“The Prayer Team” is a daily devotion written by Fr. Stavros N. Akrotirianakis, written every day since February 2015. Fr. Stavros is the Parish Priest at St. John the Baptist Greek Orthodox Church in Tampa, Florida. It began in February 2015 as an opportunity to write more on the subject of prayer and now has branched into other subjects.
O Lord, my God, I call for help by day; I cry out in the night before Thee. Let my prayer come before Thee, incline Thy ear to my cry! Psalm 88:1-2 Psalm 88 is one of the “Six Psalms” that are read at the Orthros services in the Orthodox Church. Read more
How lovely is Thy dwelling place, O Lord of Hosts! My soul longs, yea, faints for the courts of the Lord; my heart and flesh sing for joy to the living God. Psalm 84:1-2 Begin this morning’s reflection by reading Psalm 84:1-2, out loud slowly three times. How does that make Read more
At that time, Jesus said this parable, “Therefore the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his servants. When he began the reckoning, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents; and as he could not pay, his lord Read more
If to others I am not an apostle, at least I am to you; for you are the seal of my apostleship in the Lord. This is my defense to those who would examine me. Do we not have the right to our food and drink? Do we not have Read more
Arise, O God, judge the earth; for to Thee belong all the nations! Psalm 82:8 One of the greatest misnomers about Orthodoxy is that we aren’t a Bible based church. Many of us were raised not reading the Bible. Many people put more stock in “Tradition” than the Bible. And many Read more
I will give thanks to Thee, O Lord my God, with my whole heart, and I will glorify Thy name forever. Psalm 86:12 There is an elementary school and middle school whose campuses are connected into one large complex about four blocks from my house. To walk, run or bike around Read more
Restore us, O God; let Thy face shine, that we may be saved! Psalm 80:3 One beautiful thing about the Psalms is that they capture every emotion, every feeling, every need that we can have. No, they are not all captured in one Psalm, but when we make our way through Read more
Seek first His Kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things shall be yours as well. Matthew 6:33 In yesterday’s reflection, we discussed finding balance in life, in terms of how we spend our time. Today’s reflection is going to depart from the Psalms for a day, to deal with some Read more
Arise, O God, please Thy cause; remember how the impious scoff at Thee all the day! Do not forget the clamor of Thy foes, the uproar of Thy adversaries which goes up continually! Psalm 74: 22-23 The battle between good and evil has raged since the Fall of mankind, when Cain Read more
Thou does guide me with Thy counsel, and afterward Thou wilt receive me to glory. Psalm 73: 24 In many of my reflections, I have written about activities we do at summer camp. One of the best ways to learn is through experience, and at summer camp, one of the favorite Read more
In Thee, O Lord, do I take refuge; let me never be put to shame! In Thy righteousness deliver me and rescue me; incline Thy ear to me, and save me! Psalm 71:1-2 We’ve all had the feeling of a long journey. Not all “long journeys” involve travel. For instance, a Read more
Be not silent, O God of my praise! Psalm 109:1 During this time of pandemic, I have chosen to write on the Psalms, since many of them provide comfort. I plan to go back to writing the “Heart of Encouragement” unit towards the end of the year. I will not be Read more