So many times we can almost feel too tired to pray before sleep, yet just a short prayer can draw us into a good place for rest. As we pray we allow God to "hold" and "keep" things for us - our worries or hopes, our sadness or joys.
There are many things that we process as we sleep. It is known that the body carries out essential repairs, that our minds do the critical work of sorting and processing our experiences, and our emotions can find solace in sleep. Praying is a little like making a bed. Our prayers soften the place to lie and rest, they cover us with warmth and love and hold us when we are alone. This page has several inspiring prayers you can pray for sleep and rest, with a beautiful good night prayer for loved ones, (e.g. family members or close friends), an evening prayer for before bed, and a powerful midnight prayer. We begin with a prayer for peaceful and restful sleep:-
O Lord, I long to find true rest
O Lord, I long to find true rest and so I come to you,
As I lay down I need you near to hold me all night through.
Please help my mind to wind right down and guide my dreams to heal.
O Lord, restore my tired limbs. Help me to find peace here.
As I close my eyes to sleep, come help me to trust in you.
And all the loved ones I hold dear, that you would hold them too.
O Lord, the night time flies so fast, may I be blessed with time.
And sleep that is deep and peaceful, a heavenly dreamtime.
So as I crawl into bed tonight, I rest within your care.
And trust that you'll be beside me, you hear my every prayer.
(a contemporary rhyming night prayer poem from www.prayerscapes.com)
Goodnight Prayer for Loved Ones
Heavenly Father,
Please hold these I love as they sleep. Bless them with peace that surpasses understanding, sow in them hope that can not be put out, grow in them dreams and visions for their future and protect them with your unconditional love.
Amen.
evening prayer
A simple prayer suitable for meditation before sleep at bedtime:-
download and keep this film in HD for $2.50
prayer in this film
Evening Prayer
(prayer before bed)
Dear Father in Heaven,
Here, safe with you, I drink in your peace. Help me to sift through the many experiences, feelings and thoughts I have encountered today. I allow myself to rest, to wind down and to be still. Help me to surrender all I am to you, my fatigue, my concerns, my hopes and fears.As I sleep tonight, I choose to hold your hand. I choose to live with you. I choose to believe, I choose to trust, I choose you always.
Amen.
(prayer by Julie Palmer copyright © 2018 www.living-prayers.com)
meditation for night prayer
Powerful Midnight Prayer
Father,
You know my worries and care for my troubles. So I give these heavy concerns to you. I lay these situations at your feet.
The empty cross is a place of rest, where I can reflect upon your resurrection and the moment when love overcame. Thank you that your love in me can transform the landscape of my life. I walk with peace into the new day, and put my hope in you. Nothing is outside of your redeeming love, might I rest now in the knowledge that you will light my path and guide my life.
Amen.
night time prayer
A prayer for bedtime that reminds us of God's protection and renewing work within us. Featuring images of the sun setting over the sea of Galilee.
download and keep this film in HD for $2.50
Night Time
(the prayer poem in the film above)
As the darkness draws in, you are the light in my heart
As the air turns colder, you are the warmth in my soul
As the stars are revealed, you renew my spirit
As the moon shines, I know I am held safe in your arms.
(prayer courtesy www.living-prayers.com)
Short Night Prayer Before Going to Sleep
Everlasting Lord, Thank you for all the good gifts you give to us. May I dwell in this goodness as I sleep, and awake tomorrow with love, faith and hope for a new day. Amen.
related film
psalm 23
a reading of the famous prayer by King David ("The Lord is my Shepherd") followed by a short song meditation.
related prayers
midnight prayer
Featuring three prayers for the midnight hour, with a modern prayer for breakthrough, a short powerful prayer and a contemporary rhyming prayer.
