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So, prayer for an Orthodox Christian is a conversation, communion with God. Turning to the Lord in prayer is the need of the soul of a believer; it is not for nothing that the holy fathers called prayer the breath of the soul.

In fulfilling the daily rule of prayer, two things must be remembered.

First . That is why daily prayer is called rule, which is mandatory. Every Orthodox Christian prays in the morning and before bedtime; he prays and before eating, a after meal thanks God. Christians pray before starting any business(work, study, etc.) and upon completion. Before starting work, a prayer is read "To the King of Heaven ..." or special prayers for the beginning of any business. At the end of the case, the prayer to the Mother of God “It is worthy to eat” is usually read. All these prayers are contained in the Orthodox Prayer Book.

So in the prayer life there should be regularity and discipline. The daily prayer rule cannot be skipped and pray only when you want and there is a mood. A Christian is a warrior of Christ, in baptism he takes an oath of allegiance to the Lord. The life of every warrior, soldier is called service. It is built according to a special order and charter. And an Orthodox person also carries out his service, performing a prayer rule. This service to God takes place according to the statutes of the Church.

Second , which should be remembered when fulfilling the rule: you cannot turn daily prayer into a formal reading of the prescribed prayers. It happens that a priest in confession has to hear: “I began to read the morning prayers and only in the middle I realized that I was reading the evening rule.” So the reading was purely formal, mechanical. It does not produce spiritual fruit. So that the fulfillment of the rule does not turn into a formal proofreading, you need to read it slowly, better aloud or in an undertone, pondering the meaning of the prayer, standing reverently - after all, we stand before God Himself and talk with Him. If you are going to pray, you need to gather yourself, calm down, drive away all worldly thoughts and cares. If during the reading of prayers inattention and extraneous thoughts came and we stopped paying attention to what we read, we need to stop and start reading the prayer again, already with due attention.

It can be difficult for a new beginning Christian to immediately read a complete prayer rule. Then, with the blessing of his spiritual father or parish priest, he can choose from the Prayer Book at least a few morning and evening prayers. For example, three or four, and pray according to this abbreviated rule, gradually adding one prayer at a time from the Prayer Book - as if ascending "from strength to strength."

Of course, it is not easy for a person taking the first steps in spiritual life to fulfill the complete rule. He still doesn't understand much. The Church Slavonic text is still difficult for him to understand. You should purchase a small dictionary of Church Slavonic words in order to better understand the meaning of the texts you read. Understanding and skill in prayer will definitely come with time if a person sincerely wants to understand what he has read and does not stand still in his prayer life.

In the morning prayers, Christians ask God for a blessing for the coming day and thank Him for the past night. Evening prayers prepare us for sleep, and are also a confession of the sins of the past day. In addition to the morning and evening rules, an Orthodox person throughout the day must keep the memory of God and mentally turn to Him. You can't do anything without me, says the Lord (Jn 15:5). Every business, even the simplest, must begin with at least a brief prayer for God's help in our labors.

Too many mothers of babies complain that they have no time at all for the daily rule. Indeed, when a child grows and needs to be taken care of day and night, it is very difficult to fulfill a complete prayer rule. Here we can advise you to constantly do inner prayer during the day and ask God for help in all your affairs and worries. This applies not only to the mother of small children, but also to any Orthodox Christian. Thus, our life will pass with constant remembrance of God and we will not forget Him in the vanity of the world.

Prayers are divided into pleading, penitential, grateful and glorifying. Of course, we must not only turn to the Lord with requests, but we must constantly thank Him for His countless benefits. And, most importantly, they should be able to see the gifts of God in their lives and appreciate them. It is necessary to make it a rule: at the end of the day, remember all the good things that were sent from God on the past day, and read thanksgiving prayers. They are in any complete Prayer Book.

In addition to the obligatory prayer rule, every Orthodox person can also take on a special rule. For example, read canons, akathists during the day. The peculiarity of the construction of the akathist is in the word “rejoice” repeated many times. Therefore, he is distinguished by a special joyful mood. In ancient times, the daily reading of the psalms occupied a special place in the spiritual life of a Christian.

Reading canons, akathists, psalms helps in mournful or difficult periods of life. For example, the prayer canon to the Theotokos (it is in the Prayer Book) reads in every sorrow of soul and circumstance, as its very name says. If a Christian wants to take on a special prayer rule (reading the canons or, for example, saying the Jesus Prayer: “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me a sinner” with the rosary), he must take the blessing of his spiritual father or parish priest for this.

In addition to a constant prayer rule, a Christian should regularly read the Holy Scriptures of the New Testament.

You can hear the following opinion: why turn to God so often with your requests, prayers? The Lord already knows what we need. Like, you need to turn to God only in special cases, when it is really necessary.

Such an opinion is just an excuse for their own laziness. God is our Heavenly Father, and like any Father, He wants His children to communicate with Him, to turn to Him. Both God's grace and mercy towards us can never fail, no matter how much we turn to God.

This parable comes to mind:

In the house of rich people, they stopped praying before meals. One day a priest came to visit them. The table was exquisite, and the best dishes were served. We sat at the table. Everyone looked at the priest and thought that now he would pray before eating. But the priest said: "The owner must pray at the table, he is the first prayer book in the family."

There was an awkward silence: no one in this family prayed. The father cleared his throat and said: “You know, dear father, we don’t pray, because in prayer before meals, the same thing is always repeated. Why do the same thing every day, every year? No, we don't pray." The priest looked at everyone in surprise, but then the seven-year-old girl said: “Daddy, don’t I need to come to you every morning and say good morning?”

The Orthodox believer differs from worldly people in that in everyday life he keeps the commandments of God and abides in prayer. The prayer rule for beginners is the reading of certain invocations to the Almighty and the saints in order to acquire a closer knowledge of the Creator.

What are the rules for?

Experienced Christians know them by heart, but every Orthodox person should have a “Prayer Book” filled with texts of appeals not only for morning and evening, but for all occasions.

A prayer rule is a list of prayers. For morning and evening there is a general order of sacred reading. In each individual case, the spiritual mentor corrects the prayer law, taking into account the degree of employment of a person, his place of residence and spiritual age.

Prayer Rule

Often novice believers rebel against reading texts written by saints in hard-to-read language. The Prayer Book was written on the basis of appeals to the Lord by people who accomplished the feat of faith, lived in purity and worship of Jesus Christ, and were led by the Holy Spirit.

The first model, which became an integral part of the prayer rule for morning and evening prayers, was given to His followers by the Savior Himself. "Our Father" is the main invocation with which Orthodox believers begin and end the day. Daily reading of the prayer book becomes a habit that fills the soul with God's wisdom.

About important church prayers:

The Church offers a prayer rule for beginners so that the infant soul in Christianity grows in actions pleasing to the Creator.

A daily conversation with the Creator is a live communication, not an empty phrase. The boldness of communication with the almighty God involves speaking with the right words, in which there is no emptiness.

Important! Turning to the Almighty, the Orthodox are then filled with God's knowledge and His protection, when they leave the fuss and completely immerse themselves in prayer.

How to Behave in Prayer Fellowship

Prayer communion of all Orthodox Christians is performed while standing, only the elderly and sick people can sit. While reading the prayer book in recognition of their sinfulness and imperfection, showing humility, people bow, some to the waist, while others make prostrations.

Prayer fellowship with God

Some Orthodox perform prayer communion on their knees. The holy apostles opposed such worship, explaining that only slaves kneel, children do not need to do this. (Gal. 4:7) However, having committed some kind of sin, it is not forbidden to kneel in humility, begging for forgiveness.

About prayer rules:

Prayer Rule of Schema-Nun Anthony for Murdered Babies

Beginning believers sometimes do not know how to correctly make the sign of the cross. The fingers of the right hand should be folded as follows:

press the little finger and ring finger to the palm, they mean that Jesus was God and man at the same time;
put the thumb, index and middle fingers together, three-fingered, as a symbol of the unity of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

How to be baptized

Drawing a cross in the air, with folded fingers touch the middle of the forehead, then lower the hand just below the navel, move to the right, and then the left shoulder, only after that they bow.

Careless attitude to the sign of the cross, according to John Chrysostom, causes joy only among demons. The sign of the cross, made with faith in reverence, is filled with God's grace and is a frightening force for demonic attacks.

Before reading spiritual texts, you should try to get rid of vain thoughts, this is sometimes not easy, so try to imagine the great sacrifice of Christ and your presence before Him in this world.

Never make your prayers "for show", in the spiritual world they will be an empty sound. Delve into every word of the appeal to the Savior, being filled with His grace and love.

Prayer Rule - Law or Grace

Many novice Orthodox are interested in the question, if prayer is a free appeal to the Creator, then why should it be adjusted to the law.

The Saratov abbot Pakhomiy, in response to such an appeal, clarifies that freedom and permissiveness should not be confused. The freedom of believers consists in the boldness of being before the throne of the Most High, which sinners and the unbaptized cannot afford. Permissiveness returns the believer to his former life, and then it is much more difficult to return under the grace of appeals to the Savior.

In the spiritual world, there is no consensus regarding the duration and order of prayer before the Almighty. Some people stay in reverent worship for hours, while others cannot stand even half an hour.

Regular, constant pastime in reading prayers will help to develop the habit of daily communication with the Creator, let it be 15 minutes in the evening.

Prayer Rule

First you need to purchase the "Prayer Book" and read it. Sometimes an Orthodox person understands that reading out of duty turns into an empty habit, if this happens, then you can go, as St. Theophan the Recluse did, to reading psalms and scriptures from the Bible.

The main thing is to be filled with the worship of the Creator every day, to enter into His presence, to feel His protection during the day. The Evangelist Matthew wrote that in order to conquer the Kingdom of God, force must be exerted. (Mat. 11:12)

Help for the Beginning Prayer

For Orthodox believers, there are three prayer lists.

The complete prayer rule is designed for spiritually steadfast believers, which include monks and clergy.
The prayer rule for all the laity consists of a list of prayers read in the morning and evening, a list of which can be found in the Prayer Book:

in the morning: “King of Heaven”, Trisagion, “Our Father”, “Virgin Mother of God”, “Rising from sleep”, “Have mercy on me, God”, “I believe”, “God, cleanse”, “To You, Master”, “ Holy Angele”, “Most Holy Lady”, invocation of the saints, prayer for the living and the dead;
in the evening: “King of Heaven”, Trisagion, “Our Father”, “Have mercy on us, Lord”, “Eternal God”, “Good King”, “Angel of Christ”, from “Choose Governor” to “It is worthy to eat”.

Seraphim of Sarov offered another short prayer rule for those laity who, for some reason, are limited in time or are in unpredictable circumstances.

Icon of Seraphim of Sarov

It consists of reciting each prayer three times:

"Our Father";
"Virgin Mother of God, rejoice";
"I believe."

Particular attention should be paid to reading spiritual appeals to the Supreme Creator and Savior during the period of fasting, before accepting the Sacrament of Communion and at the hour of difficult life trials.

Advice! The grace of God accompanies those who began communion with God in the morning, before breakfast, and finished by reading spiritual texts before dinner.

Moral Preparation for Worship

For a novice Orthodox believer, it is advisable to purchase a "Prayer Book" in modern Russian in order to read what is written, to delve into every word, being filled with its power and grace, to receive guidance and support.

This is the advice of Nicodemus the Holy Mountaineer, which points out the importance of understanding every word of the text being read. Over time, many texts are stored in memory and read by heart.

Before reading the Prayer Book, one should ask the Holy Spirit to show if there are remnants of resentment, bitterness or irritation in the heart. Mentally forgive all the offenders and ask for forgiveness from those who were treated unfairly, this is how the Orthodox pray.

According to Tikhon of Zadonsky, all negativism should be abandoned, because, as Gregory of Nyssa wrote, the Creator is Kind, Righteous, Patient, Lover of mankind, Kindhearted, Merciful, the purpose of the prayer rule is to transform into the image of the Creator, to acquire all the qualities for humanity.

Reading prayers at home

Jesus Christ taught in order to communicate with Him to go to one's prayer room, closing the doors from the outside world. Every Orthodox family has a corner with icons, however, it is less and less common to find a lamp there.

Red corner in the house

Before starting to worship God, you should light a candle, it is advisable to purchase it in the temple. The family, and this is the prototype of the church, has its own rules for those who pray in solitude, and some prefer to do it together, because the strengthened prayer of the righteous can do a lot. (James 5:16)

Theophan the Recluse, who spent a lot of time in worship of God, writes that there is no need to rush when starting prayers. Having made the sign of the cross, having bowed, one should be silent for a moment, entering a state of worship and reverence before God. Each word of prayer must come from the heart, it must not only be understood, but also felt.

Reading "Our Father";

give praise to the Creator Who is in Heaven;
submit your life to His will;
really forgive the debts, misdeeds of other people, for these are the necessary conditions for God to forgive each of the Orthodox;
ask Him for mercy in solving all material problems with the words “give us our daily bread for this day”;
proclaim the power of God in your life and His protection over you and your family.

If during the reading of the “Prayer Book” a desire appeared in your heart to ask God for some need, do not put it off for later, but immediately bring it before the prayer throne of the Almighty.

The Lord teaches His children to be constant and persevering in prayer by the example of a poor widow (Luke 18:2-6), no petition will go unanswered by Him. It is very important during communication with the Savior to discard all haste, only in a meaningful appeal can one reach out to God.

On the advice of Vladyka Anthony, in order not to be distracted by time when it is limited, you should wind up the clock so that the bell rings at the right moment. It does not matter how long the prayer rule lasts and how many prayers are read, the main thing is that they are completely dedicated to God.

Saint Ignatius calls regular prayers for sinners hard work, the righteous experience pleasure from communion with the saints and the Trinity.

If thoughts “run away”, there is no need to rush, one should return to where the scattered reading of the spiritual invocation began and start all over again. It will help to focus on the text being read by saying all the appeals out loud. It is not for nothing that they say that prayers read silently are heard by God, and those spoken aloud by demons.

Silouan of Athos noted that God does not hear the words spoken with empty thoughts and worldly deeds.

Silouan of Athos

The spirit of prayer strengthens from regularity, as the body of an athlete from training. Having finished praying, do not immediately “pounce” on worldly vain affairs, give yourself a few more minutes of being in God's grace.

Is it necessary to read prayers during the day

Once having dedicated their lives to the Lord, Orthodox people are under His protection all their lives.

Throughout the whole vain day, one should not forget to call on the mercy of the Father with the words “Bless, God!”, having passed through the test, having received a reward or blessing, having done a successful deed, do not forget to give all the glory to the Creator with the words “Glory to you, my God!” Getting into trouble, in case of illness and danger, cry out: “Save me, God!” and He will hear. We must not forget about the thanksgiving of the Lord for everything that has been sent down from above.

Before eating, one should not forget to thank the Creator for the food given, ask for His blessing to accept it.

Constantly abiding in prayer, having acquired the habit at any moment to cry out, thank, ask, repent before God with all his heart, and not with empty words, an Orthodox person becomes God-thinking. God-thinking helps to understand the goodness of the Creator, the existence of the Heavenly Kingdom, and brings the Orthodox closer to God.

Video about the fulfillment of the prayer rule