When it is said
It is said when a lesson or a time of study ends, at school or at home. It answers the prayer before study, said at the start.
“It is truly right”, the hymn to the Mother of God, may be said in its place. Archpriest Seraphim Slobodskoy’s catechism allows either, and the Jordanville Prayer Book gives the two as a choice.
Where it comes from
No author known
Who wrote it?
No one knows. It comes from the same Russian schools as the prayer before study. The books that teach the faith to children print the two together. Both are printed in Archpriest Gregory Cheltsov’s Law of God, in its 45th edition in 1916.
His95, a Russian history teaching site, citing G. Cheltsov, Law of God (Petrograd, 1916)
A prayer taught as a lesson
In Archpriest Seraphim Slobodskoy’s Law of God, a Russian catechism for family and school, this prayer is a lesson of its own. Its hard words are explained, and questions follow for the pupil: To whom is this prayer said? What do we thank God for first? What do we ask?
Seraphim Slobodskoy, The Law of God: the prayer after lessons
What the words mean
Thanks first, then a blessing
Slobodskoy’s catechism reads the prayer in three steps, all to God the Father. First it thanks Him for helping us understand the lesson. Then it asks His mercy on our leaders, parents and teachers, who make it possible to learn what is good and useful. Last, it asks for health and eagerness to go on learning.
Seraphim Slobodskoy, The Law of God: the prayer after lessons
The Scripture in it
First of all, then, I urge that petitions, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgiving be offered for everyone— for kings and all those in authority—so that we may lead tranquil and quiet lives in all godliness and dignity.
… always giving thanks to God the Father for everything in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Bible text: Berean Standard Bible, public domain.
In Church Slavonic
Благодарим Тебе, Создателю, яко сподобил еси нас благодати Твоея, во еже внимати учению.
Благослови наших начальников, родителей и учителей, ведущих нас к познанию блага, и подаждь нам силу и крепость к продолжению учения сего.
From Archpriest Seraphim Slobodskoy’s catechism, The Law of God, on Azbyka.ru, a Russian Orthodox website.