There are many opinions on what kind of prayer can be called effective. Some are sure that only canonical ones work, i.e. those that are written in books. Others argue that it does not matter whose authorship the prayer is, the main thing is that it is from the heart.

There are many different news and rumors associated with prayers. For example, parishioners often believe that fervently spoken prayers can literally work miracles: sick people feel better, drinkers come out of their drinking bouts, etc. Naturally, such a saintly believer in the miraculousness of prayer was ridiculed more than once. Churched people have their own explanation for the power of prayer.

They explain the power of prayer by the power of thought. If a person believes and hopes that his appeal will help, it will definitely work. It is worth considering that thoughts materialize regardless of whether they are good or bad. Therefore, for prayer to work, when presenting your requests to God, you must think only about the good and bright.

For the prayer to work, it is necessary to concentrate while saying it and not be distracted by everything. Gather your thoughts together and don’t scatter them in different directions. Moreover, prayer does not take much time and you can quite afford to focus on it.

So, for prayer to work, you need to concentrate. You should be prepared for the fact that you won’t be able to concentrate the first time. There is no need to worry - after a while everything will definitely work out for you.

Naturally, the power of thought also lies in faith. Without it, it is unlikely that you will succeed. After all, when you take on something without confidence and hope in its positive outcome, it ends accordingly. Therefore, it is always necessary to believe.

The following are considered the basic rules of truthful prayer:
- correct wording;
- the right attitude to prayer;
- soul energy;
- presence of mind;
- a tidied body.

The first point implies a correctly formulated request or desire. You shouldn’t lump all your problems into one pile. Choose something that is most important to you at this time. Believers believe that God himself will see whether you really need it or not. The prayer usually contains a request for help, strength, and opportunities to independently solve one’s problems.

The second point implies that during prayer you think only about God, without being distracted by everything that is happening around you and other people.

For prayer to have a certain power, it is necessary to invest all the energy of the soul into it. It is recommended to pray with love, because... it is precisely this that is the strongest energetic feeling. Therefore, before prayer, it is necessary to free your soul from anger, hatred, addiction and other sinful thoughts. Fill your soul with love, and then your prayer will definitely be heard.

The mind cannot be turned off when praying either. And its main function is to delve into the text. The person praying needs to understand and evaluate every word, feel the meaning of all phrases. If this is not done, prayer will turn into a banal muttering that does not touch the innermost strings of the soul.

The body should also be ready for prayer: clean, not tense. It is advisable to carry out the necessary rituals that are included in church ceremonies.

There are also a number of additional parameters that help turn prayer into a miracle cure. For example, time. It is recommended to recite holy words in the morning and evening before going to bed. At this time, the work either has not yet begun or has already ended, and you can devote yourself entirely to God. It is also advisable to choose a quiet place for prayer, where no one will disturb you.

To get into the right frame of mind, take a deep breath - 2-3 breaths are enough to calm your body and feelings and tune in to prayer.

And, of course, it is worth understanding that prayer should not turn into a ritual. Only sincere, sincere prayer, in which every spoken word breathes faith and love for God, can be miraculous and powerful.

Everyone has wondered why prayers help people in their requests, aspirations, in sorrow and joy? What is the power of prayer?

Prayer for a believer is a helper, protector, healer, comforter, and a very strong amulet.

“In the beginning was the Word...” we read in the wisest and most important holy source, the Gospel of John (New Testament). Having acquired reason and consciousness, a person uttered a word - a set of sounds with a meaning contained in them, which made him different from other living beings.

The power of prayer is in the words addressed to the Almighty

Prayers are not just a set of words. This is the sent energy, light and love for God. Let's talk about what is the power and magic of prayers? Why do they help a person with his requests and aspirations?

The word is what we use to live, create, how the day begins in our life: “Good afternoon” and ends with “Good night.”
The speech of human communication is difficult to replace, it contains the whole palette of our feelings towards the words spoken, our attitude towards the event being described, it is difficult to replace it with something else.

“Language is a storehouse, a container of human knowledge, influencing the development of a person as an individual.”

People have always felt the power of words and approached it with reverence. It is no coincidence that they say:

“Words can kill and melt the soul.”

Have you noticed that when we say the word “thank you” dozens of times a day, without really thinking about its essence, we feel warmth and special gratitude to the one we thank. And if you delve deeper into the essence of these sounds, this is nothing more than “God SAVE.”
Or other bright word formations:

• “Thank you”: “Thank you, I give.”

• “Hello”: “Be in good health.”

Believers who revere God's temple, who serve God with joy and depth of feeling, always recognize the power of prayer, calling it a connection with God.

Why do prayers help in terms of energy?

• A word is a complex combination of digital codes through which we, without realizing it, communicate with the Almighty and the entire Universe. Each letter of the alphabet has a specific shape that creates a special energy torsion field.
• All the words that live around us are certain information of universal consciousness. Therefore, it is important that they carry good fulfillment and are devoid of negativity.
• Faith is a special energy invested in the words of prayer, transmitted mentally through space.
  Appeal in prayer to the Creator - the image of which lives in every person. In fact, we each have a piece of God in us. Remember, God created us in his own image and likeness.
• Prayers especially help in holy places: churches, especially revered springs, at burial places, holy relics, that is, where there is a special energy that cannot be described and defined, but it is there, works, lives.
• Being in God's temple during the liturgy, an ordinary service, all believers radiate a common powerful energy. And you, in this general chorus of appeal to otherworldly forces, to the faces of the Saints, weave your desire, prayer, request into the general chorus. This way, they are more likely to be heard and reach the Creator than for you to pray alone at home. But you can also set up your communication channel alone at home in such a way that it will have a significant impact on the Universe and, therefore, the opportunity to find what you expect from it.

If a person truly believes in the power of prayer, in the power of faith, and is able to surrender to it, then in this state special waves arise in his brain, called delta waves, which only infants can feel.

In prayers, the person praying temporarily leaves earthly reality, thought processes are suspended, and a person begins to perceive the world with his soul.

Jesus said:

“To pray means to send luminous streams into space. If you do not receive help and protection from Heaven, it is only because you yourself did not send light. The sky will not deal with what has gone out. Do you want it to shine on your calls? Light all your lamps."

Prayer will only help if it comes from the heart with faith. It’s good if a person knows the canonical prayers, those that religion gives us. If you don’t know, this is not a reason not to read prayers. Just have a conversation with God:

“Thank you, Lord, for everything you have done, for the morning... for sleep... for food... for life... for health, for strength, so that I can do Your will.”“Thank you, Lord!”, “Save, Lord!” By pronouncing these simple words, filled with meaning, you yourself will quickly notice how higher powers heard you and responded with kindness, light, and joy.

It has been scientifically proven that prayers next to a burning candle enhance sound vibrations, causing vibrations in the general biofield of the earth, and it translates them into waves and lifts them to God. And the opposite effect is triggered: God’s Grace descends on a person - the energy and information of very subtle vibrations that heal both soul and body.

The health benefits of prayer and its beneficial effects on brain function have been scientifically proven. That is why believers who visit the temple and perform prayers have better health, live longer and are not deprived of sanity.

Talk to God as to your Father, trusting him with all of yourself, ask for strength and love in your heart - and your life will be filled with joy, you will truly find your path, and understand your destiny.
And your requests and prayers will be heard!

Prayer - how it works

...Prayer is a person’s appeal to God, gods, saints, angels, spirits, personified natural forces, generally Supreme Beings or their intermediaries.” What is the power of prayer? What is the point of dialogue with someone you cannot see?

How to pray?

You must pray with faith - your faith will save you. Most religions claim that ritual phrases that are uttered without religious sentiment remain empty words. They are made effective only by the power of faith. Prayer is only the verbal expression of aspirations to God.

Let us recall the episode from the Gospel when a sick woman, seeing Jesus Christ surrounded by a crowd, thought: “If I only touch the hem of His clothes, I will immediately be healed.” This is what happened, although she did not utter any magical formulas. The Lord told her: “Your faith has saved you.” Note: not prayer, not application to clothing (the Shroud, icons, relics in crayfish, not pilgrimage...), but faith.

Prayer is a test of our sincerity: can we say simple words with faith, from the depths of our hearts? If we can, the prayer will be heard.

Prayer is an appeal to the Lord, a way of connecting the earthly and spiritual worlds. Therefore, there are no specific rules on how to pray that must be strictly observed. Those who doubt the correctness of actions during prayer can be given only one piece of advice: act and speak as a soul turned to God feels. Such an appeal will be immediately heard by our Heavenly Creator, because it will come from the very heart.

All human life centers around himself. He cannot forget for a moment about his problems, desires and needs. It is not easy to even realize that there are people who are capable of renouncing their own “I” and unselfishly and incessantly praying for others. Their prayer gains effective and real power. What happens to people at the moment of their renunciation of their own pride and worldly vanity?

Prayer and Energy

For our words to reach God, they must be filled with energy, otherwise you will not be heard. Initially, a person has a very powerful energy reserve, but most people waste it in vain, doing empty, petty things. We do not love our neighbors, as was bequeathed to us, but love is the most powerful energy, we are afraid of retribution for the sins we have committed, and fear is a loss of energy.

We are angry, we hate, and drop by drop of strength leaves us. When we try to pray, it turns out weak and lifeless. Therefore, before saying a prayer, it is necessary to free yourself from envy, anger, and any negativity. After such cleansing, a huge amount of energy will be released in your soul, which will flow through prayer. Believers say: “Being vindictive and praying is the same as sowing in the sea and waiting for the harvest.”

Where to pray?

You can pray anywhere, but it is better to have a permanent place for daily prayer, where you are not distracted. Although it is very good to turn to God with short prayers on the topics of the day where and when you need it. In his book “The School of Prayer,” Metropolitan Anthony of Sourozh said that when we choose a special place at home for daily prayer, we “win for God” a piece of our sinful land. It is as if we are creating at home a small semblance of a temple, a holy place where our communication with God will take place. In such a “prayed” place, we feel the presence of the Lord more strongly and it is easier for us to establish a connection with him. Icons remind us of the presence of God - visible evidence of God’s greatness, “windows to the heavenly world.”

The Power of Prayer - Experiments

In order to unravel the phenomenon of prayer in our time, the latest computer technologies are used.

Neurophysiologist Valery Slezin back in 1986 recorded for the first time an encephalogram of the brains of clergy during their prayer. The result was sensational and was immediately accepted at a world psychiatric symposium. But the neurophysiologist in the USSR was almost fired from the institute. Slesin showed that brain activity actually disappears during prayer, i.e. it decreases tenfold. During the waking state, the adult brain operates at approximately 12 Hz. And while saying prayers, an electroencephalograph in the professor’s laboratory recorded activity of about 3 Hz.

These kinds of indicators would be typical if the participant in the experiment were unconscious. But for the researcher, the most surprising thing was something else: a frequency of 3 Hz is characteristic of the work of an infant’s consciousness. According to legend, Jesus Christ once said, “Be like children and be saved.” It is quite possible that this phrase is not just a beautiful metaphor, but a key commanded to humanity, a means that everyone can use for their salvation. With the help of prayer, an adult returns to the state of infancy, to pristine purity.

British scientists from the Center for Brain Research in Cambridge conducted an experiment on 20 volunteers, among whom were 10 deeply religious people and the same number of atheists. Each participant in the experiment had electrodes attached to his arm and received weak electric shocks. During the experiment, believers were asked to look at an icon with the face of Jesus Christ, and atheists were asked to look at a reproduction of a Gauguin painting.

In 20 min. During the experiment, each of the volunteers received 20 unpleasant electrical shocks. However, the two groups perceived them differently. Those who looked at the face of Christ felt completely safe and did not worry. Moreover, the instruments showed that they did not experience as much pain as those who looked at Gauguin’s painting. A device that analyzes the functioning of the brain showed that the believers activated the anterior lobe of the right half, that is, these people themselves suppressed the pain inflicted on them. But atheists did not have such a brain reaction.

Dad got very sick. Doctors refrained from making predictions and just shrugged: “80 years, whatever you want!” My sister called me and, crying into the phone, told me how bad our daddy is. And I went up to the icon of Matronushka and began to pray. I don’t know how to pray, I said whatever came to mind, asked to ward off the illness and prolong my dad’s life.

This has never happened to me; I somehow lost myself in prayer. It was as if I was no longer at home, but floating somewhere, looking at myself from the outside, then there was a push and I sank to the floor. As if I woke up, woke up, if you want. My throat was dry, my head was heavy, but my heart felt calm. Dad didn’t get better right away, he was on the edge for some time, then his sister called and said that dad was feeling better. After that he lived another 5 years.

Appearance of the Child Jesus to Saint Anthony of Padua

The Power of the Lord's Prayer

The Lord's Prayer is rightfully considered one of the most powerful and universal Orthodox prayers. You can read it in times of despondency, illness, or any trouble, and always receive help from the Lord God.

Jesus Christ said: “Praying means sending luminous streams into space. If you do not receive help and protection from Heaven, it is only because you yourself did not send the light. The sky will not deal with what has gone out. Do you want it to answer your calls? Light all your lamps."

By turning to prayer, you open access to subtle energy layers and can really influence fate, karma, and health. It is important to learn to turn to prayer not only in grief, but also in joy and gratitude.

The Mystery of Prayer

Orthodoxy has always had its saints and its prophets. One of these people was. I started talking about him in order to use him to reveal the psychotechnics of performing correct prayer.

Prayer is a direct way and method of communication between man and God. If you perform the prayer correctly, then in any religion you will certainly get results. Our ancestors also taught us: “Ask God, and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and it will be opened to you! Just do it sincerely and with all your heart!”

And here is what John of Kronstadt said about the technique of prayer: “True Christians, now, as always, experience the grace-filled power of prayer. But why are there few among us who would consider prayer the most effective means in all misadventures and misfortunes?

What does this statement mean, for example: when you advise a Christian, when some misfortune has happened to him, to pray to the Lord, he coldly accepts the advice, as if it were a matter of a remedy that had been tested for a long time and did not prove beneficial. This only means that there are still few Christians who know how to pray properly, and therefore do not experience all the saving prayer. Prayer is a great and holy thing, the fragrant flower of spiritual life. First you must learn to pray, to know what kind of prayer is pleasing to God. This is a great feat.

First of all, a Christian should reverently approach prayer, this living conversation. “When praying to God, one must always imagine His infinite greatness. His omniscience, infinite goodness, and truth, and holiness. Always consider it a great happiness to converse in prayer with the Lord or with the Most Pure Lady Theotokos and pray to them with awe and reverence. Treasure constantly and invariably this highest happiness, this bliss...”

Many atheists answer the question about God: “When I see God, then I will believe.” It’s strange: no one denies that there is good and evil. But for some reason many deny God and the devil. But just as the autumn wind gives rise to falling leaves, God gives birth to good, and the devil gives birth to evil. We do not see the wind, but we have the opportunity to see the leaves falling from it. We do not see God, but we have the opportunity to see the good generated by him. And the evil generated by the devil.

Somehow in my mind I turned to God with regret that I could not see Him and talk to Him. She asked Him to show Himself at least in a dream: I really wanted to communicate. I didn’t have any dreams, and the next morning, when I was walking in the forest, two women (Jehovah’s Witnesses) approached me with a smile and handed me a piece of paper. It literally said the following about God: “Contact me through prayer and communicate with me through prayer.”

Prayer truly has enormous power, which only atheists do not believe in. And this is because, having never prayed, they cannot see the result of prayer. It’s true - let’s be honest - I also didn’t really believe in the power of prayer before, although I prayed every day from the age of 6 until my youth. But the incident changed everything.

Once my family and I went on vacation to Turkey in the summer, and in the hotel restaurant I liked one very handsome waiter. And although I had no goal of cheating on my husband, I still felt guilty. And for the fact that she tried to look better in front of that waiter, and for the fact that she smiled more at him than at everyone else. And especially because, seeing him, my heart began to beat faster. But I didn’t like this at all. In any case, I would really not want my husband to feel this way towards some other woman. Therefore, I myself wanted to get rid of this obsession as quickly as possible, deciding to try praying. Swimming further into the sea, where no one interfered, I prayed to God, asking him to deliver me from my sinful obsession. Amazingly, I didn’t even have to pray more than two or three times: neither the next day, nor the day after, nor on the day of leaving the hotel I felt absolutely nothing for that waiter! Apparently it was some kind of devilish obsession. But it became an experience, and a very useful one. Now I had great faith in the power of prayer. After all, I knew myself well: if I liked someone, it was for a long time. And then suddenly - and it was gone. This was not just surprising, but extremely amazing, because it was unusual for me.

Now I already perceived prayer not only as an appeal to God, but also as a way of fighting dark forces. The Bible says that “this generation is driven out by prayer and fasting.” In the Old Testament, in the third book of Ezra, God says: “So, if you pray again and fast again for seven days, then I will show you more...” Monks know this well, and thus advance in the knowledge of the spiritual and the unknown.

As for me, the experience gained in Turkey soon became very useful, because almost every night for weeks on end I began to have nightmares. In my entire life I have seen maybe no more than 20 nightmares, and then suddenly this... For the first few days I hoped that everything would go away on its own. But 3-4 days passed, and the nightmares did not stop, even though I read “Our Father” every time before going to bed. Therefore, I began to read another, shorter prayer: “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.” She helped sometimes, but still she often continued to have nightmares. Then I decided not only to read these two prayers, but also to be baptized while reading them. And then the nightmares disappeared! Having realized this, she began experimenting as a sin: she was baptized before going to bed, and then she was not baptized. When I didn’t get baptized, nightmares immediately began. When she was baptized, they were not there. Having experimented like this 5 times, I probably already clearly saw a pattern that struck me to the core. Later, in the book “Unholy Saints,” I read that one famous person was also constantly tormented by nightmares, and a short prayer with the sign of the cross also helped him, which further confirmed me in the idea that all this was not just a coincidence. Now I already knew a way to deal with nightmares, and they no longer came.

Seeing the miraculous power of prayer, I began to use it in completely different life situations and was surprised to notice that in some moments of irritation, anger, and aggression, I didn’t feel like praying at all! Moreover: it becomes almost impossible - you can’t force yourself to say it, it’s just as if someone isn’t letting you open your mouth! My daughter felt the same thing in similar situations of irritation and anger.

Once, having learned that Saint Matrona advised baptizing water, praying over it, and then drinking it (this is useful not only for weak, sick people, but also for completely healthy people), she suggested that her daughter test this method in practice, and in moments of anger, read the prayer repeatedly “Our Father” over a glass of water, making the sign of the cross during prayer. She did just that. After reading the prayer 12 times, I drank all the water. The aggression went away immediately after that. And immediately my daughter started having diarrhea. I remember that she was very impressed by the effective result, but, like me, she could no longer repeat it - as if some unknown force prevented her from starting to pray during human anger. Often at such moments there is not even a single thought about praying. So it turns out that you either forget to pray, or, if you remember, you can’t bring yourself to do it.

I noticed another feature: when reading the Lord’s Prayer, it becomes extremely difficult to fully concentrate, and this despite the fact that the prayer lasts less than a minute! I wondered if this was only happening to me. I asked my husband - he had the same problem. Later I found out that we are not the only ones experiencing this - even the priests know about it. It’s an amazing thing - if a person thinks about pressing problems that concern him, thoughts about this will be in his head for 5 minutes, half an hour, and even more. And at the same time he will not be distracted by anything else. But how many extraneous thoughts are in your head while reading just a minute of the Lord’s Prayer! Very often at this time thoughts creep in about material things and benefits or about the possibility of acquiring them. Here it is, the clear influence of evil spirits on human consciousness! Here it is - the visible invisible...

From the book “On Earth We Are Just Learning to Live,” in one of the stories it was written that if you read the 90th Psalm with faith 40 times a day, the most advanced and hopeless diseases are cured. We remembered this when our daughter got sick. Her husband tried to heal her when she was suffering from nausea and stomach pain. The result exceeded all expectations: when he read this prayer over a glass of water 40 times in a row and gave it to his daughter to drink, she immediately vomited, after which she quickly recovered. But what was more surprising was that the husband’s hand, which had previously been in severe pain for two months, was healed on the same day. Therefore, of course, we knew firsthand how effective this prayer is. The Bible says, “According to your faith you will be rewarded.”

One winter I got sick. The sensations in my body were bad, the temperature of 37.5 was for some reason unusually difficult to experience. My husband and child went for a walk, and I, left to my own devices, began to pray. I remembered an incident that happened a few years earlier, when I swore at God with almost, it seems, even obscene words, angry because He did not help my then seriously ill child. At that time, I was a girl of little faith with a completely different worldview, typical of most modern non-believers. And when the child’s temperature rose above 38 degrees for 4-5 days in a row, she first began to pray to God, and, mind you, to become furious with Him for the lack of help on His part. When I remembered this incident from the past, I felt very sorry that I behaved this way. And, lying in bed with a fever, I began to pray, asking God to give me a sign whether He would ever forgive me for such behavior. I did not hope for forgiveness, but continued to pray with tears in my eyes. And an hour later, the temperature dropped by half a degree - and this despite the fact that it was evening, and, as you know, in the evenings with acute respiratory infections, the temperature usually only rises, and does not fall. It was unusual and unexpected, I began to feel better without the pills. And in the morning I was already completely healthy.

One day, after having a fight with my husband, I decided to go for a walk with my daughter in the forest without him. First we went out onto a path in the forest, where we rarely walked, and then we turned off it altogether and went deeper into the thick of the forest - we were looking for mushrooms. I calmed down a little and began to think that it would still be nice if my husband were nearby. I mentally turned to God with thoughts about this. To my amazement, after 5-10 minutes I saw my husband - he found us where, in general, he should not have found us - the forest was large, and we had already left the path (and there are hundreds of these paths in the forest). As it turned out later, not only me, but also my daughter and my husband himself prayed to God so that we would meet soon. Later, the husband said that when he entered the forest, it was as if someone told him that he needed to go in this direction and not otherwise. And my daughter and I, walking away from the beaten paths, heard some strange crunch ahead, and, getting worried, decided to turn in the other direction. If I had not done this, my husband and I would have separated. But then it was even more interesting: while walking through the forest together, we came across a picnic of a family with a dog. The dog, for some unknown reason, suddenly got angry and barked at me. Her owner was very surprised by this behavior and told us not to be afraid, because she does not bite. However, I saw that the dog’s intentions towards me were very serious. She ran towards me, brutalized, angry, and I realized that now she would bite me. When she ran up and made a lunge to grab me, I thought: “The Lord will protect me.” Just as I thought this, her mouth, clanging against the fabric of my jeans, but no longer able to grab my leg, began to close as if by itself - against the will of the dog. She continued to growl angrily, but she could no longer bite me. So she stood there - angry, growling, but unable to do me harm, because I thought: “The Lord will protect me.”

In connection with this story, I remembered another similar one. It was told by grandfather Victor, our good friend. One day, as usual, while walking in the forest in the evening, he saw a man walking towards him. Moreover, this man was clearly aggressive: he grabbed a stick from the ground and walked towards Victor with it. The old man realized that this was not a good thing. And he began to pray as long as the distance between them allowed it. And as soon as he read the prayer to the end, the man’s stick fell out of his hands, he caught up with his grandfather and walked past. Here is a real story... It is not for nothing that the words of Jesus are written in the Bible: “According to your faith, be it done to you.”

All the stories described above clearly illustrate that the Lord hears us, our thoughts, good and evil motives, our hopes for His help.

Often we strive to find time for reflection, to be in silence, to read a soulful book, to find spiritual joy and achieve spiritual uplift. Despite the fact that it is impossible to dispute the importance and spiritual benefits of these aspirations, we nevertheless must ask the questions, are these aspirations the only ones that will help us enter the Kingdom of Heaven? Let us think that it is necessary to make an effort to understand that the power of prayer lies in lamentation and shedding of tears. For, if the Lord experienced this state as a man, we should not be confident that we will be able to understand the essence of prayer, limiting ourselves to, albeit rich, rhetoric swirling around the content and methods of praying.

As we delve further into our study of the power of prayer, we must definitely mention one vital fact that is the opposite of the concept of power. Anyone who consciously seeks powerful prayer must begin with the awareness of his deep and complete powerlessness.

The power of prayer can only be understood by those who find themselves unarmed in the chaos of their own helplessness. We can see this key idea in the works of the Holy Fathers, in the Holy Scriptures, in the life and traditions of the Church.

The example of prayer that the Lord gave us in the form of the tax collector and the Pharisee shows that it is impossible to approach prayer with a feeling of complacency. Prayer cannot be - if not always, then in most cases - an experience of rewarding the sense of security that the believer feels in his Christian life.

The power of prayer comes from a deep sense of powerlessness. When a person frees himself from the personal, from everything that can give him a sense of personal security, he finds a source of strength. Thus, according to the Holy Scriptures and the works of the holy fathers, a spiritual person begins to live, constantly aware of his own weakness. The experience of prayer is a continuous and ever-growing sense of one's own powerlessness.

A spiritual person does not discuss whether his prayer is strong or not. The Christian, as represented in the Triodion, in the writings of the fathers and in the Holy Scriptures, does not care whether he is strong or not. The only thing that matters to him is whether he really prays, whether he turns out to be immersed in his prayer with his whole being. The thoughts of a spiritual fighter at the moment of prayer are directed to God, and not to the result of the prayer. For the result, by human standards, may reveal the apparent uselessness of prayer, while with God it will have power.

I will give a very characteristic example from the Fathers of the Church, which shows the difference between God's judgment and human judgment.

Once upon a time, an ascetic wanted to take a break from his solitude in his cell, go outside and communicate with other monks. Before doing this, he prayed to God and asked for blessings to come out of seclusion and asked that fellowship or, as we would say today, interpersonal relationships with his brothers give him strength. Then he went to the city, where he was to meet spiritual people. But approaching the city gates, he saw something that shocked him. A harlot stood at the gate and defiantly blocked his way. He immediately remembered his prayer and thought: “I asked God for the opportunity to gain spiritual strength, and He puts me in such an awkward situation?” He looked at the woman with pity and contempt, while she continued to look at him defiantly. He asked her: “Aren’t you ashamed to tempt the old monk?” To this she replied: “If you are a real monk, you should consider yourself to be the earth and look at the earth, and not at me.” Then the elder understood the lesson that the Lord taught him, realized that prayer gave him the strength and elation he desired.

A person who prays should not think about the result of his prayer, but turn all his thoughts to God, who is the source of life, strength and all good. The Lord knows what and when He must give or take away and for what reason it must be done.

Thus, we see that the problem of prayer power is not one of the topics that, by discussing it, we can provide ourselves with the inner conviction that if certain conditions are met, our prayer will become a source of strength for us. But on the other hand, a person needs the strength bestowed from God in order to strengthen himself and continue his life path, gain integrity and realize his ideal, which, according to Christian teaching, is likeness to God, communion with Him, and a life of holiness.

Consequently, every person is called to take the path that Christ revealed to Elder Silouan in his dream. The elder writes: “Keep your mind in hell,” the Lord commanded me, “and do not despair.” That is, pray and remember about hell, about the suffering of the people there. But, nevertheless, do not despair.

This is a specific instruction addressed to a specific person. But the general idea shows that a spiritual person should not make his prayer dependent on its result. Of course, it is useful to know how correct prayer should be carried out. Even the disciples asked the Lord to teach them how they should pray. However, it makes great sense to free a person from thoughts about the result of prayer. Because many “righteous” Christians are disappointed if prayer, in their opinion, turns out to be “in vain.”

The Apostle Paul prayed and asked God to deliver him from a certain illness from which he was suffering. And after patient prayer, Paul received the answer: “My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness.” The Apostle Paul considered his illness a source of weakness and prayed, wanting to be freed from it. But the power of God is “made perfect even in weakness.”

We see how different the judgments of man and God are. Therefore, I believe that the problem of prayer power is a purely human problem. And, therefore, a person who understands that his business is to pray, and God’s business is to give a person what will be useful to him, argues correctly. And this person will certainly be given opportunities to realize that prayer is indeed a source of vitality for him. But more often than not, a person will see this in his past. In the present it is difficult to notice.

Of course, we can find many wonderful examples of powerful prayer in both the Old and New Testaments. For example: “And because they prayed, the place where they were gathered was shaken” (Acts 4:31) However, this does not mean that a believer should expect the same immediate result from prayer.

This topic cannot be studied or researched as a theory. It can only be experienced as an existential experience, when looking at the image of a praying man created in Triodion. The more a person is disappointed in himself, the more blessing he receives from God. But if he thinks like a Pharisee, he will not find God near him.

The main problem is how one can experience the power of prayer rather than think about it or theorize about it.

I would not like to add anything more to this topic, and not because my thoughts have dried up, but due to the fact that, in my opinion, in this serious question we can only make some sketches that will become reasons for deeper reflection person according to his personal experience and personal problems.

If there are any questions or thoughts on what we have discussed, let's listen to them.

Question: What do you mean when you say “experience existentially”? Are we talking about the philosophical system of Christian existentialism?

Answer: Of course no. There is a confusion of concepts. But I think over time this will somehow be overcome. When we talk about existential vision or experience, we do not mean existentialism and its famous theory. Here we want to place emphasis, by analogy with the system of existentialism, on all human existence, existence as universal life.

When we say that prayer should be experienced existentially, we mean that a person should experience the moment of prayer with his whole being, with all the problems of his life. Mental prayer, which is now talked about in many books, the Jesus prayer, which we mentioned, which is an ascetic prayer and consists of repeating the phrase: “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me a sinner” (unfortunately, we could not stop on this topic in more detail) is precisely an existential prayer experience.

An ascetic or monk living in a monastery constantly repeats this prayer during work, service and labor. Those monks who have been practicing this prayer for many years say it even in their sleep: when the soul sleeps, the mind continues to work and repeat this prayer. Such people know how to pray even while reading or talking.

A modern person living in the world can also join this form of existential experience of prayer. Everywhere and always, on the bus, on the street, at work, he can repeat this prayer and gradually he will get used to it, and prayer will become a rule for him. A person will find that, as writers on this topic say, he begins to pray without doing it purposefully. And then he turns out to be able to face any difficulty and problem that appears in life with prayer on his lips.

On the contrary, a “conscientious” Christian who does not forget to pray in the evening before going to bed and in church, whenever he hears a bell ringing, who feels the need to communicate with God, only when faced with a difficulty realizes that he is praying fragmentarily. While a person experiencing prayer existentially does not have a program, schedule, or sometimes even words. Because the best expression of prayerful experience is silence.

Translation from Modern Greek: editors of the online publication “Pemptusia”.