Why Do Orthodox Christians Ask Saints to Pray for Them?

Orthodox Christians ask saints to pray for them for the same fundamental reason Christians ask one another for prayer: the Church is a communion of persons united in Christ.

Are saints believed to replace God? No. Every genuine Christian prayer is ultimately dependent on God. Saints are not independent supernatural powers.

Why ask someone who has died? Orthodox Christianity confesses that those who are alive in Christ are not destroyed by physical death. The saints remain members of Christ's Church.

Is this worship? No. The Church distinguishes veneration and requests for intercession from the worship offered to God alone.

For the wider subject, see Why Do Orthodox Christians Venerate Saints?.