What is off limits in prayer?

  • Thread starter Thread starter mkorthodox
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
M

mkorthodox

Guest
Hello

So I am not exactly well versed in prayer, pretty much my prayers are based from a prayer book on my phone and are pre-written (App called Orthodox Prayer)

I want to expand my prayer to be a bit more personalized but there are some things I am not too sure about.
  • Is it ok to talk about and admit things like:
    • Jealousy
    • Paranoia
    • Anxiety
    • Lust
Is talking to God about the stuff above treating God like a therapist?
 
St Teresa of Jesus called prayer conversation with Him Who we know loves us. Why would any of your needs or problems be off-limits?
 
You can talk to God any way you want as long as you’re respectful. God is fine with you talking to him about your anxiety, lust etc. It’s just conversation, think of it as talking to a loving parent.

The only restrictions on prayer are that we’re not supposed to say certain prayers that are only for priests (or in some cases only for priests and deacons). Like, certain exorcism prayers are only to be said by priests. The prayers to consecrate the Eucharist are only to be said by priests. Other than that, there are no limits on prayer as long as you’re respectful.
 
There are no limits, it’s just a question of proportion.

As in a statue of Michelangelo, the head, the trunk, the arms and the legs are sculpted in a sublime way but, if the right proportions had not been respected, it would be monstrous.

So it is perfectly fine if in mental prayer we talk about our psychological problems, but if for a year we dedicate the entire prayer of every single day to this, there would be a disproportion.

But disproportion does not mean sin! 🙂
 
As St Teresa of Avila taught, keep in mind just who it is you’re in the presence of when praying. It is Christ the King, and when the King comes, He brings his court, His mother and the Saints. This is what mental prayer is.

Learning to just be in the presence of God, who dwells within, is the focus of deeper levels of prayer.
 
mkorthodox said:
Is talking to God about the stuff above treating God like a therapist?
Click to expand...
As long as you’re not trying to substitute prayer for therapy, if you really need therapy. There’s no reason you can’t or shouldn’t do both.
 
mkorthodox said:
…
I want to expand my prayer to be a bit more personalized …
Click to expand...
The best private prayer is from the heart with humility, about anything.

Psalm 129/130
1 Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord.
2 Lord, hear my voice!
Let your ears be attentive
to the voice of my supplications!
3 If you, O Lord, should mark iniquities,
Lord, who could stand?
Click to expand...
Psalm 50/51
6 You desire truth in the inward being;
therefore teach me wisdom in my secret heart.
7 Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean;
wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
Click to expand...
 
Last edited:
In addition to the others’ have said, I would say as long as you aren’t being superstitious with prayer or seeking ill intentions, you’re ok.

(Don’t pray for God to strike down the person who cut you off in traffic.)
 
Like Tisbearself said the only restrictions are about prayers only the priests say.
Try getting a printed version of Orthodox prayers like say a Paraklesis booklet. Inside you will see certain mentions like “and now the priest says…and if there is no priest present then say…”. Presuming you would know the prayers the priests would say during a Paraklesis you are forbidden to say them. If you did say them you must confess that to a priest.
 
Last edited:
I pray everyday now, and I try to cover as many aspects of life as I can. But I think I will grow narrower in my focus as I “zone in” on the particular prayers/areas that are most CRUCIAL to my life and those around me… The more you pray I have experienced, the more you uncover aspects of God and yourself that resonate with your spiritual “sense.” Kind of like panning for gold and finding the best/most fruitful streams…

I’m still a beginner spiritually, so I can’t give that great advice but… I don’t think there is anything off-limits in prayer, so long as it is done seriously and without disrespect toward the Lord. It is one thing to talk about your sins, in other words, it is another to be completely cavalier and without any etiquette whatsoever. But as long as you are sincere and reverent, then why would anything be off limits - God knows every hair of your head, so what is there to hide?
 
Last edited:
A priest once told of the four things that should always be included in our prayers.

The first is praising God.

The second is thanking God.

The third is expressing sorrow for our sins, and

lastly, the fourth, expressing our concerns and feelings and/or asking or petitioning God for things we need or want in our lives.

Note that the asking for things should always come last. And, we should be sincere in all of the above.
 
Asking God for anything good, such as overcoming the things you mentioned, is exactly what He wants us to do! He may not be a therapist, although He certainly wants us to be enlightened, but He’s definitely a healer in any case. More than that, a “divinizer”, wishing to elevate us to a level far beyond anything we can imagine.
Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.

Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? So if you who are evil know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good things to those who ask Him! Matt 7:7-11
 
Last edited:
One of our previous pastors used to teach something similar; he said look to the Jewish prayer model: Praise/Thank, Remember, Petition, Praise/Thank.
 
Slightly off topic, but the kind of prayer that I think is wrong is the one that’s not really addressed to God but to the people hearing it. Sometimes these include a phrase like “help us to remember that…,” followed by whatever the one praying wants us to remember.

As a totally made up example, “Lord, help us to remember that the pandemic will be over sooner if we all follow the governor’s recommendations.” 😉
 
Last edited:
God wants you to be honest with Him with where you are. If you’re in the midst of turmoil or feeling a strong temptation then you should bring that up in your prayer and ask God for answers. You can also bring these up with your priest if you schedule an appointment to talk to him.
 
Beryllos said:
Slightly off topic, but the kind of prayer that I think is wrong is the one that’s not really addressed to God but to the people hearing it. Sometimes these include a phrase like “help us to remember that…,” followed by whatever the one praying wants us to remember.

As a totally made up example, “Lord, help us to remember that the pandemic will be over sooner if we all follow the governor’s recommendations.” 😉
Click to expand...
Yeah, these annoy me a little too–In my experience, they tend to show up in the “prayers of the faithful,” most commonly during the bishop’s annual appeal.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top