Orthodox prayers to find something lost

Prayers for when something is lost: a short cry for help while you search, a saint’s words if it is gone for good, and thanks whether it turns up or not.

Picture: Domenico Fetti, The Parable of the Lost Drachma, about 1618

3 prayers and 2 to the saints

While you search

O God, come to my assistance

O God, come to my assistance;O Lord, make haste to help me.Said again and again

Traditional wording, 1894

O God, make speed to save me:O Lord, make haste to help me.

When you have looked everywhere and panic is rising, these few words are enough. St John Cassian learned them from the monks of Egypt, who taught them as a prayer for every moment, to be said over and over.

Plain English by Wiser Walk, from the Latin of Cassian’s Conferences, with Gibson’s 1894 translation beside it. How the wording is made. Traditional wording: Edgar C. S. Gibson, Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, Second Series, vol. 11, 1894.

Where it comes from, and the Latin

If it is gone for good, or stolen

Prayer of St Aretas

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

Lord, have mercy!Lord, forgive!All is Yours; I do not grieve over it.The Lord gave, the Lord has taken away;blessed be the name of the Lord.

St Aretas lost all his money to thieves and wronged innocent people while he hunted for it. When at last he cried out to God that all was His, he changed, and he thanked God every day after with Job’s words.

Plain English by Wiser Walk, from the Russian of the prayer collection, beside the Russian of his Life. How the wording is made.

Where it comes from, and the Russian

When you find it, or if you never do

Glory to God for all things

Glory to God for all things.

Traditional wording, 1921

Glory to God for all things

These words were St John Chrysostom’s everyday saying, and his last when he died in exile in AD 407. He taught that even a lost fortune calls for thanks. The same five words fit the thing that turns up and the thing that never does.

Plain English by Wiser Walk, from the Greek, with Moore’s 1921 translation beside it. How the wording is made. Traditional wording: Herbert Moore, The Dialogue of Palladius concerning the Life of Chrysostom, 1921.

Where it comes from, and the Greek

To a saint · St Phanourios

Troparion of St Phanourios

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

A heavenly hymn is sung brightly on earth,and the company of angels now joyfully keeps an earthly feast.From above they praise your struggles with hymns,and from below the Church praises the heavenly glorythat you found by your labors and your struggles,glorious Phanourios.

The kontakionWise in God, you saved priests from godless captivityand broke their chains by divine power.You bravely shamed the boldness of tyrantsand gladdened the ranks of angels, great martyr.So we honor you, soldier of God, glorious Phanourios.

Another troparionYou rose like a star in the Church of Christand gave light to all,when you were wondrously revealed, glorious Phanourios.So to those who praise your struggle, martyr,you give the saving grace of your wonders,as you plead with the Lord for our souls.

The Orthodox Church in America’s Life of him says people ask his prayers to find lost things, because his name sounds like the Greek for “to reveal”. These are the hymns of his feast.

Plain English by Wiser Walk, from the Greek of the service for his feast; the Orthodox Church in America has a modern English of the first two hymns. How the wording is made.

Where it comes from, and the Greek

To a saint · St John the Warrior, if it was stolen

Troparion of St John the Warrior

O John, worker of miracles,you showed yourself a faithful servant and warriorof the all-good God and King,for you suffered bravely for the faithand finished your race in blessedness.

In heaven you see the Lord, the Creator of all,in the brightest light.From Him you received the gift of miracles,and you help people who suffer in every kind of trouble.You give soldiers strength in battleand rescue them from capture by the enemy,from wounds and sudden death, and from cruel misfortunes.

So pray to Christ the Master, O ever-remembered one,to show us mercy in every hardship,not to lead us into temptations,but to save our souls, for He is the Lover of mankind.

Traditional wording, 2000

O wonder-worker John, thou hast been shown to bea right faithful servant and warrior of God, the all-good King;for, having manfully suffered for the Faithand finished thy course in blessedness,

in the heavens thou beholdest the Lord and Creator of all most splendidly,and helpest men who suffer amid all manner of trials.And thou dost strengthen soldiers in battle,rescuing them from capture by the enemy,from wounds, sudden death and cruel misfortunes.

Wherefore, entreat Christ the Master, O ever-memorable one,that He deal mercifully with us in every circumstance,that He lead us not into temptations,but save our souls, in that He loveth mankind.

A hymn at Vespers on his feast calls him a “revealer of lost and hidden things”, and the Orthodox Church in America’s Life of him says people ask his prayers to recover stolen things. This is the troparion of his feast.

Plain English by Wiser Walk, from the Church Slavonic, with Isaac Lambertsen’s 2000 translation beside it. How the wording is made. Traditional wording: Isaac Lambertsen, Menaion, July, 2000.

Lambertsen leaves out the line “From Him you received the gift of miracles”, which the plain wording keeps from the Slavonic.

Where it comes from, and the Church Slavonic

Patron saints of lost things The saints people ask for help with this, their stories and their prayers.

Scripture for this

⁸“Or what woman who has ten silver coins and loses one of them does not light a lamp, sweep her house, and search carefully until she finds it? ⁹And when she finds it, she calls together her friends and neighbors to say, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my lost coin.’ ¹⁰In the same way, I tell you, there is joy in the presence of God’s angels over one sinner who repents.”

Luke 15:8-10 Jesus told of a woman who lost a silver coin. She lit a lamp, swept the house and searched carefully until she found it.

⁵As one of them was cutting down a tree, the iron axe head fell into the water. “Oh, my master,” he cried out, “it was borrowed!” ⁶“Where did it fall?” asked the man of God. And when he showed him the place, the man of God cut a stick, threw it there, and made the iron float. ⁷“Lift it out,” he said, and the man reached out his hand and took it.

2 Kings 6:5-7 One of the prophets lost a borrowed axe head in the Jordan. Elisha made the iron float, and the man lifted it out.

“As for the donkeys you lost three days ago, do not worry about them, for they have been found. And upon whom is all the desire of Israel, if not upon you and all your father’s house?”

1 Samuel 9:20 Saul’s father’s donkeys had been lost for three days. Samuel told Saul not to worry about them, because they had been found.

⁶Be anxious for nothing, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. ⁷And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Philippians 4:6-7 Paul says to bring every request to God with thanks instead of worrying, and His peace will guard your heart and mind.

¹⁹Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. ²⁰But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. ²¹For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Matthew 6:19-21 Jesus warned that moths, rust and thieves can take any earthly treasure, so store up treasure in heaven instead.

Bible text: Berean Standard Bible, public domain.

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