There are many things that Christians have done from the beginning that are “unscriptural”: St. Basil the Great gave a short and by no means comprehensive list—facing East when praying, making the sign of the cross—and I would add, collecting and venerating the relics of martyrs (the record of St. Polycarp’s martyrdom, a few years after the repose of the Holy Apostle and Evanglist John the Theologian makes this clear, as does the fact that we have preserved relics of the Holy Apostles themselves); making our altars images of the heavenly altar from under which the martyrs cry, by placing a relic of a martyr under them, now that we no longer celebrate liturgies on their tombs as Christians did during the persecutions; and, yes, talking to our fellow-servants of God who are not usually obvious to the material senses, both the angels and the saints.
The Holy Scriptures are not an axiom system from which all proper Christian belief, much less Christian praxis, can be derived by logical deduction, much though that might be desired by the post-Luther rationalist Christians who are generally called protestants (though they might call themselves “Biblical Christians” or even “Christians”, using the term in such way as to attempt to deny it not only to the adherents of the Latin Papacy, but to those of us who serve in, for instance, the Church of Antioch (where the disciples were first called Christians)). Christ didn’t give us a book, he founded a Church, and though we Orthodox and our separated Latin brethren may disagree about where that Church may be found in its fullness today, and about the nature of catholicity, we and they agree that tossing out the faith and practice handed on by the Apostles and held throughout the Church, from before it was plagued by schism, and trying to reconstruct Christianity out of the text of a (shortened) canon of Scripture was and is wrong-headed. The “Reformation” no more represented reform in its proper meaning than does Obama’s “health care reform”.
In these latter days, that project has led to those wonderfully “Scriptural” prayers that Fr. Peter Gilquist mocks as “We just wanna” liturgics: “Lord, we just wanna hold up your servant [name],” “Lord, we just wanna praise you,” and the like.
Quite frankly, give me that old-time religion: if it was good enough for St. John Chrysostom, it’s good enough for me.
LOL! Amen.
Holy Angel, overseer of my wretched soul and miserable life, do not abandon me a sinner, do not desert me because of my inconstancy;
This is the job of the Holy Spirit in a believer's life.
leave no place for the evil demon to obtain dominion over me by gaining control of this mortal body;
Because the Holy Spirit seals us until the Day of Redemption, there is no way a demon can possess a believer in Christ.
strengthen my wretched and feeble hand, and guide me into the way of salvation.
The Holy Spirit's job and the way of salvation is the Gospel of saved by grace through Faith in Jesus Christ.
Yea, O Holy Angel of God, guardian and protector of my wretched soul and body,
The angels are sent to protect and guard the child of God. They are the messengers of God.
pardon me all things whereby I have saddened thee all the days of my life, and whatever sins I have committed this day;
Against God and God only do we sin and he forgives and cleanses us when we come to him in repentance, confessing our sins to him.
shelter me in the coming night and protect me from every abuse of the adversary, that I may not anger my God by any sin;
No real heartburn with this part.
and intercede for me to the Lord, to strengthen me in His fear, and show me to be a worthy servant of His goodness.
Jesus Christ is our mediator and intercessor. Not angels.
Well said, brother.