Prayer before bed: Christian bedtime prayers for tonight

A Christian prayer before bed hands the day back to God and trusts him with the night. Thank him for one or two things from today, confess what went wrong, give him what's unfinished, and ask him to keep you and the people you love while you sleep. Many Christians end with Psalm 4:8: "In peace I will both lay myself down and sleep, for you, Yahweh alone, make me live in safety" (WEB).

Below: a prayer to pray tonight, a 5-minute bedtime routine, short prayers for peace, protection, worry and gratitude, the church's old night prayer made simple, verses to fall asleep on, and a 7-night plan to make it a habit. Scripture is from the World English Bible.

A prayer before bed to pray tonight

Read it slowly. Where there's a blank, fill it in with your own words.

"Father, thank you for this day. Thank you for (one good thing) and for (one person). You were with me in the parts I noticed and the parts I didn't.

Forgive me for (what I said or did, or didn't do). Wash it away, and help me make it right tomorrow where I can.

I give you what I didn't finish: (name it). I give you what I'm worried about: (name it). You're awake all night; I don't have to be.

Watch over (names) tonight. Keep our home safe. Give me sleep that restores me, and wake me ready to love you and the people around me.

In peace I will lie down and sleep, because you alone keep me safe. In Jesus' name, amen."

That's the whole shape of a bedtime prayer: thanks, confession, handing over, asking, and rest. The rest of this guide gives you more words for each part.

Why pray before bed?

The Bible pictures God's people praying at night, not only in the morning.

• God doesn't sleep. "He who keeps you will not slumber. Behold, he who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep" (Psalm 121:3-4, WEB). Bedtime is the moment to remember that the world is held by someone other than you.
• Sleep is a gift, not something you earn. "It is vain for you to rise up early, to stay up late, eating the bread of toil, for he gives sleep to his loved ones" (Psalm 127:2, WEB).
• The night is a place to meet God. David says, "I remember you on my bed, and think about you in the night watches" (Psalm 63:6, WEB).
• Jesus slept in a storm. In Mark 4:38 the disciples find him asleep on a cushion while the boat fills with water. Trusting his Father let him rest.
• Don't carry today into tomorrow. "Don't let the sun go down on your wrath" (Ephesians 4:26, WEB). Bedtime is a natural place to settle anger and ask forgiveness.

There's also a plain human reason. The minutes before sleep are when most of us replay the day and rehearse tomorrow. A prayer gives those thoughts somewhere to go.

A 5-minute bedtime prayer routine

Do this in bed with the lights low, or sitting on the edge of the bed before you lie down. Put the phone face down first, or across the room.

On tired nights, do only the last step. One verse prayed and meant is a real bedtime prayer.

If you'd like a set time of prayer in the morning too, our free day 1 guided prayer is ten minutes, read aloud, so you can pray it with your eyes closed.

Short prayers before bed

Pick one that fits the night. Each takes under a minute.

For peace

"Lord, quiet my mind. Your peace is bigger than my thoughts. Guard my heart and my thoughts tonight in Christ Jesus. Amen." (from Philippians 4:7)

For protection

"Father, you are my shelter. Watch over this house, every door and every room, and everyone who sleeps here. Keep us from harm and from fear. Amen." (from Psalm 91)

For worry about tomorrow

"Jesus, you told me not to be anxious for tomorrow, because tomorrow will take care of itself. I give you (name it). I'll meet it when it comes, and you'll be there first. Amen." (from Matthew 6:34)

For gratitude

"Thank you, God, for food today, for a bed tonight, for (name), and for not leaving me alone for one minute of this day. Amen."

After a hard day

"Lord, today was heavy. You said, 'Come to me, all you who labor and are heavily burdened, and I will give you rest.' I'm coming. I can't fix it tonight. Hold it for me until morning. Amen." (from Matthew 11:28)

After an argument

"Father, I don't want to go to sleep angry. Show me my part. Soften my heart toward (name), and give us the words to make peace tomorrow. Amen." (from Ephesians 4:26)

For someone you love who is far away

"Lord, you're with (name) right now, in a place I can't be. Give them rest and keep them safe. Let them know they're loved tonight. Amen."

When you're sick or in pain

"Lord, my body hurts and I'm tired of it. Ease the pain enough for me to rest. Give wisdom to the people caring for me. Be near me in the hours I'm awake. Amen."

For a one-breath version of any of these, see our guide to breath prayers.

Traditional bedtime prayers

"Now I lay me down to sleep"

This children's prayer was printed in the New England Primer in the 1700s and is still the best-known bedtime prayer in America:

"Now I lay me down to sleep,
I pray the Lord my soul to keep;
If I should die before I wake,
I pray the Lord my soul to take."

Many families now use a gentler last couplet, such as "Guard me, Jesus, through the night, and wake me with the morning light," because the line about dying can frighten small children. Both versions say the same true thing: my life is in God's hands while I sleep.

Into your hands

Jesus' last words on the cross were a line from Psalm 31:5 (Luke 23:46): "Into your hand I commend my spirit. You redeem me, Yahweh, God of truth" (WEB). It makes a short, deep bedtime prayer for adults.

Simeon's prayer

The old man Simeon held the baby Jesus and prayed, "Now you are releasing your servant, Master, according to your word, in peace; for my eyes have seen your salvation" (Luke 2:29-30, WEB). Churches have prayed it at the close of the day for centuries.

Compline: the church's night prayer, made simple

Compline is the last of the church's daily prayer services, prayed just before sleep. Many Protestant churches still use it; the Episcopal Book of Common Prayer (1979) includes "An Order for Compline." You don't need the book to pray its shape at home in about 7 minutes:

1. Opening. "The Lord Almighty grant us a peaceful night and a perfect end." (BCP 1979)
2. Confession. A moment of silence, then confess the day's sins and receive forgiveness.
3. A psalm. Psalm 4, Psalm 91 or Psalm 134 are the traditional night psalms. Read one aloud.
4. A short reading. Matthew 11:28-30 or Jeremiah 14:9 ("Yet you, Yahweh, are in the middle of us, and we are called by your name. Don't leave us," WEB).
5. Prayers. The Lord's Prayer, then the people on your heart.
6. The night prayer. "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." (BCP 1979)
7. Close. Simeon's prayer, then: "Guide us waking, O Lord, and guard us sleeping; that awake we may watch with Christ, and asleep we may rest in peace." (BCP 1979)

The "Keep watch" prayer is a good one to learn by heart. It turns your mind from your own worries to the nurses, the night-shift workers, the grieving and the sick, and it reminds you that the church prays through the night.

Bible verses to pray before sleep

Choose one verse for the week and pray it every night until you know it. A verse you know by heart is there when you wake at 3 a.m. and can't find your phone, or don't want to look at it.

When you can't stop thinking

Many people find that the moment they lie down, their mind speeds up. A few things help:

• Write it down first. Keep a notebook by the bed. Before you pray, write tomorrow's tasks and worries in a list. Then pray over the list as one thing: "Lord, here's tomorrow. It's yours."
• Turn each worry into one sentence of prayer. When a thought comes back, don't argue with it. Say, "Lord, I gave you that," and return to your verse.
• Pray for someone else. Praying for others pulls your mind off your own loop. Go through the "Keep watch" prayer slowly.
• Don't use prayer time to plan. If you catch yourself solving tomorrow's problem, stop and hand it over.

If you wake in the night and can't get back to sleep, our guide to a prayer for a sleepless night has prayers for 2 a.m. and a plan for those hours. For a racing mind during the day, see prayer for peace of mind.

Your phone and your bedtime prayer

For most of us the last thing before sleep is a screen. It's hard to pray well after scrolling, and it's easy to pick the phone back up after "amen." Some simple changes:

• Pray before the phone goes on the charger, not after. Or charge it outside the bedroom.
• If you use a prayer app or audio, start it, then put the phone face down. Let it play while your eyes are closed.
• Swap the last scroll for the last psalm. Read one short psalm from a paper Bible on the nightstand.

Praying before bed with a spouse or family

Bedtime prayer is one of the easiest ways for couples to pray together, because you're already in the same place at the same time.

• Couples: take turns. One prays thanks for the day, the other prays for tomorrow. Two or three sentences each is plenty. Hold hands if you like.
• Children: ask "What was the best part of today? What was hard?" and turn both answers into a short prayer together. End with a blessing over them by name.

Our guide to an evening prayer for family has a full 10-minute family prayer time, prayers for kids by age, and blessings to say at bedtime. For praying for your children by name each night, see how to pray for your children.

A 7-night plan to make bedtime prayer a habit

After a week, keep the 5-minute routine as your default and use the short prayers for nights you're too tired. Tie it to something you already do every night: brushing your teeth, turning off the lamp, plugging in the phone. The habit sticks to the thing it follows.

Mistakes that make bedtime prayer hard

• Waiting until you're half asleep. If you always fall asleep mid-prayer, pray sitting up, or pray before you get into bed.
• Making it long. Bedtime isn't the time for your whole prayer list. Save that for the morning; at night, give thanks and give things over.
• Feeling guilty for falling asleep while praying. Falling asleep while talking to your Father isn't failure. Children do it all the time.
• Only asking. A bedtime prayer that's only requests can stir your mind up. Start with thanks.
• Skipping it on bad nights. The nights you least feel like praying are often the nights one verse helps most.

When sleep problems need more than prayer

Prayer is real help, and it's not a replacement for care. The CDC says most adults need at least 7 hours of sleep a night. If you've had trouble falling or staying asleep on most nights for several weeks, if you snore loudly or stop breathing in your sleep, if you're exhausted during the day, or if worry or low mood is keeping you up, talk to your doctor. Treatments for long-term insomnia work well, and the American College of Physicians recommends a talking therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) as the first treatment. Keep praying while you get help.

If you're having thoughts of harming yourself, call or text 988 (the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline in the US), any time of night.

Common questions

What is a good Christian prayer before bed?

One that thanks God for the day, confesses what went wrong, hands over tomorrow, and asks for rest. The prayer at the top of this page does all four in about a minute. Psalm 4:8 is a good one-line prayer when you're tired.

Is it OK to pray lying down in bed?

Yes. The Bible has no required posture for prayer, and David speaks of remembering God "on my bed" (Psalm 63:6). If you tend to fall asleep, sit up for the first part.

Should I pray before bed or in the morning?

Both, if you can. Morning prayer sets the day's direction; bedtime prayer closes it with thanks and trust. If you can only manage one, a short prayer at night plus a longer one in the morning works well for many people. See a morning prayer to start your day.

What do I pray when I'm too tired to think?

One sentence: "Into your hands, Lord." Or the Lord's Prayer. God hears short prayers.

Is "Now I lay me down to sleep" in the Bible?

No. It's an 18th-century children's prayer from the New England Primer. Its idea, trusting God with your life while you sleep, matches Psalm 4:8 and Psalm 31:5.

How long should a bedtime prayer be?

One to five minutes is enough for most nights. The point is to end the day with God, not to finish a list.

Tonight, try the prayer at the top of this page, then pick one verse from the table to pray all week. If you'd like a guided time of prayer each morning to match it, play day 1 free, or answer a few questions to get a 40-day prayer plan built around your days. More in our prayer guides, including a morning prayer before work and a short prayer before reading the Bible for an evening reading.

Sources

Scripture: World English Bible (public domain), eBible.org. The Book of Common Prayer (1979), An Order for Compline, The Episcopal Church. CDC, "About Sleep" (sleep needs by age). American College of Physicians, "Management of Chronic Insomnia Disorder in Adults" (clinical guideline, 2016). 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. Pages read for this guide: Christianity.com, "31 Night Prayers" and "Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep: A Christian Bedtime Prayer"; Just Disciple, "Prayers for Night".