You’ll find Orthodox prayers in three main places: prayer books (especially the Antiochian Pocket Prayer Book), online resources from the Archdiocese and Ancient Faith, and your parish itself. Start with a prayer book. It’s the most practical way to begin.
If you’re coming from a Protestant background, this might feel strange. You’re used to praying in your own words, from the heart, spontaneously. That’s not wrong. But Orthodox Christians pray differently. We use fixed prayers that the Church has prayed for centuries. These aren’t someone else’s words we’re just reciting. They’re the Church’s words, and when we pray them, we’re joining our voice to the voice of Christians across time and space.
The Little Red Book
The Antiochian Pocket Prayer Book is what most people start with. It’s small, fits in your pocket or purse, and contains everything you need for daily prayer: morning prayers, evening prayers, prayers before and after meals, prayers for confession, prayers before communion. You can order it from the Antiochian Village store or Ancient Faith. Some parishes keep a stack of them to give to inquirers.
This book teaches you the rhythm of Orthodox life. You wake up, you pray. You eat, you give thanks. You go to bed, you examine your conscience and ask forgiveness. The prayers aren’t long or complicated. They’re the same ones Orthodox Christians have been praying for generations.
Online Resources
The Antiochian Archdiocese website has an Orthodox Prayers section. Ancient Faith publishes prayer texts and even has podcasts where you can hear the prayers read aloud, which helps when you’re learning. The Orthodox Church in America’s website offers morning and evening prayers with explanations.
Many parishes post simplified prayer rules on their websites. Some folks working rotating shifts at the refineries can’t always pray at the same time each day, so parishes often provide shorter versions or audio recordings you can use in the truck or during a break.
Why Fixed Prayers?
Here’s what trips up a lot of people from Baptist or non-denominational backgrounds. They think written prayers are cold or impersonal. “I want to talk to God from my heart,” they say. And that’s good. But the Orthodox approach is different.
Fixed prayers form you. They teach you how to pray when you don’t know what to say. They give you the Church’s theology in your mouth. When you pray the morning prayers, you’re praying what St. John Chrysostom prayed, what your priest prays, what Orthodox Christians in Alaska and Antioch and Greece are praying. You’re not alone with your own thoughts. You’re praying with the whole Church.
And honestly? Your heart isn’t always reliable. Some mornings you wake up and don’t feel anything. Some nights you’re too tired to think. The prayers are there anyway. You pray them, and they pray you.
This doesn’t mean spontaneous prayer is forbidden. You can absolutely talk to God in your own words. Most Orthodox Christians do, especially using the Jesus Prayer: “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.” But spontaneous prayer grows out of the fixed prayers. The Church’s prayers teach you the grammar of talking to God.
Starting Simple
Don’t try to pray everything at once. The full morning and evening prayers can take thirty minutes each if you’re reading slowly. That’s too much when you’re starting out. Talk to your priest. He’ll probably give you a short rule: maybe the Trisagion Prayers, the Our Father, and a couple of short prayers to the Theotokos. Five minutes, maybe ten. You can build from there.
St. Theophan the Recluse said it’s better to pray a little with attention than a lot while your mind wanders. Quality over quantity. If you’ve got young kids or you’re working a turnaround at the plant, your prayer rule needs to fit your life. That’s not compromise. That’s wisdom.
What You’ll Find in a Prayer Book
Morning prayers usually include thanksgiving for the new day, prayers for forgiveness, prayers for protection. Evening prayers include an examination of conscience, asking forgiveness for the day’s sins, prayers for rest. There are prayers before and after eating. Prayers before reading Scripture. Prayers for traveling. Prayers when you’re sick or afraid or grieving.
The Antiochian Pocket Prayer Book also includes the Divine Liturgy, so you can follow along on Sunday mornings. When you’re new, the Liturgy can feel overwhelming. Having the text in front of you helps.
A Living Tradition
These prayers aren’t museum pieces. They’re alive. When you pray “O Heavenly King, the Comforter, the Spirit of Truth,” you’re praying what Christians prayed in the fourth century and what they’ll pray in the twenty-fourth. You’re connecting to something bigger than yourself, older than your problems, deeper than your feelings on any given day.
If you’re just starting to explore Orthodoxy, get yourself a copy of the Antiochian Pocket Prayer Book. Start with the morning prayers, even if it’s just a few of them. Let the Church teach you how to pray. You might feel awkward at first, stumbling over unfamiliar words. That’s fine. Keep going. These prayers will become part of you, and you’ll find yourself praying them without thinking, the words rising up when you need them most.
