Prayer is one of the most difficult things to do well, honestly, and consistently. We will do it in spurts. Then we will plan but do it without understanding or heart. We know how God feels about that. Or we will just treat our awesome and fearful and loving Sovereign as a genie from whom we can get wishes from if we rub hard enough. It’s a trying discipline.
Years past I tended to frown upon setting up a daily routine or “devotional time”. For whatever reason the phrase “my devotions” just gave me a cringe. I don’t have a rational reason why. It just annoyed me. “Not for me!”, I thought smugly. Well there is no place for even the first hint of smugness in the Christian life. In a book I use daily for thought and prayer there was a quote today from St. Tikhon that ends by saying of humans, “Why, then, should earth and corruption be conceited?” Why indeed.
So I want to share what I have done recently for myself. I do it imperfectly. It is not the only way. And sometimes I fall asleep while doing it. Sometimes I cry. Other times I feel numb. And even others I am filled with excitement and ecstasy. Such is the nature of our person. We go up and down all the time. And this is why I have decided to listen to the wisdom of the past and set a time for prayer every day. It is a way of redeeming the time and making it sacred. Living out the victory over Satan Jesus won for His people. The transformation of all things under Christ.
I have tried to make mine simple. Sure I have an “ideal” prayer and devotional time but most of the time it is less than ideal. I live in a small apartment and am married with a child and another on the way…and a dog. So it is difficult to know where best to go in my small apartment.
What I do now has worked better than anything I have ever done before. Since my wife and I are seeking to become Eastern Orthodox Christians (I prefer the term “Christian” but I need, at times, for practical reasons to make a distinction) I have been using time tested Orthodox methods and prayers. Usually I will start by crossing myself. This does much. This involves my entire body in prayer not just my mind. Orthodox Christians feel that our senses are good and beautiful and should be redeemed. So I cross myself beginning by putting my index, middle finger, and thumb together. Then I put my pinkie and my ring finger together and touch them to the palm of my hand. This is all pregnant with meaning. The three fingers held together represent the Trinity. Three persons undivided and of one essence. The other two fingers together touching the palm representing the two natures of Christ. 100% man and 100% God. The way we hold our hands in the oldest way and is the way that Eastern Christians (even Eastern rite Catholics) do it. Then we touch the point of the three fingers to our forehead first, then our chest/navel, then our right shoulder, and lastly our left. Father Alexis, the pastor at St. Michael Antiochian Orthodox Church where we attend, told me that signing yourself with the cross can sometimes be kind of like a charismatic lifting their hands up or a Baptist saying “Amen!”. It adds fervency or a “yes” or an “amen” to what’s being done or said. So therefore we do so as we feel led. Traditionally I start with a sign of the cross and do so always when I mention the Trinity or during the Trisagion prayer (“Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal, Have Mercy on Us”).
So I then use a basic outline of prayers compiled from a few sources. One is the Orthodox Study Bible. It has a “prayer rule” in the back. Another is a super handy little book simply called “A Pocket Prayer Book for Orthodox Christians”. And yet another is one by Metropolitan KALLISTOS Ware called “Praying with the Orthodox Tradition. A basic outline begins with the Trisagion Prayers. There is THE Trisagion prayer which I mentioned and the fuller prayers plural. They go like this:
+Glory to Thee, our God, Glory to Thee.
O Heavenly King, Comforter, the Spirit of Truth, Who art everywhere present and fillest all things, the Treasury of good things and Giver of life: Come, and abide in us, and cleanse us from every stain, and save our souls, O Good One.
+Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal: have mercy on us. (3 times)
+Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, both now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
All-Holy Trinity, have mercy on us. Lord, cleanse us from our sins. Master, pardon our iniquities. Holy God, visit and heal our infirmities for Thy name’s sake.
Lord, have mercy. (3 times)
+Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, both now and ever, and unto the ages of ages.
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 trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.
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.
As you can see they include the Lord’s Prayer as well. If I am able I will pray before my icon stand which has Christ at the center. I will also light a candle and a vigil lamp (a small “cup” filled with olive oil and a cotton wick) light some incense as well. If possible I will try to engage my whole body. So I will also use prostrations, bows, and crossing myself too. And I will use a prayer rope. A prayer rope has knots tied into it and is commonly made and sold at monasteries but you can use anything. And this is used for the Jesus Prayer which is repeated sometimes 10 or even up to 100 times at once. You can do much more or less depending on your personal situation or what your pastor recommends. These are by no way earning God’s favor with you or paying for your sins with “works”. This is a simple and heartfelt cry, “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, Have mercy on me a sinner!” We proclaim this throughout the day whenever we think out it. It really is a very special and unique way to calm yourself and be in the presence of God and think about the depth and simplicity of the Gospel.
I will also read a psalm and pray a psalm every day. I will intercede for family, friends, the Church, the government, the president, etc. I will at times venerate icons (pictures or representations of Jesus, the Apostles, the Mary the Theotokos and other very Godly saints). And I do ask for their prayers in a very careful way but do not try to have conversations with them. Since Jesus destroyed death by death and because those who died in Christ are alive and conscious with Him we ask them for their prayers as they are unhindered by sin and strife any longer and they still love us!
I will also say the Symbol of Faith (the Nicene Creed). A few other prayers and praises to the Lord (the Lesser Doxology, a thanksgiving prayer, prayer for repentance). And I give myself time for a simple quieting of my mind and heart before God. I will also insert my own unplanned and unwritten heart cries and concerns to my Father in Heaven. Sometimes it will just be intimate conversation and others heartfelt prayers for this or that or just praise to God. I also read through books of the New Testament daily and the Gospels too. And lately I have added in some Old Testament readings. Today I read Malachi. I pray for illumination and I pray that I will read with the purpose of loving God and neighbor better as I get up to live the day. Sometimes I will add in prayers of Saint Basil too. And usually I will read a story about a saint that we are commemorating that day. Maybe sing a hymn about them if I have one. Then I will look over the other saints and martyrs for that day and pray for martyrs around the world. And will end by saying something like “Through the intercessions of all the saints and the Theotokos, have mercy upon us and save us. Glory be to You O Lord, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen”.
Of course I’d like to say I do this perfectly every day or that I always finish or I always engage my whole self. Sometimes I don’t. But I am seeking to be consistent and thoughtful while I do this.
So, through the prayers of our holy fathers, help us Lord Jesus Christ to be consistent in praying without ceasing to your glory, forever and ever, and unto the ages of ages, amen.
The Kingdom Within 