New from Rev. Father Don Purdum
For the Moments You Don’t Know What to Say to God
Orthodox Prayers for Daily Life: prayers for waking up, for the hard days, for the hospital room, and for the quiet before church.
It is late, and the house is finally quiet.
You sit on the edge of the bed and you want to pray.
You know you should.
You even want to.
But nothing comes.
Or the same few words come, the ones you have said a thousand times, and they leave your mouth before your heart has caught up with them.
So you say “Lord, help,” and you mean it, and then you lie down feeling like you did not really pray at all.
If that is you, I want you to hear something.
You are not a bad Christian.
You are not further from God than the person in the next pew.
You simply ran out of words.
Everybody does.
The Church never asked you to find the words alone
Many of us were raised to believe that real prayer has to be made up on the spot.
That if it is not spontaneous, it is not sincere.
The Church has never taught that.
For centuries she has handed her children words to pray.
Words for the morning and words for the night.
Words for the sick, the grieving, the traveler, and the soldier.
Words for the moment you walk into church with your mind still full of the week.
A good prayer does not replace your heart.
It gives your heart somewhere to go when it cannot find the way on its own.
You will find this line in the very first section of the book:
“Direct my will. Teach me to pray. Pray You Yourself within me.”
From Facebook to your bedside
Where these prayers came from
For the past year, I have been sharing prayers on Facebook.
Prayers for Monday.
Prayers for a hard conversation.
Prayers for a storm rolling in, or a friend in the hospital, or a marriage that is struggling.
Then something happened I did not expect.
Hundreds of you began to write back.
You asked whether these prayers could be gathered into one place.
So I did.
Every prayer in this book was first shared on Facebook between November 2025 and September 2026.
Now they are in one book, arranged so you can find the right one in a hurry.
Arranged by the moment, not by the page
This is not a book you read front to back.
It is a book you turn to.
Something happens.
You open it.
You find the prayer for that moment, and you pray it slowly.
Here is a taste of what you will find, in the words of the prayers themselves.
“Before the noise of this day fills my mind, quiet my heart before You.”
Morning, Midday, and Evening
“Do not let stress harden my soul or steal my love for others.”
Work and Daily Responsibilities
“Do not allow loneliness to become a place where the enemy whispers lies to me. Instead, make this quiet place holy.”
Peace, Healing, and Comfort
“When I cannot see the path before me, teach me to trust Your providence.”
Hope, Courage, and Perseverance
“Teach me to repent of my sins before I look at the faults of another.”
Family, Marriage, and Relationships
“Let me remember that no earthly reputation is more precious than a pure conscience before You.”
Repentance, Forgiveness, and Humility
“Lord, go before me today. Walk beside me. Remain behind me.”
Protection, Travel, and Public Life
“Let me not come as a spectator, but as a worshiper.”
Preparing for Church and Divine Liturgy
One prayer, start to finish
Let me give you one whole prayer, so you know exactly what you are getting.
It is for the end of a day that went badly.
From the book
When the Day Has Been Heavy
Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God,
Tonight I come before You weary, wounded, and burdened.
The day has been heavy.
My mind is restless.
My heart is tired.
There were moments when I felt weak, frustrated, anxious, and discouraged.
Yet even now, You remain merciful.
Forgive me for every sinful thought, careless word, selfish reaction, and failure to trust You fully today.
Wash my soul in Your compassion and grant me peace.
O Lord, calm the storms within me.
Quiet every fear that still clings to my heart.
Heal the hidden wounds that no one else can see.
Teach me to surrender what I cannot control.
Teach me to trust that You are still working even when I cannot understand the purpose of this day’s struggles.
As I lay down tonight, place Your holy angels around me and those I love.
Protect my home from evil, despair, temptation, and fear.
Grant rest to my body, stillness to my thoughts, and light to my soul.
For You are my refuge, my strength, and my hope, and to You I give glory, together with Your Father who is without beginning, and Your all-holy, good, and life-creating Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.
That is one prayer.
The book holds two hundred more.
What is inside
Orthodox Prayers for Daily Life
201 prayers in twelve sections
I
Traditional Prayers
The prayers the Church has prayed for centuries: the Heavenly King, the Trisagion Prayers, the Lord’s Prayer, the Jesus Prayer, and the prayer to your guardian angel, in modern and traditional English.
II
Morning, Midday, and Evening
For waking up, for the middle of a busy day, and for the night when the day has been heavy.
III
Work and Daily Responsibilities
For Monday morning, for the end of the workweek, and for God’s provision when money is tight.
IV
Thanksgiving, Praise, and Joy
For the days you want to say thank you and cannot find a way to say it big enough.
V
Hope, Courage, and Perseverance
For seasons of struggle, when you are tempted to give up.
VI
Peace, Healing, and Comfort
For anxiety, loneliness, burnout, trauma, bad dreams, and a stay in the hospital.
VII
Repentance, Forgiveness, and Humility
Prayers of confession, and prayers for the people who criticize or slander you.
VIII
Family, Marriage, and Relationships
For reconciliation, for a struggling family, and for a marriage that needs healing.
IX
Protection, Travel, and Public Life
Prayers to the holy angels and to Saint Panteleimon, for travelers, for our soldiers, for our country, and for safety in a storm.
X
Preparing for Church and Divine Liturgy
For the morning before church, for leaving the house, and for the moment you step inside.
XI
Learning and Spiritual Growth
For discernment, for stillness, and for freedom from the passions that quietly rule us.
XII
Short Prayers Throughout the Day
Prayers short enough to say in the car, in a waiting room, or in the second before you answer a hard email.
A short prayer for when there is no time
Some moments do not leave room for a long prayer.
The phone rings with bad news.
The doctor walks in.
Your chest tightens in traffic.
So the book ends with prayers short enough to carry with you.
Like this one:
From the book
A Short Prayer for Moments of Immediate Anxiety
Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, calm my troubled heart.
Into Your hands I place this fear, this worry, and this situation.
Grant me peace, wisdom, and trust in Your holy will.
For You are with me, and I shall not be afraid.
Amen.
It is short enough to learn by heart.
This book is for you if
You want to pray every day, but you never know what to say.
You say the same few words every night, and they have started to feel hollow.
You are carrying something heavy right now, and you need words for it.
You are walking into the Orthodox Church, or thinking about it, and want to learn how she prays.
You have been Orthodox all your life and want prayers for the moments the prayer book in your corner does not cover.
You love someone who is sick, struggling, or far from God, and you want to pray for them well.
You are welcome here, whatever church you call home, or none at all.
by Rev. Father Don Purdum
Orthodox Prayers for Daily Life
A Collection for Morning and Evening, Healing, Hope, and Worship
201 prayers, arranged by the moment you need them
The traditional prayers of the Church, in modern and traditional English
Short prayers you can carry through the day
$10.97
Sent to your inbox the moment you order.
Read it on your phone, tablet, or computer, or print the pages you want to keep by the bed.
Yes, Send Me the Prayer Book
Read it on your phone, tablet, or computer, or print the pages you want to keep by the bed.
You do not need a perfect prayer life to begin.
You need one prayer, tomorrow morning, before the noise of the day begins.
Then one more on a hard afternoon.
Then one at night, when the house is finally quiet.
That is how a life of prayer is built.
Not all at once.
One honest prayer at a time.
Let me give you the words for the first one.
God bless you,
Father Don
Father Don
P.S. If you have ever sat on the edge of the bed wanting to pray and not knowing how to start, this book was written for that exact moment.
It is $10.97, and it arrives in your inbox in a few minutes.