessity of the Lord’s presence in life much faster.
But this does not mean that this path is the only one, correct and inevitable. God created man for happiness. A person’s incorrect understanding of the word “happiness” deprives him of the opportunity to be in this happiest state.
For many, happiness is not a spiritual state, but the presence of a material environment. The modern world is a world of consumption and consumers. Consumption of everything: services, things, and now emotions and human energy. Scientists have proven that man is a creature possessing a number of invisible properties, collectively this is called energy.
As they say, for every “product” there is a merchant. In this case, the servants of Satan act as merchants. Their goal is to take the soul of a person, for it is the keeper of the most sacred thing - the divine spirit, that force that is the connecting part between God and man.
To achieve their goals, satanic forces come up with various tricks and schemes that lead a believer astray. And it’s simply not possible to let a non-believer even touch on issues of faith.
From the above, one may wonder: why do they read “Our Father” 40 times for 40 days and what does it help with?
How many times should you read the Lord's Prayer for happiness?
It must be said that this is a prayer that our Lord Jesus Christ himself left at his first coming. “Our Father” is the main prayer of Christians; the words and meaning in it should not change, for this is already a manifestation of self-will. If the Lord needed a certain number of prayers read, there would be no problems.
I read it 40 times and I’m fine, I read it 7 times and got what I asked for. But any sane person understands that relationships with the Creator do not fit into schemes and quantities.
Man is not given the power to know the depth of the Lord, but he is given the power to get closer to the Truth and to be a part of it. In other words, by becoming part of the Church of Christ, we approach divine eternity. The same goes for other facets of life. Relationships, thoughts, actions, whatever a person touches piously can make him happy, and vice versa.
If desired, anyone can analyze this using the example of their own life. Therefore, why some people read “Our Father” 40 times a day is absolutely not clear. It would be more accurate to say that such actions indicate a misunderstanding of faith and ignorance of God.
Why they read the “Our Father” prayer 7 times or any number of times, those who compose similar methods can say. And their authors are, for the most part, servants of evil spirits.
Prayer and evil spirits
There are reviews on the Internet about why they read the “Our Father” 40 times every 40 days with miraculous results, tips and recommendations. The Law of God, the commandments, serves as a warning to a person against participating in this kind of scheme. It is easy to make correct, godly decisions based on them.
The commandments are not prohibitions, as most people understand them, they are a warning to a person who wants to live well, not only in eternity, but also in earthly life. We doom ourselves to suffering, sorrow, and troubles by getting damaged or worsening our sins.
If we take an everyday image, the Lord, like a caring Parent, says, don’t get into the socket, he will kill you with an electric shock, so are the commandments. Do not harm yourself, the main meaning of God's commandments.
All kinds of sorcerers, psychics, fortune tellers, teach people to openly serve Satan. To do this, various rituals are used using the “Our Father” prayer with a church candle to supposedly obtain the very desired “real happiness”.
In fact, through these vile actions, the already weakened reserves of the soul are destroyed; they can even introduce all sorts of entities, or simply demons. At first, a person may feel a certain inspiration, an uplift, which always ends not only in illnesses, problems that suddenly arise, but can lead to death and is by no means from the word “fly”.
Therefore, know why the Lord’s Prayer is read on the contrary, these are satanic rituals and participation in them leads, accordingly, to their leader - Lucifer. If you have been present at such meetings, especially unknowingly, repent. Be sure to confess this situation.
Since information on how to carry out certain satanic rituals was freely available, and such literature could be purchased without problems on the shelves of bookstores and kiosks, one can assume the scale of the moral, ethical and spiritual damage caused.
Curiosity and interest in these possibilities leads many people, and has led to dire consequences. When the Soviet Union collapsed, all this dirty information washed over the former Soviet republics. And those who drowned in it are not numbered in the thousands.
Be extremely careful, because today it is no longer only print media that absorbs unwary people. The Internet space has made these opportunities even more accessible. Now, not only adults are at risk, our children are also at risk, so control what they watch, read, and listen to.
From an early age, teach them to honor their parents (this is the fifth commandment), become an indisputable example and authority for them, so as not to shed bitter tears later.
Watch the video program with the participation of Orthodox clergy, psychologists who are oriented and serving God if you are experiencing difficulties in the topic of raising children. Engage with them, live with their problems, questions, develop spiritually, so that they will be more interested in you than with their peers.
Children must be sure that we truly love them and the Lord is the Main Center and Guarantor of our happy life.
