---
title: "Prayer and the Rule of Prayer — Church history"
description: "How Orthodox Christians pray at home. The Orthodox Church calendar, icons, prayers, lives of saints and Church history on spas.life."
url: "https://spas.life/en/orthodoxy/history/basics-prayer"
language: "en"
---

Basics of the faith

# Prayer and the Rule of Prayer

How Orthodox Christians pray at home.

## Contents

1. [The rule](https://spas.life/en/orthodoxy/history/basics-prayer#s1)
2. [The Jesus Prayer](https://spas.life/en/orthodoxy/history/basics-prayer#s2)
3. [About the texts in this app](https://spas.life/en/orthodoxy/history/basics-prayer#s3)

## The rule

The morning and evening prayers of the prayer book form the daily rule; its measure is agreed with one's confessor. Prayers are read before icons, standing, with the sign of the cross and bows.

## The Jesus Prayer

The short prayer “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner” is repeated through the day; it is the basis of the tradition of inner prayer.

## About the texts in this app

Prayers are given according to the standard prayer-book text without editorial alteration of the canonical wording; explanations are kept separate.

## Related

- [The Jesus Prayer](https://spas.life/en/orthodoxy/prayers/jesus-prayer)
- [Morning prayer of St Macarius the Great](https://spas.life/en/orthodoxy/prayers/morning-macarius)