Start with the Jesus Prayer and the Lord’s Prayer. Those two will carry you a long way.
If you’re coming from a Baptist or non-denominational background, you’re probably used to spontaneous prayer, talking to God in your own words. That’s good. We do that too. But Orthodox prayer also includes set prayers, words given to us by the Church that have shaped Christians for centuries. Think of it like this: when you don’t know what to say to someone you love, sometimes a poem or a song says it better than you could. The Church gives us that kind of language for talking with God.
The Jesus Prayer is where most people start. It’s just one sentence: “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.” That’s it. You can pray it while you’re driving down I-10 to work, standing in line at Brookshire Brothers, or sitting in your truck during lunch break. Say it slowly. Let the words sink in. Some people breathe in on the first half (“Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God”) and out on the second (“have mercy on me, a sinner”). Others just say it quietly, over and over.
You’ll see people at church with prayer ropes, those knotted wool bracelets or loops. Those are for counting the Jesus Prayer, like worry beads but for prayer. Start with fifty repetitions a day if you want structure. Or just pray it whenever you think of it. There’s no magic number.
The Lord’s Prayer you already know, though we end it a bit differently: “For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory, of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.” Pray that every morning and every night. It’s the prayer Jesus himself taught us. Everything else builds from there.
Once you’re comfortable with those two, you can add morning and evening prayers. Don’t try to do everything at once. I’ve seen too many eager converts buy a prayer book, try to pray the whole thing, get overwhelmed, and quit after three days. Start small.
Here’s what a simple morning rule might look like: Make the sign of the cross. Say the Trisagion Prayers (that’s “Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal, have mercy on us” three times, then “Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen”). Then the Lord’s Prayer. Then maybe Psalm 51 if you want to add a psalm. Then fifty Jesus Prayers with your prayer rope. Then any personal prayers for people you’re worried about or thankful for. That’s maybe ten or fifteen minutes.
Evening prayers can follow the same pattern. Some people add prayers to the Theotokos or their patron saint, but don’t pile on too much at first. The goal isn’t to impress God with how many prayers you can cram in. It’s to actually pray, to show up, to be present with Him twice a day.
You’ll want a prayer book eventually. The Antiochian Archdiocese has resources, and Ancient Faith Publishing sells several good ones. But honestly, you can start with what I’ve just described and a Bible for the psalms. Talk to Fr. Michael or whoever’s leading the catechism class. He’ll help you figure out what fits your life. If you work rotating shifts at the refinery, your prayer schedule will look different from someone with a nine-to-five.
One thing that trips people up: they think they have to feel something when they pray. Some days you will. Some days the words will feel dry as dust and your mind will wander to your grocery list or that argument you had last week. Pray anyway. The Church Fathers say that showing up to pray when you don’t feel like it is more valuable than praying when you’re full of warm feelings. It’s the discipline that heals us, not the emotions.
And here’s something Metropolitan Kallistos Ware says that I wish someone had told me earlier: quality matters more than quantity. Better to pray the Jesus Prayer fifty times with attention than five hundred times while thinking about something else. Start where you are. Be honest with God. He knows you’re a beginner.
You’re building a habit that will sustain you for the rest of your life. When someone you love dies, you’ll have these prayers. When you can’t sleep at 3 AM worrying about your kids, you’ll have these prayers. When you’re too happy to form words, you’ll have these prayers. They’re not magic formulas. They’re medicine. They’re how we learn to pray without ceasing, which sounds impossible until you realize it just means keeping one part of your heart always turned toward God, even while you’re doing everything else.
So start simple. Jesus Prayer, Lord’s Prayer, morning and evening. Build from there as your priest guides you. You’re not trying to become a monk in a week. You’re learning to talk with God in the way the Church has taught for two thousand years.
