Night devotion prayer

Ending your day with prayer is a wonderful way to let go of stress and find peace before falling asleep. No matter what you faced today, talking to God through goodnight prayers will renew your faith. Evening prayer also helps you see all the good things that happened in your day that you have to be thankful for!

Share these nine bedtime and evening prayers with your children, spouse and friends so they too can fall asleep feeling blessed and thankful! 

Goodnight Prayer for Blessings

Bless us with rest tonight, Jesus, and a good night’s sleep. Forgive us for the things we did today that did not honor you. Thank you for loving us so much and that you know us through and through. We need your help every day, and we thank you for the strength you give and for helping us know that with you, even hard things are possible. Bless our family and our home, and keep us safe through the night. May your angels guard us and watch over us, just like you promised.

You’ve told us we are just like sheep. And that you lead us and guard us like a shepherd. You know our names, and you make us feel special and loved. When we hurt, you help us feel better. Thank you, Jesus, for your good care and for giving us to help. Thank you for the Bible, and for teaching us stuff in life that helps us grow. Bless the people in our world, and help them to know you love them, too. Thank you for all the people who help us so much: teachers, doctors, policeman, and fireman—and so many more.

Thank you for your good plan for our lives. Help us to obey you and love you more and more. When we awake in the morning, put a smile on our face and your purpose in our hearts, ready to start a new day. We love you, Jesus. Good night. In Jesus’s precious name, Amen. ~ ~ Rebecca Barlow Jordan

A Bedtime Prayer to Stop an Anxious Heart

Dear Lord, please help me trust You and empower me through Your Spirit to stop my emotions from bossing me around. I want to quit worrying about what might happen and focus on what has already happened by remembering and praising You for Your faithfulness in my life. In Jesus’ Name, Amen. ~ Renee Swoop

Giving Thanks Evening 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. ~ Rebecca Barlow Jordan

A Short Night-time Prayer (2 Timothy 1:7)

For God’s not given me a spirit of fear, 
But a spirit of love, 
and of power, and a sound mind,
To live each day and glorify his name. 

Popular Child’s Bedtime Prayer, 18th Century

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.

A Beautiful Prayer to End the Day

Heavenly Father, my day is drawing to an end, and I’m ready to turn in. But before I do, I have to thank you for your faithfulness today. It’s always a good day, even when things may not go the way I plan, or when the world seems in chaos, because you are in control.

For all the times when I was aware of your help today, all the times when your unseen presence seemed so near, thank you, God. But for all the ways you worked behind the scenes, unknown to me, moments when heaven-sent angels moved on my behalf in ways I’ll never know, thank you for those also, Lord.

Forgive me for any foolish actions on my part today or things I did without first asking your blessing or wisdom. Those are moments I’d rather forget, but I’m so grateful for your forgiveness when I ask. I never want to go to bed without clearing the air between us, Lord. Our friendship means too much, and your holiness deserves that. Thank you for loving me just as I am. Your love compels me to give you my all and fills my heart with praise for the relationship we share because of Jesus.

As I close my eyes tonight, I’m praying for loved ones around me, for friends and those who need to know you, Lord. I’m praying that your love, like the billions of stars in the night sky outside, will touch them and help them see who you really are. I pray for our world and those in it. I pray for their needs as well as my own.

Grant me a good night’s sleep tonight, God, so that I can awake refreshed and ready to begin another day loving you. Thank you again for blessings so undeserved and too numerous to count. I love being your child, and I long for the word “faithful” to describe my service to you, each day of every year. When I awake in the morning, may it be with a joyful smile, not a grumpy spirit. May your protection and your presence bathe this place with peace and safety against the enemy. Good night, Lord. In Jesus’s name, Amen. ~ Rebecca Barlow Jordan

Father, We Thank Thee

Father, we thank thee for the night,
And for the pleasant morning light;
For rest and food and loving care,
And all that makes the day so fair.
Help us to do the things we should,
To be to others kind and good;
In all we do, in work or play,
To grow more loving every day.
— Rebecca Weston – 1890

Bedtime Prayer (song by Twila Paris)

Now I lay me down to sleep
I pray dear Lord that you will keep
Your eyes upon this sleeping world
Every little boy and girl

Bless the children far away
The ones who don’t know how to pray
Those who are not feeling well
The little one the slipped and fell

Bless the puppy down the street
The neighbors I have yet to meet
Bless my mom and dad especially

Just one more thing I’d like to say
Before I close another day
I’d like to thank you Lord for all the ways
That You bless me

Bless the child whose home is torn
The babies who are not yet born
Bless the ones who take your word
To all the hearts that have not heard

Bless all your children everywhere
I hope they know how much you care
Maybe someday I can go
And tell them that You love them so

Bless Grandma and my Grandpa too
And all my friend and all they do
Bless every twig upon my family tree

Just one more thing I’ll say to you
I’m so amazed by all you do
I’ll thank you once again because it’s true
That you bless me

The Examen (Evening Reflection)

Written by St. Ignatius Loyola, the Examen is a daily process for prayerfully reflecting on your day. 

1. Remember God’s presence.
Even after a trying day, God will quiet your soul as you remember His presence and intentionally seek to enter into it. Remember He’s with you. Invite Him to make Himself present to you. 

2. Respond to Him with thanks.
Giving thanks gives God glory and helps us look on the bright side of a bad day. What small blessings can you thank God for?

3. Reflect on how God showed Himself to you.
God reveals himself through scripture, but we also see glimpses of him in nature, events, and people. Sometimes He shows up loudly through miraculous, divine intervention. Other times He shows Himself quietly through the beauty of a flower or an earnest conversation. As you look back over your day, can you identify moments where you sensed God’s revelation or intervention? 

4. Repent of your failings.
I don’t like recognizing my own sin, but repentance is key to continual renewal in our relationship with God.As you reflect on your day, remember specific points where you failed. Bring your shortcomings before God and ask Him to forgive you.  

5. Resolve to grow. 
God is in the business of changing us, so don’t let your failings discourage or define you. His mercies are always new. Accept His forgiveness. Ask Him for grace to change. Is there anything you need to make right or anyone you need to apologize to? What can you do differently tomorrow?

Do you have a favorite goodnight prayer you use at bedtime? One that your parents taught you or that you are teaching your children? Share it with our community in the comments below!

This article is part of our larger Prayers resource meant to inspire and encourage your prayer life when you face uncertain times. Visit our most popular prayers if you are wondering how to pray or what to pray. Remember, the Holy Spirit intercedes for us and God knows your heart even if you can’t find the words to pray.

Prayer for Healing

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I’ve used this petition to evoke Hekate for over a decade during solitary rituals and in large groups. It never fails to get her attention, although sometimes I get a little more than I bargained for.

It occurred to me that I haven’t yet dedicated this blog to Hekate in any sort of public way. I felt called by Our Lady to start writing about my personal experiences and my version of Modern Hekatean Witchcraft several months ago. Since I made the commitment to do so, my life has opened up in so many wonderful ways that I am overwhelmed when I consider them. It is my sincere prayer that my blog honors Her. So, in honor of Hekate, The Great Mother, and in seeking Her blessing over this blog, I am sharing this prayer of devotion and petition to Hekate for you to use as you feel led.

I wrote this petition for the first semi-public ritual I led in honor of Hekate several years ago, so it seems fitting to share it in a more public forum. It was on the Deipnon in August at a pagan festival. The sacred fire kept growing as we proceeded through each of the petitions in the prayer. It grew so intense that I had to break out of the ritual and smother it! I think we scared a lot of pagans that night! I, however, felt Her presence come up from the underworld, feeding those flames as a reminder of Her power. From above, She came down like black velvet, weighty and strong. The two energies merged in the middle world, surrounding all of us standing in a circle in the large open field. She was everywhere. That was one of the most powerful encounters that I’ve had with Hekate. I’ve revised it a bit over the years, but it remains a mighty powerful prayer.

I’ve used it as part of my daily devotion and for seeking Hekate’s attention when doing rituals.  It’s a mixture of ancient texts with modern thinking, just like Modern Hekatean Witchcraft. Here it is:

Blessed Hekate, Great Mother, I am grateful for Your presence in my life.

I implore you, attend this rite.

Shine Your  Fiery torch on my working.

Great Hekate, who spins the web of the stars and governs the spiral of life.

Brimo, Chthonia, Einalian, Enodia, Kleidouchos,

Kourotrophos, Nykliopolis, Perseis, Propylais,

Propolos, Phosphors, Trimorphis,

Soteira, Soteira, Soteira.

Black as night,

Red as blood,

White as stars.

I offer myself to You.

I bow before You,

Hear me, know my name.

Hail Hekate

Hail Hekate

Hail Hekate

I honor You as She of all forms.

I honor You as the Young Mistress,

And ask that You bestow upon me the energy of youth and strength of will.

I honor You as Protectress of Children,

And ask that You send the power of creation and watch over my Young.

I honor You as the ageless Cosmic World Soul,

And ask that You provide me with wisdom.

Hail Hekate

Hail Hekate

Hail Hekate

I honor you as She who rules over
The underworld, the middle worth and the heavens.

I honor You as the Gatekeeper of All Underworld and Goddess of the Daemon

And petition for solace for our ancestors, the earth bound dead and my shadow self.

I honor You as the Guardian of the Crossroads of the middle world, the Universal Key Holder,

And seek Your guidance along my earth-bound journey.

I honor You as the Breath of the Universe and the Mother of Angels

And pray for Your assistance along the starry road.

Hail Hekate

Hail Hekate

Hail Hekate

I honor You as Sovereign over land, sea and sky.

I honor You as Queen of the Land

And ask that You protect the earth and all Your children: human, animal and plant.

I honor You as Queen of the Sea

And petition for Your cleansing of the waters and of myself.

I honor You as Queen of the Sky

And pray for Your reflection to shine in my life.

Hail Hekate

Hail Hekate

Hail Hekate

I honor You as the Unconquerable Queen of the vulnerable and marginalized.

I honor You as Torch Bearer,

And ask that Your light shine on those in need.

I honor You as the Key Holder,

And pray that You’ll open doors for the down trodden.

I honor You as Queen of the Witches,

And ask Your blessing for us that walk this path.

Hail Hekate

Hail Hekate

Hail Hekate

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Evening Devotion for March 31, 2018Holy Saturday

Mourning Christ, by Peter Paul Rubens, ca. 1618. The three central figures are clearly Mary Magdelene, with the red hair and revealing blouse; the apostle John; and Mary, Jesus’ mother, with her iconic blue robe. One would think the person behind Jesus is Joseph of Arimathea (or possibly Nicodemus). The other woman might be Salome, Joanna, Martha, or Martha’s sister Mary.

Prayers

Scripture

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Lord’s Prayer

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come; Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.

For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever and ever.

Amen.

There are a handful of music clips in our Library that I cannot wait to play, and this “Gospel Hallelujah Chorus” is one of them. If you have never heard it, turn up the volume and get ready to be blown away.

Prayer of St. Edmund

O  Lord, into your hands and into the hands of your holy angels, this day I entrust my soul, my relatives, my benefactors, my friends and enemies, and all who confess your holy name.

O Lord, by the merits and prayers of your son, Jesus Christ, keep me today from all evil and unruly desires, from all sins and temptations of the devil, from a sudden and unprovided death, and from the pains of hell. Enlighten my heart with the grace of your Holy Spirit. Grant that I may ever be obedient to your commandments. Let me never be separated from you, O God, who lives and reigns forever, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

Amen.

Confession

Have mercy on me, Oh Lord, for I am a humble and miserable sinner. I renounce all of these sins, heavenly Father, and repent of them, and I promise to make every effort not to repeat them.

Have mercy on me, pardon me for these offences and any I might have omitted from forgetfulness or ignorance; in the name of Jesus Christ, my Lord and Savior, I pray for forgiveness. And I pray that your Holy Spirit may dwell with me in the coming day, to comfort me, to give me strength against temptation, and to guide me into the path of righteousness.

Amen.

Prayer to Rise with Christ

Blessed Lord Christ, like the seed buried in the ground, you have produced the harvest of eternal life for me; make me always dead to sin and alive to God. Shepard of all, in death you remained hidden from the world; teach us to love our hidden spiritual life with you and the Father. In your role as the new Adam, you went down among the dead to release all the just there since the beginning; grant that all who are dead in sin may hear your voice and rise to new life. Son of the living God, you have allowed me through baptism to be buried with you; grant that I may also rise with you and walk in newness of life.

Amen.

Dedication

O  God and Father of all, whom the whole heavens adore: Let the whole earth also worship you, all nations obey you, all tongues confess and bless you, and men and women everywhere love you and serve you in peace; through Jesus Christ our Lord, I pray,

Amen.

(Additional prayers may be found at Prayers for All Occasions.)

God be with you ’til we meet again.

Jesus and Woman with Crosses, by leti, contemporary.

Deuteronomy 21:22-23 (ESV)

And if a man has committed a crime punishable by death and he is put to death, and you hang him on a tree , his body shall not remain all night on the tree, but you shall bury him the same day, for a hanged man is cursed by God.

John 19:31-42 (ESV)

The Burial of Jesus

ince it was the day of Preparation, and so that the bodies would not remain on the cross on the Sabbath (for that Sabbath was a high day), the Jews asked Pilate that their legs might be broken and that they might be taken away. So the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first, and of the other who had been crucified with him.

But when they came to Jesus and saw that he was already dead, they did not break his legs. But one of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear, and at once there came out blood and water. He who saw it has borne witness—his testimony is true, and he knows that he is telling the truth—that you also may believe. For these things took place that the Scripture might be fulfilled: “Not one of his bones will be broken.” And again another Scripture says, “They will look on him whom they have pierced.”

After these things Joseph of Arimathea, who was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly for fear of the Jews, asked Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus, and Pilate gave him permission. So he came and took away his body.

Nicodemus also, who earlier had come to Jesus by night, came bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about seventy-five pounds in weight. So they took the body of Jesus and bound it in linen cloths with the spices, as is the burial custom of the Jews.

Now in the place where he was crucified there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb in which no one had yet been laid. So because of the Jewish day of Preparation, since the tomb was close at hand, they laid Jesus there.

Notes on the Scripture

Without going into the gory details of death by crucifixion, the reason the legs of the crucified were broken is that it guaranteed they would die quickly. Under Mosaic Law, a man hanged from a tree had to be taken down before sunset. (Deut 21:23) Piercing a body with a spear was a standard test of death by Roman soldiers, since blood and especially water flow faster from a corpse. Notice that the Pharisees compounded their hypocrisy by completely avoiding Jesus’ dead body, which would have made them ritually unclean, and the Sabbath of Passover was a big day for them to strut around.

The phrase “the man who saw it” adds a bit of mystery. Did John write his account based on a story told to him by an unnamed person, who was present for the events? Most scholars believe that this is John himself, too modest to use his name, just as with his other references to an unnamed person: e.g., “the disciple whom Jesus loved” (John 13:23 ) and the “other disciple” who followed Jesus from Gethsemane (John 18:15-16).

Nicodemus is an interesting character. He was a member of the Sanhedrin and is mentioned in the Gospel of John (but not the other gospels) three times. It was he who insisted that Jesus have a trial before he could be condemned. (John 7:51). And at the end, Nicodemus proves to be a secret admirer of Christ, by spending a great deal of money, and risking his life, to care for Christ’s body.

Fear was rampant among Christ’s followers. None of the apostles dared to get involved. As we learn later, they were hiding in a locked room. Joseph of Arimathea was a bit braver, perhaps because he was not as well-known as the twelve apostles, or because he was rich and powerful. But still, he showed discretion, getting Christ’s body without exposing himself to other Jewish officials. He therefore went to Pilate, who really did not want to see Jesus crucified in the first place. He knew that Pilate was unlikely to stir things up further by accusing any of Christ’s sympathizers; Pilate’s primary concern was to prevent public unrest.

Jewish law requires that a person be buried as quickly as possible in general, and probably before nightfall for a victim of crucifixion; however, burial is a task that cannot be performed on the Sabbath. So the two men hurried to get Jesus into an empty tomb (most likely before nightfall) for storage, until a proper burial could be performed.

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Prayer and Devotions for the First Night of Passover

Passover is about remembering what God has done in the past, living with expectancy for what God is going to do today, and what He will do in the future.

God is so amazing! He places shadows of Yeshua throughout a history that took place before He ever became a man and walked this Earth as God the Son, Yeshua.

On that first Passover night, when the angel of death came through Egypt, he saw the Passover lamb’s blood on the doorposts of Jewish homes, and he passed over them, visiting only those not covered by the blood. What a vivid picture this is of how Yeshua’s (Jesus’) blood, poured out and sacrificed for us, covers our sin and protects us from spiritual death.

The Apostle Paul proclaimed that Yeshua is our Passover (1 Corinthians 5:7). Jesus made the once-and-for-all sacrifice for our sin (Hebrews 9:12, Hebrews 10:10) and has saved us out of death and into life (John 5:24).

Yeshua, You are our Passover Lamb. Perfect. Innocent. Sacrificed for us. My sin comes with a cost, and Yeshua, You paid it for me. Like the lamb that Passover night, You gave your blood as a covering for sin. For my sin. Because of You, I have eternal life. Death has passed over me.

By Your death, I am spared what my sin deserves. When the Father looks at all who believe in You, Jesus, He sees not the stains of our sin, but Your blood – declaring us righteous, rescuing us from spiritual death, and securing our eternal hope.

Yeshua, how can I thank You enough?

Watch our Passover parody titled “Shalom!” 

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