Prayer in a difficult situation

Who Is Saint Spyridon of Trimythous, and Why Should One Order an Akathist?

The life of Saint Spyridon of Trimythous is truly extraordinary. He was a simple shepherd, a husband and father, yet beneath his humble appearance lay a deep and active faith in the living God. For this, the Lord granted him the gift of miracles. He was able to heal the sick, cast out demons, and perform great wonders. After the passing of his wife, he was chosen as the bishop of the city of Trimythous. At the First Ecumenical Council, he fearlessly defended Orthodox faith, boldly preaching the truth. People pray to him in times of difficult situations, as the Church has observed that Saint Spyridon often miraculously comes to help those in need. A striking sign of his continued presence and intercession is the fact that the slippers on his incorrupt relics are frequently found worn out and are regularly replaced, symbolizing his constant journey to aid those who call upon him. Because of his great miracle-working power and divine assistance, many believers order the Akathist to Saint Spyridon to seek his help in financial struggles, housing issues, and other urgent life matters.

How to Pray for the Resolution of a Difficult Situation?

This Akathist is a prayer for times of difficulty. The Church teaches that the words of a righteous person hold great power before the Lord! One can confidently seek the intercession of a miracle-worker, asking for help in any challenging life circumstances, knowing that through his unwavering prayers, God’s power and assistance will surely follow.

We pray fervently for the resolution of the difficult situation on Fridays in 3:00, 9:00, 15:00 or 21:00 Moscow time.

O all-blessed and holy hierarch Spyridon, thou great favourite of Christ and most glorious wonderworker! Standing in heaven with the choirs of angels before the throne of God, look down with merciful gaze upon the people who stand here before thee and beseech thy mighty aid. Entreat the compassion of God Who loveth mankind, that He judge us not according to our iniquities, but that He deal with us according to His mercy. Ask for us of Christ our God a peaceful and undisturbed life, health of soul and body, bounty from the earth and abundance and prosperity in all things; and that we turn not the good things given us by our compassionate God to evil, but rather to His glory and the glorification of thine aid. Deliver all who approach God with unwavering faith from all retribution and from the assaults of the demons. Be thou a comforter for the grieving, a physician for the afflicted, a helper amid temptations, a shelter for the naked, an aid to the widowed, a defender of the orphaned, a nourisher of infants, a strengthener of the aged, a guide to travellers; and beg thou for all who are in need of thy mighty help all things which conduce to salvation, that, guided and protected by thy prayers, we may attain unto everlasting rest and with thee may glorify God Who is worshiped in the Holy Trinity: the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

Prayer for help in everyday affairs

We pray fervently for help in everyday affairs on Thursdays in 3:00, 9:00, 15:00 or 21:00 Moscow time.

Blessed mother Matrona, thy soul in heaven standeth before the throne of God, thy body resteth upon earth, and thou bestowest divers miracles through grace given thee from on High. Look down with thy merciful eye upon us sinners who pass our days in sorrows, sicknesses and sinful temptations. Console us who are in despair. Heal our grievous ailments which God allowed because of our sins. Deliver us from many misfortunes and attacks of evil spirits. Beseech our Lord Jesus Christ to forgive us all our trespasses, transgressions and falls, and our sins committed from our youth up to the present day and hour. And by thy prayers obtain for us grace and great mercy, that we may glorify the Trinity, one God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.

Prayer for Enlightenment

We also pray to Archangel Michael for protection from the actions of the evil one and for admonition, especially on Mondays in 2:00, 8:00, 14:00 and 20:00 Moscow time.

O holy and great Archangel of God Michael, first among the angels that stand before the inscrutable and transcendent Trinity, overseer and guardian of the human race, who with thine armies didst crush the head of the most-proud Morning Star in Heaven and dost ever put to shame his evil and cunning on earth, to thee do we flee with faith and to thee we pray with love; be thou an invincible shield and a firm bulwark of the Holy Church and our homeland, protecting them with thy lightning-bearing sword from all enemies, both visible and invisible. Be thou a guardian angel, a most wise counselor and helper of Orthodox Christians, of our country, bringing them from the throne of the King of kings enlightenment and power, joy, peace, and consolation. Be thou the chief captain and companion in arms of our Christ-loving armed forces, crowning them with glory and victory over adversaries, that all who oppose us may know that God and His holy angels are with us. And leave not without thy help and protection, O Archangel of God, also us who glorify thy holy name today; for behold, even though we be great sinners, nevertheless we desire not to perish in our iniquities, but rather to turn to the Lord and be quickened by Him unto good works. Illumine, therefore, our minds with the light of God's countenance, which continually shineth on thy lightning-like forehead, that we may understand what the good and perfect will of God is concerning us, and know all that which we ought to do, and that which we ought to despise and abandon. Strengthen through the Grace of the Lord our weak will and feeble state, that, made firm in the law of the Lord, we may henceforth cease to be tossed to and fro by earthly thoughts and the lusts of the flesh, enticed away, like senseless children, by the quickly-perishing beauties of this world, foolishly forgetting the eternal and heavenly for the sake of the corruptible and earthly. Above all these things, do thou ask for us from on high a true spirit of repentance, unfeigned sorrow before God and contrition for our sins, that we may spend the number of days that remain to us of this transitory life not in gratifying our senses and in slavery to our passions, but in wiping out the evil things we have done by tears of faith and heartfelt contrition, by struggles of purity and holy deeds of mercy. And when the hour of our end and liberation from the bonds of this body of clay draweth nigh, O Archangel of God, leave us not defenseless against the spirits of evil in the upper air, who are accustomed to hinder the ascent of man's soul on high, that guarded by thee we may attain without hindrance those most glorious dwelling-places of Paradise, where there is neither sorrow, nor sighing, but life everlasting, and be vouchsafed to behold the most radiant countenance of our all-beneficent Lord and Master, fall down with tears at His feet, in joy and compunction shouting aloud: Glory to Thee, our most dear Redeemer, Who, because of Thy great love for us unworthy ones, hast been pleased to send Thine angels in the service of our salvation! Amen.

The undying Psalter

Round-the-Clock Prayerful Protection with the Words of the Ancient Prayer Book of the Old Testament – Psalm 90 from the Psalter.

Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, ‘He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.’ Surely he will save you from the fowler’s snare and from the deadly pestilence. He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart. You will not fear the terror of night, nor the arrow that flies by day, nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness, nor the plague that destroys at midday. A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you. You will only observe with your eyes and see the punishment of the wicked. If you say, ‘The Lord is my refuge,’ and you make the Most High your dwelling, no harm will overtake you, no disaster will come near your tent. For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways; they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone. You will tread on the lion and the cobra; you will trample the great lion and the serpent. ‘Because he loves me,’ says the Lord, ‘I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name. He will call on me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honour him. With long life I will satisfy him and show him my salvation.’