The best way to unwind and end your day on a positive, thankful note (no matter the circumstances) is with a night prayer. At the end of a stressful day, if you’re drawing a blank on what to say to God, these peaceful night prayers are a great place to start. With this prayer guide, we picked our favorite bedtime and night prayers to help you enjoy a well-earned rest.
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Goodnight Prayer to Give Thanks
Scripture also calls us to “give thanks to the Lord” (1 Chronicles 16:34). This prayer from Rebecca Barlow Jordan is a great way to give thanks. Add to it what you are thankful for from that day, and it makes an excellent night prayer.
Dear God, we thank You tonight for the good day and for the special way You take care of us all the time. Thank You for the fun times outside and the quiet times inside, and for helping us learn new things every day.
Thank You for creating us special, exactly the way You wanted. Thank You for protecting us throughout the day. Forgive us for the wrong things we do. Thank You for loving us even when we disobey or try to do things our way. Help us to always choose Your way, God, because it’s always best. We pray for all the people who don’t know You, and that they will come to understand Your love for them, too.
Bless our family and thank You for good times together and apart. Bless our friends and those we love, including our grandparents, our aunts and uncles and cousins. Thank You for our home and a place to sleep and good food to eat. Help us rest well, give us peaceful dreams, and send Your angels around our home to protect us throughout the night. Teach us to trust You and to love You more and more. You are good; You are great; and You are faithful, God. And we love You. Good night. In Jesus’s precious name, Amen.
Night Prayer to Ease a Worried Mind
It can be hard to come before God after a stressful day. If your mind is full of worries, this beautiful prayer by Rick Warren will help you cast your cares on God:
Dear Father, I admit that I often forget that You are with me. I often forget what You’re like. Would You please forgive me for that? I need to get to know You better. I need to get to know Your Word and Your promises better. Help me to put You first in every area of my life. Help me to live one day at a time. Help me to not worry about tomorrow but instead focus on what You’re doing in my life right now. I want to trust in your promise to take care of every one of my needs — financial, relational, physical, social, spiritual, and emotional. Help me to trust You more and worry less. I pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.
Evening Prayer to Dispel Fear
You may be long past your fear of the dark, but the quiet of night can still bring about worries and fears. If you’re struggling to sleep because of fear in your life, pray 2 Timothy 1:7 (NIV), a powerful verse about the courage God gives each of us:
For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline.
Read Also: 5 Encouraging Morning Prayers To Begin Your Day
A Bedtime Prayer of Thankfulness
“Dear Lord, thank You for allowing me to live another beautiful day. I am grateful for the beauty of the sun and Your other creations. Despite sometimes forgetting to proclaim my thanks, I am overjoyed by the wonders around me. Thank You for my life. In Jesus’ name I pray, amen.”
A bedtime prayer of gratitude is always a wonderful way to end the day. This simple prayer offers the opportunity to thank God for all He’s done for you.
A Goodnight Prayer Asking for Help
Perhaps you’re facing a difficult time. This nighttime prayer will help guide you through the storm, while also asking God to help you wake up with a new perspective. Asking for God’s help is an important form of reliance — and it’s relational.
“Lord, I am feeling uncertain about what I’m facing. Please guide me and help me to cope with what is unfolding, Please also grant me the peace that only You can give. Amid my worries, please come alongside me and sustain me. I know that I can put my trust in You. Please grant me reminders along the way, so that I do not become overtaken by the unknown. Please help me to wake up with a fresh and renewed perspective. In Jesus’ name I pray, amen.”
An Evening Prayer About Struggle
When times get tough, turn to this evening prayer to keep yourself inspired and to ask God to help you with gratitude. This wonderful bedtime invocation also helps keep focus on the heart of the gospel: Jesus’ sacrifice for us all.
“God, sometimes life gets me down and I find it hard to see things to be thankful for. Open my eyes to see the gifts you’ve given me in my life. I’m going to start by thanking you for loving me enough to come to earth and die so we can live together forever. Amen.” - Wendy van Eyck
A Prayer for Looking Ahead
This bedtime prayer asks God to help guide focus for the next day. Additionally, it calls for gratitude for the coming day and for a renewed spirit. These are all wonderful ways to approach the night and to look ahead at what’s to come.
“Lord, help me to focus tomorrow on what really matters. I’m so grateful for another day. Please help me to keep that spirit of gratitude as I face the ebbs and flows of life; help me to see the good in the bad and the happy in the sad. Renew my spirit. In the name of Jesus I pray, Amen.”
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A Bedtime Prayer for Strength for the Coming Day
God is with you no matter what happens. This nighttime prayer offers solace and peace, as you navigate uncertainty. No matter what happens, give your all to the Lord. This night prayer can help you keep it all in focus.
“Lord, I don’t know what lay before me tomorrow and this week, but I commit it all to You. Please give me strength and courage to get through the joys, challenges and happenings of the day. I thank You for my life and for all that I have; I commit this day to You. No matter what happens, I know You have me in the palm of Your hand. In Jesus’ name I pray, amen.”
A Bedtime Prayer to Ask for God’s Guidance
This bedtime prayer is excellent to utter if you’re struggling and looking for strength. Asking God to “mold” you and make you the person He wants you to be is an excellent mindset to have before starting another day.
“God, when I am weak, I know You can make me strong. Please guide me, mold me and make me into the person You want me to be. Please guide my heart and strengthen me if and when trials come into my path. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.”
A Goodnight Prayer for Self and Others
This prayer for wisdom for self and others is an excellent bedtime invocation. This will help prepare your mind and heart to focus on God — and to ask the Lord to guide you in your interaction with others. Asking God for help in this arena is essential, especially when it comes to loving others.
“Lord, please give me wisdom, not only to journey through my own day, but to also help others around me navigate their journey. Help me, Lord, to follow Your command to love You and to love others. I need Your guidance to live out the day and to honor You. Please help me. In the name of Your son Jesus I pray, Amen.”
Night Time Prayers for Children
Nightly Prayer for Children
Sometimes, the classics are the best place to start. This familiar 18th century children’s prayer isn’t just for kids. It is a great reminder that God has control over our lives, even as we sleep:
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.
Alternative Version for Children:
Now I lay me down to sleep,I pray the Lord my soul to keep. Watch and guard me through the night, and wake me with the morning light. Amen.
Read Also: 4 Prayers for Grandchildren
Bedtime Prayer to Guide Children
If you’re a parent, this night prayer for your children is the perfect invocation to utter before bed. Asking God to guide children and give them an eternal perspective is important. And if kids have made a mistake, turning to God to ask Him to instill wisdom in them is also important.
“Dear Lord, please help my children as they learn and grow. Please grant them an eternal perspective that helps them to see beyond the here and now. Please help foster this worldview and use me as a parent to plant the right seeds — seeds that will grow and flourish throughout their lives. Please grant my children the wisdom to know right from wrong and to discern what Your divine will is for their lives. And, if and when they fall, please grant me the peace and wisdom to help them get back up. Thank You for the blessing of children, Lord. In the name of Your son Jesus I pray, Amen.”
Psalms to Pray Over Your Children at Night
Author and blogger Luke Gilkerson wrote about the importance of praying over your children before bed. It teaches them to rely on God, sets a good example, and protects them as they sleep. Prayers from the heart or recited prayers are great, but even better? The Bible itself. Psalms is full of great passages and prayers. Here are three Gilkerson recommends:
Psalm 121 (NIV)
A song of ascents. I lift up my eyes to the mountains — where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth. He will not let your foot slip — he who watches over you will not slumber; indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. The Lord watches over you — the Lord is your shade at your right hand; the sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night. The Lord will keep you from all harm — he will watch over your life; the Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore.
Psalm 139: 7-12 (NIV)
Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast. If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me,” even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you.
Psalm 63:5-8 (NIV)
I will be fully satisfied as with the richest of foods; with singing lips my mouth will praise you. On my bed I remember you; I think of you through the watches of the night. Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings. I cling to you; your right hand upholds me.
Read Also: 10 Bedtime Prayers For Children
Even More Night Prayer Options
We added even more bedtime prayers to provide a total guide to nighttime prayers and Bible verses. Here are 15 more prayers:
The Lord’s Prayer
Luke 11:2-4 (NIV)
The Lord’s Prayer is one of the most popular invocations in the Christian world. Luke 11:2-4 (NIV) offers up a shorter version, which could be integrated into bedtime and night prayer routines. The structure, alone, offers a helpful template. The Lord’s Prayer encourages Christians to cling to God’s will, to seek forgiveness, to seek God’s help in avoiding temptation and to ask for protection against Satan:
When you pray, say: ‘Father, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come. Give us each day our daily bread. Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us. And lead us not into temptation.’
Read Also: What is the Meaning and History Behind the Lord's Prayer?
Matthew 6:9-13 (NIV)
Bible readers are given a bit of an expanded version of this prayer in Matthew 6:9-13 (NIV) when Jesus proclaims that this is how people should pray. Christ proclaims:
This, then, is how you should pray: ‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.’
Read Also: 5 Powerful Prayers For Healing And Life Transformation
1 Chronicles 4:10 (NIV)
Jabez’s prayer in 1 Chronicles 4:10 can be applied to our own lives. It’s a wonderful pattern to follow when saying night prayers for protection and God’s hand on your life:
Jabez cried out to the God of Israel, “Oh, that you would bless me and enlarge my territory! Let your hand be with me, and keep me from harm so that I will be free from pain.” And God granted his request.
Psalm 136:1-3;25-26 (NIV)
Another Psalm to focus on is Psalm 136, specifically verses 1-3 and 25-26. This, too, can be used as a night prayer reflection to help keep the focus on all God has done. From food to basic resources, the Lord’s provision is worth focusing on at the end of each and every day.
Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good. His love endures forever.
Give thanks to the God of gods. His love endures forever.
Give thanks to the Lord of lords: His love endures forever.
He gives food to every creature. His love endures forever.
Give thanks to the God of heaven. His love endures forever.
1 John 1:9 (NIV)
1 John 1:9 is a wonderful verse to focus on during night prayers, as it keeps the heart of the gospel in mind. It is essential to ask God for forgiveness, and to remember that He can help us no matter what happens. Mistakes happen, but Christ is there to cleanse us — and we can return to Him at any time.
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.
Psalm 25:5 (NIV)
Psalm 25:5 reminds us to seek truth and to rely on God in the process. It’s another excellent scripture to integrate into bedtime prayers, as you seek to keep the Lord at the center of your life.
Guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long.
Isaiah 41:10 (NIV)
Isaiah 41:10 helps us to focus on God’s plan for our lives, and it affirms the fact that the Lord is there for us no matter what. Rather than falling prey to fear, the verse reminds us to turn to Christ in praise and reliance. It’s a wonderful addition to consider in your night prayers.
So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
That’s all for our list if bedtime and night prayers and Bible verses. Become an Insider to access behind-the-scenes exclusives on Pure Flix Original movies and shows and connect to positive faith and entertainment news.
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