Not always have the strength and ability to stand. Work is associated with hard physical labor, and in the evening a person gets so tired that his legs hoot. Due to old age, age-related diseases open up. A pregnant woman who is pulling her lower back and swelling of her legs. There are many reasons, and a person feels the need for prayer.
So now, do not pray at all? Of course not. Be sure to pray while sitting. And this can be done, despite the indignation of the grandmothers from the church.
What is prayer?
This is direct communication with God. Conversation with Him. This is a child’s conversation with his Father. But we will not be explained in lofty words, but we will talk about it more simply.
When we pray, we meet with God. We meet with the Virgin and saints, to whom we prayerfully fall. We ask them about something, and after some time we understand that our request has been granted. And thanks to this comes the awareness of the participation of the saints in our lives, as well as the participation of God. He is always there, always ready to help and patiently waits for when we turn to him.
There is another kind of prayer. This prayer is a dialogue. When a person conducts a conversation, it is important for him not only to speak out, but also to hear the opinion of the interlocutor. The moment we offer prayers to God, we must be prepared for the fact that He is revealed to us. Sometimes not the way we imagine Him. Therefore, one cannot invent an image of God, somehow imagine it. We see God on the icons, see the Mother of God, holy saints. It's enough.
Can I read prayers while sitting? Imagine that a man came to his father. He came after work, really wants to talk with him, but his legs hurt and were tired so that there was simply no strength to stand. Will the father, seeing this, not begin to talk with his child? Or make him stand in reverence for his parent? Of course not. Quite the contrary: seeing how tired his son is, he will prompt him to sit down, drink a cup of tea and talk.
So is it that God, seeing the zeal of a person, will not accept sincere prayer just because the prayer is sitting?
When do we pray?
More often than not, when something happens in life and help is urgently needed. Then a person begins to pray and ask God for this help. He simply has no other hope. Help comes, a happy person rejoices, forgets to thank and leaves God until the next emergency. Is it correct? Unlikely.
Ideally, we should live with prayer. Living with her just as we live with the air. People do not forget to breathe, because without oxygen we just die in a few minutes. Without prayer, the soul dies, it is its "oxygen."
With our workload and living conditions, it’s extremely difficult to constantly be in prayer. The fuss at work, the fuss at home, the people around - this is just too much. And too noisy around us. However, we wake up in the morning. And what are we thinking about first? That should do today. We get up, wash, dress, have breakfast and go forward - towards the new hectic. And you need to adjust your morning a little. Get up and thank God for another day that was granted. Ask for His intercession during the day. Of course, the best option is to read the morning prayers. But no one has yet canceled gratitude from the heart.
Prayer during the day
Is this possible with our workload? Why not, anything is possible. Is it possible to pray while sitting, for example, in a car? Sure. You can go to work, and mentally pray to God.
A man sat down to eat - before the meal you need to pray mentally, read "Our Father." Nobody will hear that, but what is the use of the prayer! He ate, thanked the Lord for the meal, and again went to work.
Prayer in the temple
Is it possible to pray while sitting for an Orthodox person? Especially in the temple, where everyone is standing? By weakness - it is possible. There is such a wonderful phrase of the Metropolitan of Moscow Filaret: “It’s better to think about God while sitting, rather than standing - about feet.”
With some diseases, it is difficult for a person to stand. And with other infirmities it is not always easy. Therefore, do not be embarrassed by the fact that they sat on a bench in the temple. There are certain places in the service, the proclamation of which you need to get up. This is the Cherubic Hymn, reading the Gospel, the prayer “I Believe” and “Our Father”, the removal of the Chalice. In other cases, if you feel that you cannot withstand the service, sit down.
Home prayer
Is it possible to pray at home in front of the icons? This is not a big deal if a person does this because of illness or other valid reasons. If it’s just from laziness, it’s better not to be lazy and stand up, pray standing.
In the case when the prayer is very tired, it is perfectly acceptable to sit on a chair or sofa near the icons, pick up a prayer book and pray with all my heart.
How to be sick people?
But what if a person is so sick that he cannot rise on his own? Or bedridden? Or is it due to a very advanced age? He can’t even take a prayer book in his hands. How then to pray? In general, is it possible to pray while lying or sitting?
In this case, you can ask someone from the household to submit a prayer book. Keep it in the immediate vicinity of the bed, so that the patient can independently reach him. More precisely, reach out and take. As for the reading of the Gospel, homeworkers may well devote a couple of minutes and read an excerpt from it at the request of the patient.
In addition, the bedridden person is able to make a prayer mentally. To turn to God in your own words, there is nothing reprehensible in this. In prayer coming from the depths of the heart, from the bottom of my heart, can there really be something offensive to God? Even if it is read in an “unidentified” position. The Lord sees the heart of the prayer, knows his thoughts. And accepts the prayer of the sick or weak.
Can I pray at home while sitting or lying down? Yes. And not just possible, but necessary. "The sound ones do not call doctors, but the sick really need a doctor." And not only in the literal sense of these words.
Can prayer be objectionable?
Complex issue. She may not be heard, rather. Why? It all depends on the quality of the prayer. If a person read the prayer rule in a standard way in 15 minutes, without thinking about the words and their meaning, closed the prayer book - and this is the point, what kind of prayer is this? It is not clear to man what and why he read. But God does not need a template, He needs sincerity.
Who can pray while sitting at home? And to God, and the Virgin, and saints. May the prayer be performed in a sitting position, but proceeding from the heart. This is better than standing in front of the icons just reading the rule without understanding anything in it and not trying to do it.
Children's prayer
Can a child sit in prayer? Children's prayer is considered the most sincere. Because the children are innocent, naive and trust God. No wonder the Lord himself said: be like children.
For children there are indulgences. Including in the prayer rule. The most important thing is not to force the child to read long and incomprehensible prayers for him. Have the baby read, for example, “Our Father” before bedtime and talk with God in his own words. This is much more useful than reading the rule with a cold heart, because my mother said so, that is, on the principle of "need adults." But it is necessary not for adults, it must be for the child himself.
Thanksgiving prayers
We often ask, not thanks. The latter must not be forgotten. It would be unpleasant for us to fulfill someone’s request, and in return not to hear thanks. Why should God give us something, knowing our ingratitude?
Is it possible to pray while sitting, read a thank-you Akathist, or offer prayers of thanks? You're tired? You feel sick? Sore feet? Then sit and do not worry about this. They sat down, picked up an akathist or a prayer book, and read calmly, without rushing, thoughtfully. Great benefit to the worshiper. And God is glad to see such sincere gratitude.
When there is no power to pray
It happens that there is no strength to pray. No way. Neither standing, nor sitting, nor lying down. There is no prayer, a person does not want to do this.
How to be then? Make yourself stand up, stand in front of the icons, pick up a prayer book and read at least one prayer. Through power. Because we don’t always want to pray, no matter how amazing it sounds. How can you not want to communicate with God? It is wild, strange, incomprehensible, but such states do exist. And when they appear, you must force yourself to prayer.
But she will probably not be from the heart? And here it all depends on the prayer. You can read every word with utmost attention, at least this is just one prayer. Such a prayer attitude will be much more useful than if you don’t pray at all or read the rule with one lip, when thoughts at the same time soar somewhere far, far away.
How long does the morning and evening rule take? 20 minutes, no more. This is because a person reads it quickly, and that’s it. So it’s better to spend these 20 minutes reading two prayers, but with good sense and concentration, than to report back somehow, because it should be so.
Important addition
What you need to know when starting prayer? Just the answer to the question, is it possible to pray while sitting or lying down? No. The main thing to remember is that you need to pray thoughtfully. Trying to understand every word of prayer. And the last one should come from the heart. That's why you need to not only read the rules, but also pray in your own words.
Conclusion
From the article we learned whether it is possible to pray while sitting. In the case of a serious illness, senile weakness, pregnancy or very severe fatigue, this is not prohibited. Parents are allowed to pray while sitting.
As for bedridden patients, in their case it is quite appropriate to offer prayers to God in their usual position.
It is not the position that matters, although it plays a significant role. The most important thing is the heart and soul of man, sincere, burning and longing for God.