Prayers

Orthodox prayers for humility and patience

Prayers for humility and patience, from an old prayer against pride to the psalm of a soul made quiet before God.

Picture: Jacopo Tintoretto, The Washing of the Feet, about 1548–49

5 prayers

Against pride

Prayer for humility

Plain English only: no traditional English wording is given for this prayer

O God, You resist the proudand give grace to the humble.

Increase in us the virtue of true humility,which Your only-begotten Son showed in Himselfas a pattern for the faithful,so that we may never provoke Your anger through pride,but may always receive the gifts of Your kindnesswith humble hearts.

Through the same Jesus Christ our Lord.

Alcuin of York put this prayer in his Mass book about AD 800. It faces pride head on and asks for the humility Christ showed in Himself.

Plain English by Wiser Walk, from the Latin of Alcuin’s Mass book, as printed in Migne’s Patrologia Latina; there is no traditional English translation of this form. How the wording is made.

Where it comes from, and the Latin

The Lenten prayer

Prayer of St Ephrem

O Lord and Master of my life,do not give me a spirit of idleness,despondency, love of power and idle talk.Bow to the ground

But grant me, Your servant,a spirit of chastity, humility,patience and love.Bow to the ground

Yes, O Lord and King,let me see my own sinsand not judge my brother,for You are blessed for ever and ever.Amen.Bow to the ground

Traditional wording, 1891

Lord and Master of my life,give me not the spirit of indolence, despair, ambition and vain speaking.

But rather the spirit of chastity, humble-mindedness, patience and lovedo Thou grant unto me, Thy servant.

Yea, O Lord King, let me see my own faults,and let me not judge my brother;for Thou art blessed to ages of ages. Amen.

It asks for humility, patience and love, and to see my own sins and not judge my brother. The Church prays it with bows on the weekdays of Great Lent.

Plain English by Wiser Walk, from the Church Slavonic, with Shann’s 1891 translation beside it. How the wording is made. Traditional wording: G. V. Shann, Euchology: A Manual of Prayers of the Holy Orthodox Church, 1891.

Where it comes from, and the Church Slavonic

The shortest plea

Prayer of the tax collector

O God, be merciful to me, a sinner.Often said with a bow

Traditional wording, 1884

O God, be merciful to me, a sinner.

Jesus told this parable to people who were sure of their own goodness and looked down on everyone else (Luke 18:9). It ends with His promise that whoever humbles himself will be exalted (Luke 18:14).

Plain English by Wiser Walk, from the Greek of Luke 18:13, with Bjerring’s 1884 wording beside it. How the wording is made. Traditional wording: Nicholas Bjerring, The Offices of the Oriental Church, 1884.

Where it comes from, and the Greek

When you want the struggle to end

Lord, give me patience

Lord, give me patience in my battles.

Traditional wording, 1907

O Lord, give me patience to endure the strife.

The desert monk John the Dwarf once asked God to end his inner battle, and God did. An old monk told him to pray for it back, and each time it returned John prayed this line.

Plain English by Wiser Walk, from the Greek of the Sayings of the Desert Fathers, with Wallis Budge’s 1907 English of the Syriac beside it. How the wording is made. Traditional wording: E. A. Wallis Budge, The Paradise or Garden of the Holy Fathers, 1907.

Budge’s English follows the Syriac, which asks for patience “to endure the strife”. The Greek asks for patience “in the battles”.

Where it comes from, and the Greek

To quiet pride and ambition

Like a weaned child (Psalm 131)

LORD, my heart is not proud,and my eyes are not haughty.I do not busy myself with great matters,or with things too wonderful for me.

But I have calmed and quieted my soul,like a weaned child with its mother;my soul within me is like a weaned child.

O Israel, put your hope in the LORD,from this time on and for ever.

Traditional wording, 1611

LORD, my heart is not haughty, nor mine eyes lofty:neither do I exercise myself in great matters, or in things too high for me.

Surely I have behaved and quieted myself, as a child that is weaned of his mother:my soul is even as a weaned child.

Let Israel hope in the LORD from henceforth and for ever.

In three short verses it sets down pride and the reach for great things. What takes their place is the quiet of a weaned child resting with its mother.

Plain English by Wiser Walk, from the Hebrew, with the King James Version beside it. How the wording is made. Traditional wording: The King James translators, The King James Version, 1611.

Where the King James has “behaved and quieted myself”, the Hebrew says “my soul”, as its own margin notes.

Where it comes from, and the original

Scripture for this

Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.

Matthew 11:29 Jesus is gentle and humble in heart, and He promises rest to all who learn from Him.

³Do nothing out of selfish ambition or empty pride, but in humility consider others more important than yourselves. ⁴Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. ⁵Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus:

Philippians 2:3-5 In humility, count others more important than yourself, with the same mind that was in Christ Jesus.

⁵Young men, in the same way, submit yourselves to your elders. And all of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because, “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” ⁶Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, so that in due time He may exalt you.

1 Peter 5:5-6 God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble. Humble yourself, and He will lift you up in His time.

²Consider it pure joy, my brothers, when you encounter trials of many kinds, ³because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. ⁴Allow perseverance to finish its work, so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.

James 1:2-4 Trials test faith, and the testing builds perseverance. Let it finish its work, so that nothing is lacking.

¹²Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, clothe yourselves with hearts of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. ¹³Bear with one another and forgive any complaint you may have against someone else. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.

Colossians 3:12-13 Believers are to clothe themselves with humility, gentleness and patience, bearing with one another and forgiving.

Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, persistent in prayer.

Romans 12:12 Paul sets patience in affliction beside joy in hope and faithfulness in prayer.

Bible text: Berean Standard Bible, public domain.

A psalm for this

I waited patiently for the LORD; He inclined to me and heard my cry.
Psalm 40:1

David waited patiently, and the LORD bent down and heard his cry. Then He lifted David out of the pit and set his feet on a rock (Psalm 40:2).

Psalm 40 Read the whole psalm, with St Athanasius’s advice on when to pray it.

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