Why are evening prayers read for the coming sleep?
You need to understand that there is a specific rhythm for reading sacred texts. To observe it, lay people can use special rosaries. For those who have just come to Orthodoxy, it is difficult to read the entire prayer at the right pace. It also happens that there is no free time for reading or there is little of it.
If you don’t have time for prayer, just read the short rule, but don’t mindlessly and quickly say the full text.
When turning to God you need to put reverence into it. Therefore, in order to tune in to the desired rhythm, spiritual mentors suggest that beginners start by reading one rule for ten days. After that, add one prayer to it every day. This way you can develop the necessary prayer skills without rushing anywhere.
It is also important to take into account that the appeal will receive a response from heaven only if the person praying completely devotes his life to serving the Lord.
Why are evening prayers read before bedtime important? It is believed that when a person sleeps, he is in a vulnerable state. At this time, he is attacked by the devil's servants. Sinful desires and thoughts begin to visit him. At night, demons begin their rampage. While a person is sleeping, insidious demons begin to send information to him, seduce him and push him to commit a sin. In addition, they can make nightmares appear in dreams. That is why it is very important to read the evening prayer before bed for your own protection.
Why read evening prayers
The holy righteous John of Kronstadt compared the evening prayer rule with an antidote to our daily sins. Saint Ignatius (Brianchaninov) in his “Teaching on the Rule of Prayer” points out that daily prayers direct the soul on the path of salvation, teach it to worship God, and keep the Christian in humility and repentance.
Reading daily prayers spiritually connects a Christian with their compilers: the righteous psalmists and ascetics. Thus, in its ardent impulse towards God, the soul of the person praying becomes like their souls and comes into a grace-filled, repentant mood. Daily prayers strengthen and nourish Christians with hope, tenderness and love for God. Also, the morning and evening rules discipline and tune the believer to the correct rhythm of Christian life. Without observing this order, a person falls out of prayer life and turns to God only from time to time.
The nuances of reading a prayer for sleep
Many people wonder whether it is right to listen to recorded evening prayers for bedtime? It is impossible to replace evening prayer by listening to Orthodox prayers or songs.
The Apostle Paul said that human activity is not important. The main thing is that it is aimed at the glory of God. Before you start reading, thank the Lord for everything you have received over the past day. You need to put your soul into every word and pronounce everything with meaning.
If you plan to read prayers in Church Slavonic, be sure to study it and familiarize yourself with the exact translation.
Modern practice involves adding texts about:
- alive;
- those who left this world;
- relatives;
- close people;
- the world;
- good deeds.
Even if everything in your life goes on as usual and you don’t notice any troubles, do not forget about turning to the Lord. It was in heaven that your fate was sealed. It is permissible to listen to evening prayers for bedtime, but only reading will help you receive protection from God and receive his support the next day.
Evening prayers Optina Pustyn (listen)
Using the Internet for the Glory of God, you can find a lot of useful information for an Orthodox Christian. Including audio recordings of the evening prayer rule. Optina Pustyn is the abode of the Lord on Earth, where monks have been serving for several centuries. This holy place shone with the holy saints of God. Therefore, listening to the prayers of the brethren of the Optina Monastery will be an introduction to this holy place. First of all, this is help for people with disabilities who cannot come to church for services, for people with limited time. But you should not practice simply listening to evening prayers, remaining indifferent. It is advisable to do this simultaneously with the recording, according to the prayer book, then the Lord Himself, according to your aspiration, will be your Mentor in this spiritual soul-saving exercise. By listening to evening prayers from Optina Pustyn, you will receive spiritual nourishment and practical experience in reading the prayers of the evening rule.
Advice from priests
What evening prayers can you listen to before bedtime for free? The clergy offer to listen to the chants of the elders of the Optina Hermitage. These miracle workers were famous for their ability to predict human destinies. Through their texts, a person realizes the need to turn to God and takes the path of truth.
The modern Orthodox Church says that you can not only listen to evening prayers for free while you sleep, but also watch church videos. You need to be careful when choosing a video. At the time of listening, you need to delve into the meaning and be sure to postpone all classes.
Evening prayers for bedtime should be read in combination with the texts of the Optina Elders. Each scripture was developed over many centuries. They contain wisdom that explains the basis of faith and awareness of its depth.
By communicating through prayer, we convey the breath of our soul. A person is practically unable to control his dreams, and it becomes impossible to control the rest of his life activities. Therefore, by saying the evening rule of prayer for the coming sleep, we let God into our lives so that he will protect us and help us. In another situation, the Lord simply cannot help us.
Turning to heaven before falling asleep not only gives us protection. But, in addition to their own sense of security, mothers can also pray for the protection of their children.
Prayers before bed
Dreams are the link that connects the real world and the dream world. When a person sleeps, he experiences his fears and feels doubts. By praying before going to bed, you make a special appeal to the Lord. Sincerely ask him that higher powers will protect you and not allow you to deviate from the righteous path. Be sure to thank God for living another day and ask for blessings on a restful sleep.
Evening bedtime prayer rule
This rule includes several prayers. Everything must begin with descriptive prayer.
“In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen. My Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, I pray and ask for the sake of Your Most Holy Mother and all the Heavenly Saints, have mercy on us. Amen. Glory to Thee, our Lord, glory to Thee.”
There are different categories of laity, and for each of them there are three rules:
- the prayer rule from the “Orthodox Prayer Book”, which is written in its entirety and can only be read by experienced believers;
- the short rule should be read only after one of the main prayers has been said;
- if you read the short rule of St. Seraphim of Sarov, then you need
“But when you pray, do not say too much, as the pagans do: for they think that in their many words they will be heard; therefore do not be like them: for your Father knows what you require before you ask.” Matt. 6:7-8
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The prayer rule is the daily morning and evening prayers that Christians perform.
The rule can be general - mandatory for everyone, or individual, selected for the believer by the confessor, taking into account his spiritual state, strength and employment.
The rule consists of morning and evening prayers, which are performed daily. This vital rhythm is necessary, because otherwise the soul easily falls out of the prayer life, as if waking up only from time to time. In prayer, as in any big and difficult matter, “inspiration”, “mood” and improvisation are not enough.
Reading prayers connects a person with their creators: the psalmists and ascetics. This helps to gain a spiritual mood akin to their heartfelt burning. Our example in praying in other people’s words is the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. His prayerful exclamations during the suffering of the cross are lines from the psalms (Ps. 21:2; 30:6).
There are three basic prayer rules: 1) the complete prayer rule, which is published in the “Orthodox Prayer Book”;
2) a short prayer rule; in the morning: “Heavenly King”, Trisagion, “Our Father”, “Virgin Mother of God”, “Rising from sleep”, “God have mercy on me”, “Creed”, “God, cleanse”, “To You, Master”, “ Holy Angel”, “Most Holy Lady”, invocation of saints, prayer for the living and the dead; in the evening: “Heavenly King”, Trisagion, “Our Father”, “Have mercy on us, Lord”, “Eternal God”, “Good King”, “Angel of Christ”, from “The Chosen Governor” to “It is worthy to eat”;
3) a short prayer rule of St. Seraphim of Sarov: three times “Our Father”, three times “Virgin Mother of God” and once “Creed” - for those exceptional days and circumstances when a person is extremely tired or very limited in time.
It is not advisable to completely omit the prayer rule. Even if the prayer rule is read without due attention, the words of the prayers, penetrating the soul, have a cleansing effect.
The main prayers should be known by heart (with regular reading, they are gradually memorized by a person even with a very poor memory), so that they penetrate deeper into the heart and so that they can be repeated in any circumstances. It is advisable to study the text of the translation of prayers from Church Slavonic into Russian in order to understand the meaning of each word and not pronounce a single word meaninglessly or without precise understanding. It is very important that those who begin to pray should expel resentment, irritation, and bitterness from their hearts. Without efforts aimed at serving people, fighting sin, and establishing control over the body and spiritual sphere, prayer cannot become the inner core of life.
In the conditions of modern life, given the workload and accelerated pace, it is not easy for the laity to set aside a certain time for prayer. The enemy of morning prayer is haste, and the enemy of evening prayer is fatigue. Morning prayers are best read before starting anything (and before breakfast). As a last resort, they are pronounced on the way from home. Late in the evening it is often difficult to concentrate due to fatigue, so we can recommend reading the evening prayer rule in the free minutes before dinner or even earlier.
During prayer, it is recommended to retire, light a lamp or candle and stand in front of the icon. Depending on the nature of family relationships, we can recommend reading the prayer rule together, with the whole family, or with each family member separately. General prayer is recommended before eating food, on special days, before a holiday meal, and in other similar cases. Family prayer is a type of church, public prayer (the family is a kind of “home Church”) and therefore does not replace individual prayer, but only complements it.
Before starting prayer, you should sign yourself with the sign of the cross and make several bows, either from the waist or to the ground, and try to tune in to an internal conversation with God. The difficulty of prayer is often a sign of its true effectiveness.
Prayer for other people is an integral part of prayer. Standing before God does not alienate a person from his neighbors, but binds him to them with even closer ties. We should not limit ourselves to just praying for people close and dear to us. Praying for those who have caused us grief brings peace to the soul, has an impact on these people and makes our prayer sacrificial.
It is good to end the prayer with thanksgiving to God for the gift of communication and contrition for one’s inattention. When getting down to business, you must first think about what you have to say, do, see during the day and ask God for blessings and strength to follow His will. In the midst of a busy day, you need to say a short prayer (Jesus Prayer), which will help you find the Lord in everyday affairs.
What to pay attention to
As already mentioned, you can listen to evening prayers for bedtime online. The modern church does not prohibit this. Church ministers say that it doesn’t matter whether you are at a meal or busy with other things, the main thing is that this work is done for the glory of the Lord. However, it is important to remember that you cannot completely switch to listening and viewing recordings. Sometimes they still need to be read.
You need to pray immediately before going to bed, put aside all pressing matters, discard all extraneous thoughts. After reading the prayer, you need to immediately go to bed; you cannot switch to other activities. Whether the evening prayer for bedtime is read in Russian or Old Church Slavonic, you need to put meaning and soul into every word, to understand what you are talking about.
When moving on to the prayer process, let go of the irritability, resentment or bitterness that is in your heart. You need to understand that protection from prayer can only be obtained if the person is righteous. You should not pray if you are very tired; it is better to give yourself some time to rest before listening or reading.
Old Slavonic prayers deserve special attention. They cannot be read, they must be understood. If you do not understand what is said, you will not be able to sincerely communicate with the Lord. It is necessary to memorize the texts, so you can penetrate their deep meaning.
How to read evening prayers
Evening prayers, like any other, should be read with reverence and heartfelt contrition. It is advisable to read evening prayers in front of icons and a lit lamp. You can pray both in congregation, with the whole family, and in solitude. During prayer, you need to sign yourself with the sign of the cross and bow from the waist. An inexperienced worshiper should familiarize himself with the translation of the Church Slavonic text of the evening rule into Russian. The interpretation of evening prayers will help a Christian read them more meaningfully and deeply.
It is better to approach the evening prayer rule with sound reasoning. On the one hand, one must not succumb to laziness and other passions that lead a person away from the correct spiritual channel. On the other hand, evening prayers should not become a daily formal duty from which a person suffers. A Christian needs to weigh the scope of the evening rule against his capabilities.
