When it is said
It is not part of any church service. St Macarius gives it in the Sayings of the Desert Fathers, stories of the early monks of Egypt.
Pray it at any hour, above all when you do not know what to ask for or what tomorrow will bring. Other prayers under his name are in the Orthodox prayers for the morning and before sleep.
Where it comes from
Author by tradition
A question in the desert
St Macarius, a monk of the Egyptian desert, was once asked how to pray. There is no need for many words, he answered. Stretch out your hands and say, “Lord, as You will and as You know, have mercy.” If a struggle presses hard, say, “Lord, help!” For God knows what is good for us, and He shows us mercy.
The Sayings of the Desert Fathers, Macarius of Egypt (Greek)
Who was St Macarius?
St Macarius the Great was born in Egypt in the early 300s. His parents had him marry, but his wife soon died. He went into the desert and became a disciple of St Anthony the Great, the father of Egypt’s monks. When he was 40 years old, he was made a priest and the head of the monks of Skete, a desert in northwest Egypt. He lived to be 90 years old.
Orthodox Church in America, Venerable Macarius the Great of Egypt
The Sayings of the Desert Fathers
The monks of Egypt passed the Sayings on by word of mouth, in Coptic. They were first written down in Greek, in collections that took shape from about the 400s. The Greek collection arranged by the monks’ names had no complete English version until 1975.
The Scripture in it
Going a little farther, He fell facedown and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me. Yet not as I will, but as You will.”
And when you pray, do not babble on like pagans, for they think that by their many words they will be heard. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him.
The woman came and knelt before Him. “Lord, help me!” she said.
Bible text: Berean Standard Bible, public domain.
In Greek
Κύριε, ὡς θέλεις καὶ ὡς οἶδας ἐλέησον.
Κύριε, βοήθει.