What if you don't feel like praying or repenting? Sometimes there are such states that there is no strength even to force oneself to pray. And if I still get up for prayer, then I do not feel anything: my lips pronounce texts, but my mind is far away, not with God. And at confession I sometimes do not feel any sense of repentance, but simply list the sins. I am confused by such a mental hardening. What does it mean? And can you fight it? Helena
Archpriest Alexy POTOKIN, Assistant Rector of the Church of the Life-Giving Spring Icon of the Mother of God in Tsaritsyn, answers:
Dear Elena! The Lord said: “... not the healthy need a doctor, but the sick, go and learn what it means: I want mercy, not sacrifice? For I have come to call not the righteous, but sinners to repentance ”(Matthew 9: 12-13). The Lord came into the world, endured suffering, accepted death on the Cross and rose from the dead for us - those who do not know how to pray, repent, love God and neighbor. For us, He created His Church with her saving sacraments. Reread carefully the Gospel - it's all about this: about the poor in spirit, about the blind, about the paralytic, about the prodigal son. Every parable of Christ, every line of the Gospel reminds us of our spiritual state. The healthy have never experienced such experiences as you, always praying, were confident in your righteousness - remember the parable of the publican and the Pharisee. And in the end, they not only did not accept Christ, but crucified Him. This is the kind of spiritual tragedy that unwillingness to honestly look into your heart, to find out the truth about yourself, about your spiritual state leads to.
Christ calls us to know ourselves, our inner world... And this inner world is just revealed to us during prayer. When we, communicating with people, are irritated with them, under the influence of emotions we often do not notice our irritability. And in prayer we strive for goodness, goodness - and then we notice the coldness of the heart, and lack of composure, and the chaos of thoughts and feelings. But it is already worth a lot if a person forces himself to come to church, to utter words of repentance, even if his heart is silent. It is we, the weak, the cold, who need the Law of God, the observance of church rules. When a person recovers (in a real way, not in a Pharisaic way), he prays and repents continuously, wherever he is. Hermits and hermits sometimes did not resort to church ordinances, but their hearts were completely devoted to God, they prayed incessantly - not always in words, true prayer is also silent.
But we sick people cannot pray without words, we need rules. As in everyday life, we need courtesy rules. Almost everyone can remember moments of melancholy, despondency, when he was not happy to meet friends, acquaintances, they began to annoy him. But elementary secular ethics helps not to break down completely, to survive this period, to recover. The saint does not need this politeness. One glance will tell us much more than “hello” or “ good morning". But since we are not saints, we need to remember the basic politeness. A church rules is spiritual politeness. The heart is far from God, we do not strive to meet Him, but, realizing the abnormality, the painfulness of this state, we come, as the Holy Church teaches us, to confession and utter the words of repentance. This is hard work, slavish, but not useless. The Monk Isaac the Syrian said that man will never become a son of God if he has not been a slave and a mercenary. As we push ourselves to repentance, we crush the rocky ground. We cannot wait for a reward, we do not know when we will come to life and turn to God with sincere, heartfelt repentance. But if we sincerely ask God to forgive us our coldness, to revive our heart (“Create a pure heart in me” - we read every morning in Psalm 50), a sincere penitential feeling will return sooner or later. In such “automatic” repentance, we still receive God's grace, which will certainly bear fruit. Just don't despair. Spiritual life is a path, not a pedestal. And there is no path without obstacles.
Prayers for Strength
Words and prayers, if read with true faith and love, will help change your life for the better.
You can read them everywhere, choosing those words and prayers that give a solution to the most important this moment tasks.Prayers can give us the strength to heal from diseases, find peace of mind, calm down, turn life in the right direction.
Through prayer you can get what you want only if your aspiration is strong and your faith is strong. Don't let doubt weaken your faith.When you ask for something, consider it as an immutable fact (it is so and nothing else) and the result will not be long in coming.
Ask seriously, sincerely, and the path will open.
Some prayers that give strength work in conjunction with talismans and amulets."God, give me the courage to change the things I can change, peace of mind to accept what I cannot change,
the wisdom to know the difference between the two.
But, God, give me the courage not to give up what I think is right, even if it's useless. "Prayer for the healing of the soul
"May this day be blessed good health for my age, purity of thought, freedom from anxiety and peace of mind.
I am an empty vessel to be filled;
my faith is small - strengthen it, my love is shallow - deepen it;
my defense is weak - strengthen it;
my heart is restless - bring peace to him;
my thoughts are shallow - make them noble;
my fears are great - remove them;
my soul is sick - heal it.
Strengthen my belief that everything can be achieved through love. ""Bless me with the peace of a happy home. Protect us from all dangers and misfortunes. We believe in You, we know that You take care of everything in the world. Your will guides everything. Your love protects everything. Protect me from unseemly actions. Let the law of good rule my life and controls everything I say and do. Give us your full blessings. "
"Cast out all the bitterness that is inside me, show how to show love and concern for those who are far away. May I always love and protect those who are close to my heart. Bring them to my love. May I touch everyone with generous kindness, whom I'll meet ".
"Reach out your hands and protect me from unnecessary worries in this life. Make my enemies powerless, unable to hurt, destroy and harm those who started under Your protection. I call You with all my heart and look forward to Your consolation."
“Take my hands, Lord, breathe strength into them to fulfill the tasks and responsibilities of this day, overcome my weakness, gain clarity of thought and manifest my ability. life ".
Protective prayer
"I implore You to protect me and lend a helping hand in my travels. Bring me what belongs to me and bless me with the fruits of my labor. Give me some of the gifts of the land, improve the conditions of my life. Give me confidence in Your protection, protect me from those who want to harm my body or my property. "
"Remove from me any intentions to harm, all destructive signs. Replace them with truth and kindness. Breathe wisdom into me, from which I will gain strength of character, calm confidence and devoted friendship. Let me use the knowledge to gain a devoted friend."
“I ask that my eyes be open to things that I have not been able to see or understand before. Direct my steps in the right direction so that the bumpy road becomes smooth and safe for travel. Protect my body from evil forces and my thoughts from immorality Take away the sin from my soul. Give me the right answer. Make it so that I understand and accept the solution that You propose to cope with my problem. Take my lips and speak through them, take my head and think through it, take my heart and fill it with love and kindness that I want to pour out on others. "
"Give me justice, compassion and forgiveness in my dealings with the authorities. Judge me with the kindness with which I treat others. Impose on all judges a spirit of wisdom and understanding so that they can discern the truth and act impartially according to the law."
"I pray that there is distance between me and my enemy. I handle with humility that we are separated from one another. Take this enemy away so that peace will reign in my home and heart. I think of the world that will come to me.
"Be with me and support me with Your presence. Be my friend and refresh my soul. Send me clarity of mind, peace of mind and faith to have patience and great unceasing love going into and out of my heart. Show me the purpose of my life. give me courage and perseverance to achieve the goal that You have assigned to me. "
Every day prayer for purity of thoughts
"Help me to be kind in words and generous in deeds. Help me forget myself and turn my love and affection on others. Make me a wonderful soul, clear and pure in thoughts, a beautiful and strong body. Increase my strength of body and spirit to direct them to those whom I call. I am grateful for all that I received on this day and for the love for others that You have put into my heart. "
"Be with me on this day and help fill my head with bright thoughts, my body with harmless habits and my soul with an innocent spirit. Help me control my desires for food that is harmful to my body, thoughts, soul or life itself. I am confident in Yours. With this help, I will overcome all the temptations of this day. "
"Teach me not to worry about anything and accept that your wisdom is much higher than my own narrow view. Let me accept and welcome your choice without fear and doubt, knowing that if we open our hearts to new areas, our life will be filled with unexpected joy. I accept this day, join it and will rejoice. "
Believers are well aware of the fact that prayer lifts the spirits. As they would say on modern language, it "improves the quality of life." The data of many scientific research(conducted by both professional Christians and atheists) showed that people who pray regularly and with concentration feel better both physically and mentally.
Prayer is our conversation with God. If communication with friends and loved ones is important for our well-being, then communication with God is our best, most loving friend- immeasurably more important. After all, his love for us is truly unlimited.
Prayer helps us deal with feelings of loneliness. In fact, God is always with us (the Scripture says: "I am with you all the days until the end of the age"), that is, in fact, we are never alone, without His presence. But we tend to forget about the presence of God in our lives. Prayer helps us "bring God to our house." It connects us to the Almighty Lord who loves us and wants to help us.
A prayer in which we thank God for what he sends us helps us see the good around us, develop an optimistic outlook on life and overcome discouragement. She develops a grateful attitude towards life, as opposed to the eternally dissatisfied, demanding attitude, which is the foundation of our unhappiness.
Prayer in which we tell God about our needs also brings important function... To tell God about our problems, we have to sort them out, sort them out and first of all admit to ourselves that they exist. After all, we can only pray for those problems that we have recognized as existing.
Denial of one's own problems (or shifting them "from a sore head to a healthy one") is a very widespread (and one of the most harmful and ineffective) way of "dealing" with difficulties. For example, the typical alcoholic always denies that drunkenness has become main problem his life. He says: “It's nothing, I can stop drinking at any time. Yes, and I drink no more than others "(as the drunkard said in a popular operetta," I drank just a little "). Much less serious problems than drunkenness are also denied. You can easily find many examples of denial of the problem in the life of your friends and relatives, and even in your own life.
When we bring our problem to God, we have to admit it in order to tell about it. And recognizing and defining a problem is the first step towards solving it. It is also a step towards truth. Prayer gives us hope and comfort; we acknowledge the problem and "give" it to the Lord.
During prayer, we show the Lord our own "I", our personality, as it is. In front of other people, we may try to pretend, look better or otherwise; before God, we do not need to behave this way, because He sees right through us. Pretense is absolutely useless here: we enter into open communication with God as a unique, one-of-a-kind person, discarding all the tricks and conventions and revealing ourselves. Here we can allow ourselves the "luxury" of being completely our own person and thus provide ourselves with the opportunity for spiritual and personal growth.
Prayer gives us confidence, brings a sense of well-being, a sense of strength, removes fear, helps to cope with panic and melancholy, and supports us in grief.
Daily prayer should become a habit. Prayer times should be a time of calm for you. In a spiritually calm atmosphere, it is easier for us to communicate with God. Of course, we can and should pray even when passions overwhelm us, but still we must try to daily conversation with God passed in a peaceful, calm atmosphere. In essence, the Lord is peaceful and benign; He is never torn apart by passions. Vanity and panic are infinitely far from Him. Therefore, entering into fellowship with Him, we should also strive to leave anger, irritation, impatience, hatred and resentment behind the threshold.
You can pray anywhere, but it is better to have for daily prayer permanent place where nothing will distract you. Although it is very useful and good to turn to the Lord with short prayers on the topics of the day where and when you need it. In his wonderful book "School of Prayer", Metropolitan Anthony of Sourozh says that when we choose a special place at home for daily prayer, we "win back for God" a piece of our sinful land. We kind of create a small semblance of a temple at home, Holy place where our fellowship with the Lord will take place. A Temple God is where He is in all His power and power. In such a “prayed” place, we feel the presence of God more strongly and it is easier for us to establish a connection with him. We are reminded of the presence of God by icons - visible evidence of God's greatness, "windows to the heavenly world."
Concentrate on prayer. Do not be distructed. Focus your attention on your words to the Lord.
Again, I propose to turn to the advice of Anthony of Sourozh: “St. John Climacus offers an easy way to learn concentration. He says: choose a prayer, "Our Father" or any other, stand before God, become aware of where you are and what you are doing, and carefully pronounce the words of the prayer. After a while, you will notice that your thoughts are wandering, then start praying again with the words that were the last you uttered carefully. You may have to do this ten, twenty or fifty times; maybe during the time allotted for prayer, you will be able to make only three petitions and will not move further; but in this struggle you will be able to focus on words in such a way that you will bring to God seriously, soberly, reverently the words of prayer, in which consciousness participates, and not an offering, which is not yours, because consciousness did not participate in it. "
Pray out loud or silently, but rather out loud. When you pray out loud, it is easier for you to concentrate and hold your attention.
PRAYER FOR BEGINNERS
Anthony Surozhsky invites beginners to pray with the following short prayers (for one week each):
Help me, God, to free myself from every false image of You, whatever the cost.
Help me, God, to leave all my worries and focus all thoughts on You alone.
Help me, God, to see my own sins, never to condemn my neighbor, and all glory be to You!
Into Thy hands I commit my spirit; not my will be done, but yours.
Prayer of the Venerable Elders and the Fathers of Optina
, Lord, give me s peace of mind meet all that this day will give.
Lord, let me completely surrender to your will.
Lord, for every hour of this day, instruct and support me in everything.
Lord, reveal to me Your will for me and those around you.
Whatever news I receive during the day, let me accept them with a calm soul and with the firm conviction that everything is your holy will.
Lord, Great Merciful, in all my deeds and words guide my thoughts and feelings, in all unforeseen circumstances do not let me forget that everything was sent down by you.
Lord, let me act rationally with each of my neighbors, not upsetting or embarrassing anyone.
Lord, give me the strength to endure the weariness of this day and all the events during it. Guide my will and teach me how to pray and love everyone is not hypocritical. Amen."
DAILY PRAYER OF ST. FILARET
, Lord, I do not know what to ask of you. You alone know what I need. You love me more than I know how to love myself. Let me see my needs, which are hidden from me. I dare not ask for a cross or consolation, I only appear before you. My heart is open to you. I place all hope See the needs that I do not know, see and do with me according to Your mercy. Crush and lift me. Hit and heal me. I revere and remain silent before your holy will, incomprehensible to me, your destinies. I have no desire, except the desire to fulfill Your will. Teach me to pray. Pray in me yourself. Amen."
Prayer for Peace of Mind
(attributed to Reynold Niebuhr)
Lord, give me reason and peace of mind to accept what I cannot change, the courage to change what I can, and the wisdom to distinguish one from the other. "
The complete version of this prayer:
,God,
Help me humbly accept what I cannot change,
Give me the courage to change what I can
And wisdom to tell one from the other.
Help me to live with the worries of today,
Rejoice every minute, realizing its transience,
In adversity, see the path leading to peace of mind and peace.
To accept, like Jesus, this sinful world as
he is, and not the way I would like to see him.
To believe that my life will be transformed for good by Your will, if I entrust myself to her.
In this way I can find abiding with You in eternity. "
Prayer for depression.
If you are in a state of grief or depression, it may well be that you find it difficult to pray or cannot pray at all. During depression, this state of "prayer dryness" occurs very often. Of the dozens of depressed believers I have dealt with, there was not one who did not complain about prayer difficulties. It seems that the inability to pray can be seen as one of the symptoms of depression.
The bitter irony of life: just when the support of the Lord and the feeling of His presence are especially important for a person, turning to Him does not work. You try to pray, but you feel that your prayer is formal, mechanical, the words of the prayer seem meaningless to you, and this makes you even worse. You begin to feel guilty about being such a bad Christian (or a bad Christian), and guilt, as usual, aggravates your already difficult condition.
If this has happened or is happening to you, do not worry: you are in a normal situation, which is the rule, not the exception.
If, in grief or depression, you cannot pray as you did before, do not torment yourself with reproaches for your lack of faith and how soulless you have become. Do not think that something irreversible has happened to you and that you are forever in the arms of Satan. When your depression is over (and it will definitely end, trust me!), You will regain the desire and ability to pray.
Remember: our God is not an accountant, a jailer and a judge in one person who, with an office book in one hand and a stopwatch in the other, watches you passionately, notes the number and duration of your prayers, and then pronounces a sentence on you. He is a loving and all-forgiving God, whose love is so great and strong that it defies the human mind. He sees you, understands how you feel now and wants to help you.
Some tips for those who have difficulty praying for depression:
* In spite of everything, try to pray every day even though you don't feel like it.
* Don't ask too much of yourself. Don't make comparisons to what happened when you weren't depressed. Do not go to prayer, setting its time in advance (say, 10 or 15 minutes). You may not be able to pray for so long that it will give you another reason to berate yourself (which you already do too hard).
* When depressed, it is difficult to focus on anything, including prayer. Keep your prayer short but heartfelt.
* If you are tormented by remorse that you cannot pray for a long time, "like before," break your prayer "into pieces" and pray for one minute several times a day. Remember: Better short prayer than none!
* In a state of depression, it is better to pray in your own words (when you are reading a prayer, due to scattered attention, there is a great danger of slipping into a mechanical "bubbling"). Share your pain with God.
For example, you can say: “Lord, I feel so bad right now. I don’t know how to live on. Lord, forgive me and help me! " Or: “Lord, my soul is so heavy that I can’t even pray. Forgive me, Lord, and help me get out of this state. "
* If even such very short prayers are difficult for you, pray the "Jesus Prayer": "Lord, have mercy on me, a sinner."
* If you want to pray a famous prayer, and not in your own words, take a short, simple, well-known, for example, "Our Father". Try to read it with feeling, not automatically, regardless of your mood. However, do not blame yourself if you feel like you are not praying from the bottom of your heart. God hears you.
* If all of the above is difficult for you, write a short (in one phrase or a couple of phrases) prayer on a card or small piece of paper. Carry it with you and read it several times a day.
* Remember, by praying, you are fighting depression!
* Remember : your condition is not forever. Take courage and be patient. God's love always with you.
For many people, the word of prayer helps to find peace, to heal from diseases, to change their lives in better side... You can ask for help through prayer in any difficult situation and wherever you are. A strong prayer that gives strength to change the situation in a favorable way should be read with, then the result will not be slow to affect.
Christian prayer that gives strength to overcome disease
A prayer that gives strength to overcome the disease should not be read automatically. If any of your relatives is sick, but does not have strong faith in the success of the prayer - no need to force such a person to pray - the effect of his prayer will not be. It is better to pray for him yourself, so that God will grant him with your prayers. If a child is ill, then the Mother of God is asked for healing; prayer to the Great Martyr Barbara also helps. Prayer to the healer Panteleimon is a prayer that gives strength to cope with the most serious ailment.
The best prayer that gives strength with humility to accept everything as it is
Often we struggle to solve problems, spend a lot of time and energy on it, and do not get the desired result, and instead it is more useful to change our attitude to the situation. The most difficult thing, perhaps, is to admit that it is not in our power to change the situation and come to terms with it. The instructions of the Optina elders are self-prayer, giving us the strength to accept everything as it is. The most amazing thing about this prayer is that as soon as we humbly accept the existing state of affairs as a given, the situation begins to change for the better. For example, for many years a childless couple tried to have children - all kinds of examinations were carried out and, but there was no result. And when they decided to humble themselves and live without children, God sends them a child. Prayer, giving strength to accept everything as it is, helped them become pregnant on their own.
The text of the Orthodox prayer to the Lord God giving power
Lord, give me peace of mind to meet all that the coming day will bring me. Let me completely surrender to the will of Your saint. For every hour of this day, instruct and support me in everything. Whatever news I receive during the day, teach me to accept them with a calm soul and a firm conviction that everything is Your holy will. In all my words and deeds, guide my thoughts and feelings. In all unforeseen cases, do not let me forget that everything has been sent down by You. Teach me to act directly and rationally with every member of my family, without embarrassing or upsetting anyone. Lord, give me the strength to endure the fatigue of the coming day and all the events of the day. Guide my will and teach me to pray, believe, hope, endure, forgive and love. Amen
Retire to a secluded place so that no one bothers you. Light a candle or an icon lamp. Stand in front of the icons (preferably icons of Jesus the Almighty, Mother of God and Nicholas the Wonderworker, and, if there is, then John Chrysostom is a wonderful and very powerful icon!)
First read the prayer Our Father, at this moment thinking only of the Lord and His help to you, do not be distracted by other thoughts.
Now thank the Lord for all the good that He does, for your life, even if it does not go well, ask the Lord for forgiveness for all your voluntary and involuntary sins.
And start reading the prayer. Read slowly, clearly, pondering each word and being aware of what you are reading.
Oh, the great Saint John Chrysostom! You have received many and various gifts from the Lord, and as a good and faithful servant, you have multiplied all the talents given to you for good: for this reason, truly, the universal teacher was as if every age and every title is obtained from you. Thou was a child of obedience, Thou was a young man, a luminary for chastity, a mentor for a husband, a teacher of hard work, a teacher for an old man, a rule for abstinence, an inspired leader for those who pray, an enlightener for those who seek wisdom; - the star of mercy, the rulers - the wise image of the ruling, the zealous righteousness - the inspirer of boldness, the truth for the sake of the persecuted - the mentor of patience: all you were, but save some one. Above all of these, Thou art acquired love, even there is a conjunction of perfection, and with that, as if by the Divine power, all gifts in your soul were united in one, and then divided love that reconciles, in the interpretation of the words of the Apostles, you preached to all the faithful. We are baptized, according to a single gift of property, unity of spirit in the union of the world, not imams, but there are vanities, irritating each other, envying each other: for this, for the sake of our gift, we are not divided into peace and salvation, but into enmity and condemnation, we are offered. Even so, to you, the Holy Hierarch of God, we fall, we are overwhelmed by strife, and in contrition of heart we ask: by your prayers, drive away from our hearts all pride and envy that separates us, and in many people we have one church body we will remain unrestrained, but according to your words, we will love the prayerful each other and the confession of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, the Trinity Consubstantial and Inseparable, now and ever and forever and ever. Amen. If anyone does not have the “Three Joys” icon, then be sure to buy - pray to it and see how one joy after another will come THREE JOYS !!!
Prayer before the icon "Three Joys":
Oh, the Most Holy Virgin, the All-Blessed Son of Mother the All-Good, the reigning city and the holy temple of this veil, faithful to everyone to be the representative and intercessor! Do not despise the prayer of us unworthy of your servants, but pray to your son and our God, so that we all, with faith and tenderness before miraculously To your worshipers, according to every need, joy bestows: for the sinner, all-effective discipline, repentance and salvation; consolation for those who exist in sorrows and sorrows; in their troubles and anger to those who abide, this is perfect abundance; faint-hearted and unreliable hope and patience; in the joy and abundance of those who live, unceasing thanksgiving to God; healing and strengthening in sickness. About the Most Pure Lady! Have mercy on all who honor Thy honorable name, and reveal Thy all-powerful protection and intercession to all: protect and preserve your people from the enemy of the visible and invisible. Confirm matrimony in love and like-mindedness; educate babies, young courageous ones, open their minds to the perception of every useful teaching; protect your fellow human beings from domestic swara with peace and love, and grant each other love, peace and piety and health with long life, so that everyone in heaven and on earth will lead you, like a firm and shameless representative of the Christian race, and these are leading , glorify Thee and Thy Son, with His beginningless Father and His consubstantial Spirit, now and ever, and forever and ever. Amen.
And one more icon should be in every home, it helps unhappy and grieving people a lot - the icon "Joy of All Who Sorrow"!
Prayer before the icon "Joy of All Who Sorrow":
God-loving Queen, inexperienced Virgin, Mother of God Mary, pray for us to You who loved and was born of You, Your Son, Christ our God: grant us the forgiveness of sins, peace peace, abundance in the land of fruits, shepherd shrine and salvation to all mankind. Our cities and the Russian country from finding foreign intercessions, and from internecine strife, save. O Mother God-loving Virgo! About the all-singing Queen! With Your robe, cover us from all evil, from the visible and invisible enemies, protect and save our souls. Amen.
Good luck and prosperity to everyone! May the Lord help you !!!
If you are in a state of grief or depression, it may well be that you find it difficult to pray or cannot pray at all. During depression, this state of "prayer dryness" occurs very often. Of the dozens of depressed believers I have dealt with, there was not one who did not complain about prayer difficulties. It seems that the inability to pray can be seen as one of the symptoms of depression.
The bitter irony of life: just when the support of the Lord and the feeling of His presence are especially important for a person, turning to Him does not work. You try to pray, but you feel that your prayer is formal, mechanical, the words of the prayer seem meaningless to you, and this makes you even worse. You begin to feel guilty about being such a bad Christian (or a bad Christian), and guilt, as usual, aggravates your already difficult condition.
If this has happened or is happening to you, do not worry: you are in a normal situation, which is the rule, not the exception. If, in grief or depression, you cannot pray as you did before, do not torment yourself with reproaches for your lack of faith and how soulless you have become. Do not think that something irreversible has happened to you and that you are forever in the arms of Satan. When your depression is over (and it will definitely end, trust me!), You will regain the desire and ability to pray. Remember: our God is not an accountant, a jailer and a judge in one person who, with an office book in one hand and a stopwatch in the other, watches you passionately, notes the number and duration of your prayers, and then pronounces a sentence on you. He is a loving and all-forgiving God, whose love is so great and strong that it defies the human mind. He sees you, understands how you feel now and wants to help you.
Some tips for those who have difficulty praying when they are depressed: No matter what, try to pray every day even though you don’t feel like it. Don't ask too much of yourself. Don't make comparisons to what happened when you weren't depressed. Do not go to prayer, setting its time in advance (say, 10 or 15 minutes). You may not be able to pray for so long that it will give you another reason to berate yourself (which you already do too hard).
Depression makes it difficult to focus on anything, including prayer. Keep your prayer short but heartfelt. If you are tormented by remorse that you cannot pray for a long time, "like before," break your prayer "into pieces" and pray for one minute several times a day. Remember, a short prayer is better than no prayer! In a state of depression, it is better to pray in your own words (when you are reading a prayer, due to scattered attention, there is a great danger of slipping into a mechanical "booming sound"). Share your pain with God. For example, you might say, “Lord, I feel so bad right now. I don’t know how to live on. Lord, forgive me and help me! " Or: “Lord, my soul is so heavy that I can’t even pray. Forgive me, Lord, and help me get out of this state. " If even such very short prayers are difficult for you, pray the "Jesus Prayer": "Lord, have mercy on me, a sinner."
If you want to pray a famous prayer, and not in your own words, take a short, simple, well-known, for example, Our Father. Try to read it with feeling, not automatically, regardless of your mood. However, do not blame yourself if you feel like you are not praying from the bottom of your heart. God hears you.
If all of the above is difficult for you, write a short (in one phrase or a couple of phrases) prayer on a card or small piece of paper. Carry it with you and read it several times a day.
Remember, by praying, you are fighting depression!
Remember: your condition is not forever. Take courage and be patient. God's love is always with you.
