“In peace, I will both lie down and sleep; for you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety.” --Psalm 4:8
Praying helps us lay down our cares. One of the best ways to seek a good night's rest is to release the claims of the day from your mind and center your heart in God's loving gaze. The Anglican tradition has many beautiful resources from formal to informal to aid in preparing for sleep, secure in the love of God.
One option is the ancient service of Compline in the Book of Common Prayer, which takes about ten minutes to pray. If you do not have a Book of Common Prayer, most of the book is available online at bcponline.org. For the specific link to the Compline service, click here. To pray along with a video of this service from St. Martin's, try this:
Our kindred in the Anglican Church of Aotearoa, New Zealand, and Polynesia have a wonderfully poetic Night Prayer Service from their online prayer book; you can find the link to this lovely liturgy of Night Prayer, with many beautiful options, including modern versions of familiar psalms, here. To pray along with a video of this service to help you get acclimated, here's a great example:
Here is a sampling of shorter prayers you can pray by yourself, or with your loved ones, as you lay down to rest at night.
Evening Prayer for Peace
O Lord God, grant your peace to us,
for you have supplied us with all things —
the peace of rest,
the peace of the Sabbath which has no evening;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
- St. Augustine of Hippo
Be Our Light
Be our light in the darkness, O Lord,
and in your great mercy
defend us from all perils and dangers of this night;
for the love of your only Son, our Savior Jesus Christ.
Amen.
-- from the Compline service in the Book of Common Prayer
Support us, O Lord
O Lord, support us all the day long,
until the shadows lengthen
and the evening come,
and the busy world is hushed,
and the fever of life is over,
and our work is done.
Then, in thy mercy,
grant us a safe lodging,
and a holy rest,
and peace at the last.
Amen.
-- from St. Augustine's Prayer Book, available from Forward Movement
Keep Watch, Dear Lord
Keep watch, dear Lord,
with those who work,
or watch,
or weep this night,
and give your angels charge over those who sleep.
Tend the sick, Lord Christ;
give rest to the weary,
bless the dying,
soothe the suffering,
pity the afflicted,
shield the joyous;
and all for your love's sake.
Amen.
-- from the Compline service in the Book of Common Prayer
Gracious God, Support Us
Gracious God,
support us all the day long of this earthly life,
until the shadows lengthen and the evening comes, the busy world is hushed, the fever of life is over, and our work is done. Then, O God, in your mercy, grant us safe lodging,
a holy rest, and peace at the last; through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
-- John Henry Newman, 19th century
We Pause at End of Day
We paid at the ending of the day to thank you, O God,
for life itself;
for the wonders of existence;
for our family and friends;
our food and shelter and all the necessities of life.
We thank you, also,
for ll the unexpected things that make life happy and bright,
and for the common things, like water and light.
Amen.
-- adapted from a prayer by Theodore Parker Ferris, 1908-1972
For Children:
Before the Ending of the Day
Before the ending of the day, Creator of the world, we pray That you, with steadfast love, would keep Your watch around us while we sleep.
Tonight we pray for _________ (friends or loved ones)
and the people of __________ (village, city, country).
We give thanks for __________ (encourage at least three things from this day).
Amen.
-- adapted from the Church of England
Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John
Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John,
Bless the bed that I lie on.
Four corners to my bed,
Four angels round my head;
One to watch and one to pray,
And two to guard my soul always. Amen.
-- adapted from a medieval prayer
Night Blessing
The moon and stars dance overhead To let us know it’s time for bed. Night holds us in a safe embrace, So we may rest in this warm place. Thank you, dear God, for this past day With time to learn and time to play. Thank you for friends, and family too, God bless them all, and bless us too! God, guide our dreams, for your love’s sake, Bless all with peace until we wake.
Jesus, stay near, with angels bright,
And guard us through this blessed Night.
Amen.
-- The Rev. Leslie Scoopmire
