Praying Well

Tὰ ῥήματά μου ἐνώτισαι Kύριε σύνες τῆς κραυγῆς μου, πρόσχες τῇ φωνῇ τῆς δεήσεώς μου ὁ βασιλεύς μου καὶ ὁ θεός μου... Πολλαῖς καὶ πάντοθεν βαλλομένη τρικυμίιας ἡ τοῦ Θεοῦ Ἐκκλησία, καὶ μέντοι καὶ ἐκάστη ψυχὴ τὸν εὐσεβῆ βίον ἀσπαζομένη περιγίνεται καὶ τοῦ κλύδωνος ὑπερνήξεται, τὴν θείαν ἐπικουρίαν καλοῦσα διηνεκῶς, Τοῦτο δὴ καὶ ὁ προφητικὸς ἡμᾶς ἐκπαιδεύει λόγος, διδάσκων ὅπως προσήκει τὸν τῶν ὅλων Θεὸν καὶ βασιλέα λιπαρεῖν τε καὶ ἰκετεύειν· καὶ διδάσκει λέγων· Τὰ ῥήματά μου ἑνώτισαι, Κύριε, σύνες τῇ κραυγῇ μου, πρόσχες τῇ φωνῇ τῆς δεήσεώς μου. Ἀλλ' οὔτε τὴν Κραυγὴν κραυγὴν νοητέον, οὔτε τὰ ὦτα ὦτα· περὶ γὰρ τοῦ Θεοῦ τῶν ὅλων σωματικώτερον ἔθος τῇ θείᾳ Γραφῇ λαλεῖν, καὶ ἀπὸ τῶν ἀνθρωπίνων μορίων τὰς θείας ἐνεργείας ἀποκαλεῖν· ὀφθαλμοὺς τὴν ὀπτικὴν, καὶ τὴν ἀκουστικὴν ὦτα, καὶ τἄλλα ὡσαύτως. Κραυγὴν δὲ, ἐπὶ τῶν εὐχομένων τὴν προθυμίαν καελῖ, καὶ τὴν σπουδαίαν τῆς διανοίας ἰκετείαν. Τὸ δὲ ἐνώτισαι, ἀντὶ τοῦ, Εἴδω τῶν ὤτων σου γενέσθω μου τῆς προσευχῆς τὰ ῥήματα, καὶ εὐμενῶς ἄκουσον τῆς ἐμῆς ἰκετείας, καὶ πρόσχες ἀκριβως τοῖς τῆς δεήσεώς μου λόγοις, ἐπειδή σε Θεὸν οἶδα καὶ βασιλέα. Θεοδώρητος Ἐπίσκοπος Κύρρος, Ἑρμηνεία εἰς Τους Ψαλμούς, Ψαλμός Ε´ Source: Migne PG 80.896b

With your ears attend to my words, O Lord, understand my cry, look upon the voice of my prayer, my king and my God.... 1 From every direction many great waves strike the church of God, but indeed each soul which embraces the pious life is lifted above them and floats above the billows, continually imploring Divine aid. The word of the prophet instructs us concerning this, teaching us how to entreat God and decently petition the king, saying, 'With your ears attend to my words, O Lord, understand my cry, look upon the voice of my prayer.' Truly neither 'cry' should be understood as a cry, nor 'ears' as ears, for the Sacred Scriptures are accustomed to speak of the God of all things as a corporeal thing, and similarly to name the Divine operations after human members, 'eyes' for the power of seeing, 'ears' for hearing, and likewise with other things. What he calls 'a cry,' however, is the intent of the will for prayer and the strenuous supplication of the mind. So 'With your ears attend...' and the rest, is the same as: 'May the words of my petition enter into your ears and kindly hear my prayers, diligently attending to the reasons for my supplication, because I know you are God and King.' Theodoret of Cyrrhus, Commentary on the Psalms, from Psalm 5 1 Ps 5.2-3