Orthodox Prayers
Prayer in the Orthodox Church
Prayer is not a technique. It is not self-expression. It is communion with the living God.
To pray is to stand before Him — not to invent something new, but to enter into what has already been given.
The Orthodox Church has always prayed with words that were received, shaped, and tested over centuries: the Lord’s Prayer. The Psalms. The Trisagion — “Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal” — prayed by Christians since the earliest centuries. The hymns of the saints. The quiet petitions of monks and mothers and martyrs.
We do not begin from scratch each morning. We begin inside the prayer of the Church. This page provides a simple Orthodox prayer rule, including traditional morning and evening prayers.
Why We Pray Written Prayers
Many Christians are accustomed to spontaneous or extemporaneous prayer. We do not discourage such prayer. You may always speak to God in your own words. But in the Orthodox tradition, extemporaneous prayer is not the center of our practice. Prayer is not primarily self-expression. It is formation.
Written prayers:
- Teach us what to ask for
- Guard us from reducing prayer to emotion
- Protect us from praying according to our impulses and passions
- Anchor us in Scripture
- Unite us to the saints and to one another
- Train the heart over time
Left to ourselves, we tend to pray about what is urgent. The Church teaches us to pray about what is eternal.
Prayer in the Orthodox Church
Trisagion Prayers: The Usual Beginning
In Orthodox prayer books, you will often see something called “The Trisagion Prayers” or “The Usual Beginning.”
That phrase may sound unfamiliar at first. It refers to a short sequence of prayers that begin nearly every service of the Church — whether in the temple or at home.
These prayers place us immediately inside the life of the Holy Trinity. They remind us that prayer begins with God, not with us. They unite our small corner of prayer at home with the worship of the whole Church.
You may also notice the symbol ☩ in these prayers. This indicates the place where Orthodox Christians customarily make the sign of the cross. The body participates in prayer along with the mind and heart.
If making the sign of the cross is new to you, do not worry. Simply continue praying. Over time, these small embodied practices become natural.
If you are beginning a simple rule of prayer, start here.
Note: In many Orthodox prayer books, pronouns referring to God (thee, thou, thy) are not capitalized. This reflects traditional English usage and is not a sign of irreverence.
The Trisagion Prayers
☩ In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Through the prayers of our holy fathers, O Lord Jesus Christ our God, have mercy on us. Amen.
Glory to thee, our God, glory to thee.
O heavenly King, the Comforter, the Spirit of truth, who art everywhere present and fillest all things, Treasury of blessings and Giver of life: come and abide in us, and cleanse us from every impurity, and save our souls, O Good One.
☩ Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal: have mercy on us. (three times)
☩ Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.
O Most Holy Trinity, have mercy on us. Lord, cleanse us from our sins. Master, pardon our transgressions. Holy One, visit and heal our infirmities for thy Name’s sake.
Lord, have mercy. (three times)
☩ Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.
Our Father, who art 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 lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.
☩ Through the prayers of our holy Fathers, Lord Jesus Christ our God, have mercy on us and save us. Amen.
A Simple Morning Prayer
Orthodox prayer is not about quantity. It is about faithfulness.
If you are new to daily prayer, begin with the Usual Beginning, and then pray one substantial prayer slowly and attentively. Then finish with the Usual Ending. More can come in time.
Morning Prayer of the Last Elders of Optina
O Lord, grant that I may meet all that this coming day brings to me with spiritual tranquility. Grant that I may fully surrender myself to thy holy will. At every hour of this day, direct and support me in all things. Whatever news may reach me in the course of the day, teach me to accept it with a calm soul and the firm conviction that all is subject to thy holy will. Guide my thoughts and feelings in all my words and actions. In all unexpected occurrences, let me not forget that all is sent down from thee. Grant me to deal in a straightforward and wise manner with every member of my family, neither embarrassing nor saddening anyone. O Lord, grant me power to endure the fatigue of the coming day and all the events that will take place during it. Guide my will and teach me to pray, to believe, to hope, to be patient, to forgive, and to love. Amen.
A Simple Evening Prayer
In the evening, after the Usual Beginning, the Church teaches us to review the day with repentance and gratitude. Finish with the Usual Ending.
Do not rush. Read slowly. Let the words examine you.
Evening Prayer to God the Father by St. Macarius the Great
O Eternal God and King of all creation, who hast counted me worthy to reach this hour: forgive all of the sins I have committed this day in deed, word, and thought, and cleanse, O Lord, my humble soul from every defilement of flesh and spirit. Grant, Lord, that I may pass through this night in peace, so that when I rise from my humble bed, I may please thy most holy Name all the days of my life and trample underfoot the enemies that wage war against me, whether fleshly or spiritual. And deliver me, O Lord, from vain thoughts which defile me and from evil lusts. For thine is the kingdom and the power, and the glory: of the ☩ Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.
The Usual Ending
You will not actually find the phrase “The Usual Ending” in most Orthodox prayer books. I am using that same language here for teaching purposes. The actual “Usual Ending” for morning and evening prayers are slightly different, but to ease you into building a rule of prayer, we’re just going to use the morning ending for both on this page.
Just as many prayers begin in a consistent way, they also tend to conclude in a consistent way — with hymns to the Theotokos, intercessions of the saints, and a final doxology.
This steady beginning and steady ending frame our prayer in thanksgiving and humility.
Final Prayers
Rejoice, O Virgin Theotokos, Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb: for thou hast borne the Savior of our souls.
Pray to God for me, O holy [name of your patron saint], pleasing to God, for with fervor I run to thee, swift helper and intercessor for my soul.
O Lord, save thy people and bless thine inheritance. Grant victory to the Orthodox Christians over their adversaries, and by virtue of thy Cross preserve thy habitation.
It is truly meet to bless thee, O Theotokos, ever-blessed and most pure and the Mother of our God. More honorable than the cherubim and more glorious beyond compare than the seraphim, without corruption thou gavest birth to God the Word: true Theotokos, we magnify thee. ✙
Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages Amen.
Lord have mercy. (three times)
☩ Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, through the prayers of thy most pure Mother, of my holy guardian angel, of [name of your patron saint], of [saint(s) of the day], and of all the saints: save me, a sinner. Amen.
Growing in Prayer
Begin simply: pray the Usual Beginning, one morning prayer, one evening prayer, and the Usual Ending, keeping it to about five minutes each day. Be consistent and don’t rush growth. Over time, your rule can expand to include Psalms like Psalm 50/51, the Nicene Creed, additional prayers, the Prayer of St. Ephrem during Lent, the Jesus Prayer, and intercessions, but this growth should be gradual and guided.
Come and See.
