Bedtime Prayers

Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father. Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it. (John 14:12-14 ESV). The classic bedtime prayer is: “Now I lay me down to sleep; if I should die before I wake, I pray the Lord my soul to take.” I never really had that ritual with my children, even though I do now have a bedtime prayer. Mine is pretty simple and straightforward. I “call the role” as the last thing I say to the Lord each evening before I drift off to sleep: “Dear Lord, take care of Mary, Kyle, Brandy, Faith and Logan, David, Becca, Maggie, and Aaron.” It’s not fancy or very deep theologically, but it is the last thing I want to tell my heavenly Father each day. I suppose one of the most difficult tasks any of us have is in regard to praying for our families. So, let me suggest two simple prayers. Of course, its fine to do your role call; but, let me go a little bit further for your development of another bedtime ritual. First, pray that God would forgive you. It all begins here. John tells us that God forgives us of every unrighteousness and cleanses us from every sin, if we simply confess (cf. 1 John 1:9). That passage is unique in that it really means that we simply agree with God that we are need of his forgiveness. The wonder of that truth is that God has already done all that is necessary to forgive us. When Jesus died on the cross, he finished the work of atonement on our behalf. There is no one and nothing that yet remains to secure our complete forgiveness. No matter what your day may have consisted of, no matter how great your failure may have been, Jesus has done everything to make our restoration a reality. Ask! Second, pray that God would forgive others, especially your family. My sons are all adults. They have done well. But they sin, just like I do. My daughters-in-law can do no wrong in my eyes. I love them as my own; but, they too sin. My grandchildren are “Mary Poppins” children (you know… “practically perfect in every way), but they sin. They were born in sin. So, I pray on their behalf and for their hearts to be made pliable to the work of the Holy Spirit in their life. I like to pray for others in the same way. I creates a depth of compassion in my heart just as it was in the heart of Jesus when he looked over the city of Jerusalem and wept for them as they wandered about as sheep without a shepherd. At the end of the day, we are all in God’s hands and heart. Knowing I can come to him and ask for our safety in his hands brings me great comfort. It is a prayer he will answer. Make it your prayer too.