“Prayer to Archangel Michael, the Terrible Governor of the Heavenly Powers” is probably one of the most common apocryphal prayers these days. It is often called simply the “Prayer to Archangel Michael” (it should not be confused with prayers to Archangel Michael that do not contain apocryphal elements).
Here is one of the modern versions of this prayer, which, according to our observations, is one of the most popular (we left the spelling and punctuation of the text unchanged):
Lord, Great God, King without beginning, send Your Archangel Michael to help Your servants (name). Protect us, Archangel, from all enemies, visible and invisible. Oh, Lord the Great Archangel Michael! Destroyer of demons, forbid all enemies fighting me, and make them like sheep, and humble their evil hearts, and crush them like dust in the face of the wind. Oh, Lord the Great Archangel Michael! Six-winged first Prince and Governor of the Heavenly Forces - Cherubim and Seraphim, be our helper in all troubles, sorrows, sorrows, a quiet refuge in the desert and on the seas. Oh, Lord the Great Archangel Michael! Deliver us from all the charms of the devil, when You hear us, sinners, praying to You and calling on Your Holy name. Hasten to our aid and overcome all who oppose us with the power of Honest and Life-giving Cross Lord's prayers Holy Mother of God, prayers of the holy Apostles, St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, Andrew, for Christ's sake, the holy fool, St. the prophet Elijah and all the holy great martyrs: St. martyrs Nikita and Eustathius, and all our reverend fathers, who have pleased God from the ages, and all the holy Heavenly Powers. Oh, Lord the Great Archangel Michael! Help us sinners (name) and deliver us from cowardice, flood, fire, sword and vain death, from great evil, from the flattering enemy, from the reviled storm, from the evil one always, now and ever, and forever and ever. Amen. Holy Archangel of God Michael, with Your lightning sword, drive away from me the evil spirit that tempts and torments me. Amen.
This text is a slightly modified version of what was widespread among the people in the 16th and early centuries. XX centuries "Prayers to Archangel Michael, the Terrible Governor of the Heavenly Forces". In 1913, A.I. Yatsimirsky published several lists of this apocryphal (“false”) prayer and pointed out Russian origin this text. One of the versions of the prayer (“Prayer to our Lord Jesus Christ, to the Holy Archangel Michael”) was published by D. S. Likhachev based on a 17th-century copy from the Library Russian Academy Sci. D. S. Likhachev believed that this prayer was written in 1572 or 1573 by Ivan the Terrible under the pseudonym Parfeny the Ugly, along with the Canon to the Angel the Terrible Voivode.
However, A. A. Turilov and A. V. Chernetsov pointed out the dubiousness of such an attribution. They discovered a prayer list compiled no later than the mid-16th century. In addition, the researchers noted that this prayer was very popular in the writing of the 16th–19th centuries. and was preserved in hundreds of lists; it was often included in collections of conspiracies. One of the variants of the “Prayer to Archangel Michael, the Terrible Governor of the Heavenly Forces” is “Prayer to Michael and Gabriel the Archangels”.
The versions of the “Prayer to Archangel Michael, the Terrible Governor of the Heavenly Forces” that are widespread these days are not particularly different from each other. Differences may be caused by copying errors or distortions. So, instead of make them like sheep we can find make them like you are. The degree of “modernization” of the language of prayer also varies. Church Slavonic language forms ( send, crusher, prince, commander, Most Holy, flatterer, sword) can be replaced by Russian ( let's go, crusher, prince, commander, Holy, flattering, sword).
IN last years“Prayer to Archangel Michael, the Terrible Governor of the Heavenly Forces” is also distributed under the title “Prayer for the President of Russia.” In this version, the “name” is replaced with the names of both V.V. Putin and D.A. Medvedev: Lord God, Great King, Beginningless, Lord, send Your Archangel Michael to help Your servants Demetrius and Vladimir; or: Lord God, Great King, Beginningless, send, O Lord, Thy Archangel Michael to the aid of Thy servant Vladimir (Dimitri).
The subject of the “Prayer to Archangel Michael, the Terrible Governor of the Heavenly Forces” asks to protect him from the evil one ( deliver us from all the charms of the devil; drive away from me the evil spirit that tempts and torments me). The person praying wants protection from all enemies, visible and invisible (forbid all enemies fighting me, and make them like sheep, and humble their evil hearts, and crush them like dust before the wind; deliver us... from the flattering enemy). He strives to ensure his own safety in different life situations, which are listed in detail ( be our helper in all troubles, sorrows, sorrows, a quiet refuge in the desert and on the seas; deliver us from cowardice, flood, fire, sword and vain death, from great evil).
Let us note that in the text of the “Prayer to Archangel Michael, the Terrible Governor of the Heavenly Powers” there are no such usual petitions for canonical prayer, such as the following: “Make me a partaker of the Kingdom of God”, “guide me on the path of salvation,... pray for me to the Lord , may He strengthen me in His passion”, “ask... restoration for the fallen”, “beg the Lord God to grant me forgiveness of all my sins”, “raise me, who have fallen with many sins; renew my soul with repentance." There are no requests for repentance or forgiveness of sins in another common apocryphal prayer - the modern “Prayer of Detention”.
But where there is no true repentance and self-abasement, there cannot be a correct prayerful mood. The search for the “Kingdom of God and His righteousness” () is crowded out of the consciousness of the subject of prayer by concern for earthly things and fear of visible and invisible enemies.
One of the petitions of the “Prayer to Archangel Michael, the Terrible Governor of the Heavenly Forces” sounds like this: Hasten to our aid and overcome all who oppose us, by the power of the Honest and Life-giving Cross of the Lord, by the prayers of the Most Holy Theotokos, by the prayers of the Holy Apostles, St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, Andrew, for Christ's sake, the Fool for the Fool, St. the prophet Elijah and all the holy great martyrs: St. martyrs Nikita and Eustathius, and all our reverend fathers, who have pleased God from the ages and all the holy Heavenly Powers.
However, in church tradition, such a petition can only be addressed to the Lord! One gets the impression that in the consciousness of the subject of prayer, Archangel Michael takes the place of God. Bishop of Sumy Evlogy (Gutchenko) notes: “In this prayer, unknown writers attribute almost Divine dignity to Archangel Michael, the Mother of God and the saints pray to him. Orthodox doctrine places the Mother of God above the Cherubim and Seraphim and all the Heavenly Powers. The Mother of God, the holy archangels and angels and saints of God perform their prayer for us not before the Archangel Michael, but before the Lord God.” Thus, in the “Prayer to Archangel Michael, the Terrible Governor of the Heavenly Forces,” there is an outright distortion of the teachings of the Church.
In some lists XVI-beginning. XX centuries Archangel Michael assimilates the Holy Spirit: “O wonderful and terrible archangel Michael, the keeper of the ineffable mysteries, when you hear the voice of the servant of God imrek calling you to help, Archangel Michael, hear and hasten to my help and drive away from me all the nasty unclean spirits, by the power of the Holy your Spirit, through the prayers of the holy apostle and holy prophet, the holy saint and the holy martyr and the holy hermit, the holy mercenary and the holy stylite, the holy martyrs and all the righteous saints who have pleased Christ from the ages with their prayers.” There were lists of “Prayers to Archangel Michael, the Terrible Governor of the Heavenly Powers,” in which the subject of the prayer addresses the Lord and Archangel Michael as one person: “Lord, great Lord Archangel Michael, hear the voice of your sinful servant (name), praying to you and calling to my aid your name Most Holy One, hasten the generous one to help me and hear my prayer.” In the version known as the “Prayer to Michael and Gabriel the Archangels,” the images of the Lord and both of these Archangels are mixed in the consciousness of the subject of the prayer: “Lord, Lord, great archangel, destroyer of demons, forbid all enemies fighting with me... Lord, Lord Great, Michael and Gabriel the Archangel, when you hear the verb of your servant (name river), calling you to help him, rush to my aid... protect me with the power of the Holy Spirit and the prayers of our Most Pure Lady Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary, the holy heavenly powers, angel and archangel , and the holy apostles, prophets and holy hierarchs, the holy fathers, the righteous and the unmercenary, and the holy martyrs and martyrs, the holy women and all the holy fathers with prayers to the great commanders of the heavenly powers."
Unlike apocryphal texts, church doctrine does not allow any confusion of angels with the Lord, the Creator of angels.
In some versions, the “Prayer to Archangel Michael, the Terrible Governor of the Heavenly Powers” is accompanied by notes indicating that it could play the role of a talisman: “If a person reads this prayer on those days, the devil will not touch him on that day, nor evil spirit, and that person will have joy in his soul and heart. And if a person dies from this life, then hell will not accept his soul”; “Even if a person reads this prayer for days and days, the devil will not touch him evil person His heart is afflicted with laziness, and even if a person ceases to live this life, he will not receive power over his soul.”
From such “instructions” it follows that the owner of the prayer does not need to strive for life in Christ by keeping the commandments. Indeed, why do you need to live “worthy of the gospel of Christ” (), if it is enough just to read “this prayer” every day, and deliverance from hell and “joy for the soul” are guaranteed?..
Among the people, the functions of a talisman were assigned not only to the “Prayer to Archangel Michael, the Terrible Governor of the Heavenly Forces,” but also to other apocryphal texts, for example, “The Dream of the Virgin Mary”: “Whoever reads this dream three times a day, keeps it on his head and wears it clean , that person will receive salvation from God"; “And if anyone carries it with him on his journey, that person will not be touched on any journey by the devil, nor by an evil person, nor by an unclean spirit. And whoever keeps your dream, Mother of God, in his house, and that person has neither theft nor the robbers; in that house is health for the slave and life for the livestock, profit for the master; along the waters there is a quiet refuge and in conversation there is honor”; “If a person at the time of his death remembers or reads it, or gives it to someone to read, and whoever listens with faith to this Divine Scripture, that person will be delivered from eternal torment and scorching fire and the tartar of the underworld... If anyone believes this leaf and has it with him , or who writes, or who listens with faith to this Divine Scripture, ... and that person will have remission of sins, and the angels of the Lord will receive his soul from his body, and bring him to the kingdom of heaven to Abraham in paradise.”
In all such cases, we encounter the superstitious belief that one can achieve earthly well-being and eternal salvation by reading or simply storing a text to which magical powers are attributed.
Sometimes the following notes are made to the text of “Prayers to Archangel Michael, the Terrible Governor of the Heavenly Powers”: “This prayer is written on the porch of Archangel Michael in Moscow, also called the Chudov Monastery”; “This prayer was written on the porch of the Church of the Archangel Michael in Moscow, in the Kremlin, in the Chudov Monastery, which was blown up shortly after the October Revolution.”
There are no reliable sources that could confirm the truth of this version of the origin of the prayer. Here we are dealing with the desire of the creators and distributors of apocryphal works to instill confidence in dubious texts. For example, a reference to the name of a holy ascetic should give apocrypha more weight in the eyes of readers. “The Prayer of Cyprian,” for example, is associated with the name of the smch. Cyprian, Bishop of Antioch of Pisidia (October 2/15), one of the editions of the apocryphal “Tale of the Twelve Fridays” - with the name Sschmch. Clement, Pope of Rome, the “Prayer of Detention” is attributed to originating from a collection of prayers Athonite elder Pansophia. The attempt to connect the origin of the “Prayer to Archangel Michael, the Terrible Governor of the Heavenly Powers” with the Chudov Monastery is probably explained by the fact that this monastery was founded by St. at the temple consecrated in the name of the Miracle of the Archangel Michael in Khoneh.
Stories about the miraculous appearance of the text and its magical power are also found in the so-called “magic letters.” This type of sacred text includes “holy” letters, “heavenly” letters and “chain letters”. The miraculous appearance of the “heavenly letter” is the rationale for its magical power: “This prayer originates in Jerusalem, and whoever receives it must send it to others within 9 days. Whoever fulfills this will have liberation from misfortunes" ; “In Jerusalem, during the liturgy, a voice was heard saying: “Whoever reads this prayer, God will deliver him from disasters!” This prayer was sent to the Bishop so that he would send it to nine people, and it was said: whoever does not want to do this , great misfortune will befall him." The miraculous appearance of a magical letter, as well as the origin of the “Prayer to Archangel Michael, the Terrible Governor of the Heavenly Forces,” can be associated with the porch of the monastery. One of the “heavenly letters” that were distributed in the USSR in the second half of the 1920s - early 1930s says: “This message was found on the porch of a closed monastery in the name of the 42 martyrs on New Athos. Whoever reads this message and rewrites it on 7 sheets of paper and sends it to 7 believers will have 49 sins forgiven.” The supernatural “discovery” of some versions of the “holy letters” is associated with the icon or altar of the Archangel Michael: “This letter was found in the city of Rome, in the altar of the Holy Archangel Michael, no one knew where it came from, written in gold letters...”; “the letter... hung on the icon of the Holy Archangel Michael on the Mount of Olives, the letter hung on the olive tree”; “This letter was found in the land of Britain, on Mount Tabor, under the image of St. Mikhail."
In those lists of “Prayers to Archangel Michael, the Terrible Governor of the Heavenly Forces,” which were distributed in the 16th and early XX centuries, there were spell formulas: “keep the servant of God in troubles and in sorrows and in sorrows, at crossroads, on rivers, and in deserts, in raths, in kings, and in princes, in nobles, and in people, and in of all power”, “make me honorable among the king and among the authorities, and among the princes, and among the nobles and among the people.” In the versions of prayer that are in circulation today, folkloric elements have become less noticeable. And yet it is not possible to “church” a text that was originally non-church. The absence of a truly Christian prayerful mood, coupled with a false idea of Archangel Michael, continues to testify to the apocryphal origin of the “Prayer to Archangel Michael, the Terrible Governor of the Heavenly Powers.”
See, for example: Prayer to Archangel Michael, the formidable commander of the heavenly powers // P. S. Efimenko. Spells, hexes, amulets. M.: 1878. Part 2. Folk literature. pp. 164-165. ; Prayer to Archangel Michael // Ibid. P. 165. ; Prayer to Archangel Michael the Terrible, commander of heavenly power // N. Vinogradov. Spells, amulets, saving prayers, etc. St. Petersburg, 1907. Issue. I. Dept. II. pp. 83-84. ; Prayer to Michael the Archangel the Terrible, Governor of the Heavenly Forces // Ibid. pp. 11-12.
Cm.: V. M. Bykova.
Right there. See also: D. S. Likhachev.
Cm.: V. M. Bykova. Prayer to Archangel Michael in the handwritten collection of the Kizhi Museum-Reserve // Kizhi Bulletin No. 10. Ed.-comp. I. V. Melnikov. Kizhi Museum-Reserve. Petrozavodsk. 2005.
Rector of Odessa Theological Seminary. Basic conditions for correct prayer.
D. S. Likhachev. Canon and prayer to the Terrible Angel to the governor Parthenius the Ugly (Ivan the Terrible).
Cm.: V. M. Bykova. Prayer to Archangel Michael in the handwritten collection of the Kizhi Museum-Reserve // Kizhi Bulletin No. 10. Ed.-comp. I. V. Melnikov. Kizhi Museum-Reserve. Petrozavodsk. 2005.
N. Vinogradov.
Quote By: V. M. Bykova. Prayer to Archangel Michael in the handwritten collection of the Kizhi Museum-Reserve // Kizhi Bulletin No. 10. Ed.-comp. I. V. Melnikov. Kizhi Museum-Reserve. Petrozavodsk. 2005.
Prayer to Michael the Archangel the Terrible, Governor of the Heavenly Forces // N. Vinogradov. Spells, amulets, saving prayers, etc. St. Petersburg, 1907. Issue. I. S. 11-12.
Dream of the Most Holy Theotokos (“My beloved Mother, where have you been?..”) // N. Vinogradov. Variants of “epistols” about Sunday, recorded in Gagauz villages in the south of Moldova.
D. S. Likhachev. Canon and prayer to the Terrible Angel to the governor Parthenius the Ugly (Ivan the Terrible).
Prayer to Michael and Gabriel the Archangels // N. Vinogradov. Spells, amulets, saving prayers, etc. St. Petersburg, 1907. Issue. I. S. 9-11.
“Lord, Great God, King without beginning, send Your Archangel Michael to help Your servants (names). Protect us, Archangel, from enemies, visible and invisible.
O Lord the Great Archangel Michael! Forbid all enemies who fight me, and make them like sheep, and humble their evil hearts, and crush them like dust before the wind.
O Lord the Great Archangel Michael! Six-winged first prince and commander of the Heavenly Forces - Cherubim and Seraphim, be our helper in all troubles, in sorrows, in sorrows, in the desert and on the seas a quiet refuge!
O Lord the Great Archangel Michael! Deliver us from all the charms of the devil, when you hear us, sinners, praying to you and calling on your holy name.
Hasten to our aid and overcome all who oppose us, by the power of the Honest and Life-giving Cross of the Lord, through the prayers of the Most Holy Theotokos, the prayers of the holy apostles, St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, Andrew, Christ for the Fool's sake, the holy prophet Elijah, and all the holy great martyrs: Nikita and Eustathius, and all our reverend fathers, who have pleased God from all eternity, and all the holy Heavenly Powers.
O Lord the Great Archangel Michael! Help us sinners (names), deliver us from cowardice, flood, fire, sword and vain death, and from all evil, from the flattering enemy, from the storm, deliver us from the evil one forever, now and ever, and forever and ever. Amen"
Prayer to Archangel Michael for every day
Holy and great Archangel of God Michael, the inscrutable and all-essential Trinity, the first primate of the Angels, the guardian and guardian of the human race, crushing with his army the head of the proud Denis in heaven and putting to shame his malice and deceit on earth! We resort to you with faith and we pray to you with love: make your shield indestructible and your visor firm Holy Church and to our Orthodox Fatherland, protecting them with your lightning sword from all enemies, visible and invisible. Do not forsake us, O Archangel of God, with your help and intercession, who are glorifying us today. holy name yours: behold, even though we are many sinners, we do not want to perish in our iniquities, but to turn to the Lord and be quickened by Him to do good deeds. Illuminate our minds with the light of God’s face, which shines on your lightning-like brow, so that we can understand that God’s will for us is good and perfect, and that we know all that it is fitting for us to do and that which we should despise and abandon. Strengthen our weak will and weak will with the grace of the Lord, so that, having established ourselves in the law of the Lord, we will cease to be dominated by earthly thoughts and the lusts of the flesh, carried away in the likeness of senseless children by the soon-to-perish beauties of this world, as if for the sake of the corruptible and earthly it is foolish to forget the eternal and heavenly. For all of these, ask us from above for the spirit of true repentance, unfeigned sadness for God and contrition for our sins, so that we may spend the remaining number of days of our temporary life not in pleasing our feelings and working with our passions, but in erasing the evils we have committed with tears of faith and contrition of heart, deeds of purity and holy deeds of mercy. When the hour of our end approaches, liberation from the bonds of this mortal body, do not leave us. Archangel of God, defenseless against the spirits of wickedness in heaven, accustomed to block the souls of mankind from rising to heaven, yes, protected by you, we will reach those glorious villages of paradise without stumbling, where there is no sorrow, no sighing, but endless life, and, being honored to see the bright face of the All-Blessed Lord and Master ours, falling with tears at His feet, let us exclaim in joy and tenderness: glory to Thee, our dearest Redeemer, Who for Thy great love for us, unworthy, was pleased to send Thy angels to serve our salvation! Amen.
Listen to the prayer to Archangel Michael:
Prayer to Archangel Michael from evil forces
“Oh, Saint Michael the Archangel, have mercy on us sinners who demand your intercession, save us, the servants of God (names), from all visible and invisible enemies, and, moreover, strengthen us from the horror of mortals and from the embarrassment of the devil, and grant us to shamelessly appear before our Creator in the hour of His terrible and righteous Judgment. O all-holy, great Michael the Archangel! Do not despise us sinners who pray to you for help and your intercession in this world and in the future, but grant us there together with you to glorify the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit forever and ever.”
Prayer to Archangel Michael for the departed
“Holy Archangel of God Michael, if my relatives (names of the deceased... and relatives in the flesh up to the tribe of Adam) are in the lake of fire, then lead them out of the eternal fire with your blessed wing and bring them to the Throne of God and beg our Lord Jesus Christ to forgive them their sins. Amen".
Prayer to Saint Archangel Michael from enemies
“Oh, Saint Michael the Archangel, bright and formidable commander of the Heavenly King! Before Last Judgment weaken me, repent of my sins, deliver my soul from the net that catches me and bring me to the God who created me, who sits on the Cherubim, and pray diligently for her, so that through your intercession I will be sent to a place of peace. O formidable commander of the Heavenly Powers, representative of all at the Throne of the Lord Christ, guardian of the strong man and wise armorer, strong commander of the Heavenly King! Have mercy on me, a sinner who requires your intercession, save me from all visible and invisible enemies, and moreover, strengthen me from the horror of death and from the embarrassment of the devil, and grant me the honor of unashamedly presenting myself to our Creator at the hour of His terrible and righteous Judgment. O all-holy, great Michael the Archangel! Do not despise me, a sinner, who prays to you for your help and intercession, in this world and in the future, but grant me there together with you to glorify the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit forever and ever. Amen."
Archangel Michael is the most important angel who led the army that rebelled against Satan. In the church he is considered the main intercessor and fighter against evil and injustice. On the icons the archangel is depicted as a handsome and tall man who has a sword in his hands.
Prayers are read to Archangel Michael, asking for help and support in difficult situations, as well as about getting rid of various diseases and protection. The clergy claim that the archangel will hear every person if the appeals come from a pure heart. It is recommended to have an icon with the image of Michael at home; it will not only come in handy during reading, but will also serve as a kind of home talisman against various troubles and evil.
Before turning to the Higher Powers for help, you must ask for forgiveness from all the people whom you, wittingly or unwittingly, offended. You cannot swear or use foul language, or judge others. Stop using alcohol and drugs, this is the only way a person can get closer to God. Remember that the most important thing is faith, without which it is impossible to receive help from Higher powers.
Prayer to Archangel Michael for help
You need to turn to the Higher powers only with a pure heart and soul, since anger and hatred are a wall that cannot be overcome. In order for the archangel to hear prayers, it is necessary to strive for spiritual purity. You can contact Mikhail at times when you need help in different situations, for example, when many problems have arisen and you don’t know how to move on. The Archangel will help in difficult situations and in everyday problems. The prayer also protects against damage; it must be read when a person feels that something is being sent to him. magical influence from the outside. Prayer to Archangel Michael helps protect against even severe damage. Prayer to Archangel Michael from evil forces sounds like this:
“Oh, Saint Michael the Archangel, have mercy on us sinners who demand your intercession, save us, the servants of God (names), from all visible and invisible enemies, and, moreover, strengthen us from the horror of mortals and from the embarrassment of the devil, and grant us to shamelessly appear before our Creator in the hour of His terrible and righteous Judgment. O all-holy, great Michael the Archangel! Do not despise us sinners who pray to you for help and your intercession in this world and in the future, but grant us there together with you to glorify the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit forever and ever.”
Read the prayer any time you need support. This can be done both in and at home, with or without an icon, because the main thing is faith.
Prayer to Archangel Michael for every day
On all the icons depicting the archangel in his hands, you can see the sword with which he defeats not only existing problems, but also anxieties, fears and various experiences. It is believed that if you read the prayer to the Archangel every day, you don’t have to be afraid of anything, since the person receives the protection of himself. strong angel. You can simply read it every day or before important events in life to get rid of worries and negative thoughts. You are allowed to contact Mikhail at any time of the day. You can read the prayer not only for yourself, but also for loved ones, for example, it will help protect loved one on the road. To pray for other people, you need to write their names on a piece of paper and list them in the places where “name” is written.
A rare prayer to Archangel Michael for every day sounds like this:
“Lord, Great God, King without beginning!
Send, Lord, Your Archangel Michael to the aid of Your servants (name). Protect us, Archangel, from all enemies, visible and invisible.
Destroyer of demons, forbid all enemies fighting me, and make them like sheep, and humble their evil hearts, and crush them like dust in the face of the wind.
Oh, Lord the Great Archangel Michael!
Archangel, six-winged first prince, commander of the Heavenly Forces - Cherub and Seraphim and all saints.
O Pleasant Michael the Archangel!
Ineffable Guardian, be our great helper in all troubles, sorrows, sorrows, in deserts, at crossroads, on rivers and seas, a quiet refuge.
Oh, Lord the Great Archangel Michael!
Deliver us from all the charms of the evil devil, when you hear us, sinners (name), praying to You, calling on Your Holy Name, hasten to help us and hear our prayer.
O Great Archangel Michael!
Defeat everything that opposes us, by the power of the Honest and Life-giving Heavenly Cross of the Lord, through the prayers of the Most Holy Theotokos, the holy Angels and holy apostles, the holy prophet of God Elijah, the holy great Nicholas, the Archbishop of Myra of Lycia, the wonderworker, St. Andrew the Fool, the holy great martyrs Nikita and Eustathius, the saints Royal Passion-Bearers, venerable father and holy saints and martyrs and all the holy Heavenly Powers.
Oh, Lord the Great Archangel Michael!
Help us, Thy sinful servants (name), deliver us from coward, flood, from fire and sword, from vain death, from all evil and from the flattering enemy, and from the reviled storm, and from the evil one, deliver us, great Michael the Archangel of the Lord, always, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen".
If you cannot learn the words of the prayer, then simply write the text by hand on a piece of paper and read it. The main thing is not to rearrange words or stumble while reading, so first look through the text several times.
Prayer to Archangel Michael for the departed
It is necessary to read a prayer for loved ones who have passed away twice a year: September 19 and November 21. It is believed that at exactly midnight these days, Michael descends from heaven, covers the fire in hell with his wing and takes away 
there are many sinners in heaven. That is why, in order to atone for all the sins of the family, it is necessary to read a simple prayer, exactly at midnight. Sincere appeals can even reduce the torment of the soul, for such terrible sin like suicide. It is necessary to write down the names of all the deceased for whom you would like to pray, and list them in order.
The prayer for the departed sounds like this:
“Holy Archangel of God Michael, if my relatives (names of the deceased... and relatives in the flesh up to the tribe of Adam) are in the lake of fire, then lead them out of the eternal fire with your blessed wing and bring them to the Throne of God and beg our Lord Jesus Christ to forgive them their sins. Amen".
Archangel Michael is an angel of mercy and a petitioner before God for people who believe in the Lord. He guides the souls of the righteous to the gates of Paradise. They pray to Archangel Michael for help and deliverance from enemies and natural disasters.
Prayer to Archangel Michael is very strong prayer. It provides the strongest protection for all evil and evil forces.
First prayer
Oh, Saint Michael the Archangel, bright and formidable commander of the Heavenly King! Before the Last Judgment, let me repent from my sins, deliver my soul from the net that catches me and bring me to the God who created me, who dwells on the cherubim, and pray diligently for her, so that through your intercession she will go to a place of rest. O formidable commander of the heavenly powers, representative of all at the Throne of the Lord Christ, guardian of the strong man and wise armorer, strong commander of the Heavenly King! Have mercy on me, a sinner who requires your intercession, save me from all visible and invisible enemies, and, moreover, strengthen me from mortal horror and from the embarrassment of the devil, and grant me the honor of unashamedly presenting myself to our Creator at the hour of His terrible and righteous judgment. O all-holy, great Michael the Archangel! Do not despise me, a sinner, who prays to you for help and your intercession in this world and in the future, but grant me there together with you to glorify the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit forever and ever. Amen
Second prayer
Lord, Great God, King without beginning, send, O Lord, Thy Archangel Michael to the aid of Thy servants (name). Protect us, Archangel, from all enemies, visible and invisible. Oh, Lord the Great Archangel Michael! Destroyer of demons, forbid all enemies fighting me, and make them like sheep, and humble their evil hearts, and crush them like dust in the face of the wind. Oh, Lord the Great Archangel Michael! Six-winged first Prince and Governor of the Heavenly forces - Cherubim and Seraphim, be our helper in all troubles, sorrows, sorrows, a quiet refuge in the desert and on the seas. Oh, Lord the Great Archangel Michael! Deliver us from all the charms of the devil, when You hear us, sinners, praying to You, calling on Your Holy name. Hasten to our aid and overcome all who oppose us, by the power of the Honest and Life-giving Cross of the Lord, the prayers of the Most Holy Theotokos, the prayers of the holy Apostles, St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, Andrew, for Christ's sake, the holy fool, the holy prophet Elijah and all the holy great martyrs: holy martyrs Nikita and Eustathius , and all our reverend fathers, who have pleased God from the ages, and all the holy Heavenly Powers. Amen
A short prayer for every day
Holy Archangel of God Michael, drive away from me with your lightning sword the evil spirit that tempts me. O great Archangel of God Michael, conqueror of demons! Defeat and crush all my enemies, visible and invisible, and pray to the Lord Almighty, may the Lord save and preserve me from sorrows and from all illnesses, from deadly plagues and vain deaths, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen
Orthodox Christians believe that in addition to the visible physical world, there is also a spiritual, invisible world. We find confirmation of this in Holy Scripture. This world is inhabited by angels - incorporeal spiritual beings. Translated from ancient Greek, the word “angel” means “messenger”. They received this name because it is through His angels that the Lord often helps us in our earthly life and makes His Will clear.
We cannot know for certain about the structure of the subtle spiritual world, but we know that there, too, its own hierarchy operates. Thus, Archangel Michael is considered one of the “main” angels.
The prefix “archi” indicates a higher service at the Throne of the Lord compared to other heavenly entities.
In what cases is a prayer to Archangel Michael read and why?
How to pray to the Holy Archangel correctly
Our church teaches that there are nine orders of angels in total. Relying on doctrine, any Orthodox Christian has no reason to deny such an angelic hierarchy. Arachangel Michael is prayed to as the leader of the entire angelic army. It is not for nothing that he is depicted on the icon with a sword - according to legend, it was with this sword that Dennitsa, who became Satan, was overthrown from Paradise.
Since ancient times, Orthodox warriors have read the prayer to Archangel Michael when going to battle. Of course, it would be blasphemy to pray before undertaking any dishonorable or criminal deed or lawlessness. You can only resort to spiritual help with clear conscience and before fighting for a just cause.
Read about Archangel Michael:
They pray to the leader of the angels in such cases:
- before battles;
- in military conflicts;
- for protection from the influence of evil forces;
- to help in the spiritual struggle with passions.
Any anger and negativity is from the evil one, and the words of such an appeal to God will never be heard. In addition, one must always remember that a person always carries the greatest evil in his soul. A prayer to Archangel Michael for every day can become powerful weapon in the fight against one's own sins and passions. You just have to sincerely ask for help, and it will definitely come. Most strong man the one who managed to defeat himself. And real victory over yourself lies in taming your passions. The person himself is not able to cope with such a task, so you need to ask God's help.
An important point is also the general attitude towards prayer as such. Today you can meet many views when prayer is turned into some kind of ritual or magic spell. This approach is contrary to the spirit Orthodox faith and besides spiritual harm it brings nothing to a person. We need to turn to God only by trusting in His mercy towards us and believing that the Lord will never send anything that could harm a person.
Miracles of the Archangel Michael
Many Christians around the world have been able to personally verify the undeniable help that the heavenly intercessor provides to all who turn to him for help with faith and a pure heart. But where did his veneration come from in the first place?
Tradition indicates that the temple to the main angel was erected in Phrygia. Near this temple there was a spring with healing water. The temple was built by a man whose mute daughter spoke after drinking this water.
After the construction of the majestic temple, the most different people from all over the area, seeking recovery and spiritual help in weaknesses and troubles. Even many pagans received healing from the temple source, which led to mass renunciations of idolatry and baptisms into the faith of Christ. Of course, such a spread of the new faith could not go unnoticed by ardent pagans.
A certain man, Arkhippus, served in the new temple and was distinguished by his special piety and fear of God. Through his prayers and efforts, many opponents of Christianity were baptized and accepted the true faith. And so the enemies of Christianity, embittered at the saint, decided to kill him and at the same time destroy the temple they hated. To do this, they decided to connect the waters of two rivers that flowed nearby. The water was supposed to rush towards the temple in a single powerful stream, sweeping away everything in its path.
Having learned about the impending trouble, Arkhippus diligently read a prayer to the Apostle Michael, very strong protection which did not cause the saint the slightest doubt. And a real miracle happened - the leader of the heavenly army, Michael, himself appeared near the temple. With his sword, he made a deep gap in the nearest rock, and all the water rushed there, bypassing the temple. Having witnessed such obvious divine intervention, the pagans became cowardly and ran away. Saint Archippus did not cease to thank the Lord together with his devoted disciples.
The memory of this miracle is celebrated in our church to this day, receiving the name of the miracle of the Archangel Michael in Khony.
Cathedral of the Archangel Michael
Another revered holiday of our church, associated with the leader of the heavenly army, is the Council of the Archangel Michael. The Holy Church celebrates it annually in November. On the day of this holiday, all the ethereal heavenly forces that protect us every day in earthly life are revered.
The prayer to Archangel Michael against evil forces on this day is of particular importance, since absolutely all ethereal entities populating the spiritual world take up the fight against the spirits of evil. The teachings of the Holy Church distinguish nine angelic ranks, which are all under the leadership of the supreme Archangel.
Prayers to other archangels:
On this day, it is very advisable to attend a church service in order to personally address the heavenly powers with your requests. Many churches hold prayer services with blessing of water - blessed water You can drink from them every day while reading the rules or in difficult life circumstances.
Prayer to Archangel Michael every day is a great protection for all Orthodox Christian believers from any evil. We should not forget that, due to God’s great mercy towards people, we have been given the protection of an entire army of spiritual forces. You just have to remember to ask for help and try to do it with sincere faith and a pure heart.
Text of prayer to Archangel Michael
Holy and great Archangel of God Michael, the inscrutable and all-essential Trinity, the first primate of the Angels, the guardian and guardian of the human race, crushing with his army the head of the proud Denis in heaven and putting to shame his malice and deceit on earth! We resort to you with faith and we pray to you with love: be an indestructible shield and a strong shield for the Holy Church and our Orthodox Fatherland, protecting them with your lightning sword from all enemies, visible and invisible. Do not, O Archangel of God, forsake us through your help and intercession, who today glorify your holy name: behold, even though we are many sinners, we do not want to perish in our iniquities, but to turn to the Lord and be quickened by Him to do good deeds . Illuminate our minds with the light of God’s face, which shines on your lightning-like brow, so that we can understand that God’s will for us is good and perfect, and that we know all that it is fitting for us to do and that which we should despise and abandon. Strengthen our weak will and weak will with the grace of the Lord, so that, having established ourselves in the law of the Lord, we will cease to be dominated by earthly thoughts and the lusts of the flesh, carried away in the likeness of senseless children by the soon-to-perish beauties of this world, as if for the sake of the corruptible and earthly it is foolish to forget the eternal and heavenly. For all of these, ask us from above for the spirit of true repentance, unfeigned sadness for God and contrition for our sins, so that we may spend the remaining number of days of our temporary life not in pleasing our feelings and working with our passions, but in erasing the evils we have committed with tears of faith and contrition of heart, deeds of purity and holy deeds of mercy. When the hour of our end approaches, liberation from the bonds of this mortal body, do not leave us. Archangel of God, defenseless against the spirits of wickedness in heaven, accustomed to block the souls of mankind from rising to heaven, yes, protected by you, we will reach those glorious villages of paradise without stumbling, where there is no sorrow, no sighing, but endless life, and, being honored to see the bright face of the All-Blessed Lord and Master ours, falling with tears at His feet, let us exclaim in joy and tenderness: glory to Thee, our dearest Redeemer, Who for Thy great love for us, unworthy, was pleased to send Thy angels to serve our salvation! Amen.
Very strong protection. Prayer to Archangel Michael