Nighttime prayer for child

Night Prayer or Bedtime Prayers

Teaching our kids bedtime prayer is a wonderful tool for leading them into a relationship with Jesus and for initiating a lifestyle of dependence on God. A lot of children have fears of nightmares which can be prevented by always praying to God at night.  This also offers the opportunity to draw near to God and get to know Him more as a loving father who protects and comforts.

Bedtime prayer has the potential to instill in children certain values like prayer, trust, and thankfulness.

There are so many Bedtime Prayers out there and they are usually in the form of a poem so that children would be able to memorize them easily. Here are a couple:

Dear Daddy God in heaven

Thank you for this happy dayForgive me too dear AbbaFor bad things done I pray

Go tuck me now in Your embrace

All night watch over meAnd shower sweet dreams’til tomorrow  when I will rise again to play!

~~~~~~~~~~

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

Amen 

www.missionariesofprayer.org

Saying bedtime prayers every night can help a child develop a habit of praying regularly and to self-reflect on his thoughts, behaviour, and actions of the day. Teaching bedtime prayers to your child can be extremely beneficial for him. Read this article to find out how bedtime prayers can benefit your child and we have 10 popular bedtime prayers for children that you can teach your dear child.

Benefits of Bedtime Prayers

Bedtime prayers are very beneficial for children. Some of the benefits include:

1. Saying Bedtime Prayers Help Reduce Stress

Studies have shown that spending some time each night on self-reflection and prayer reduces stress levels in both adults and children. Praying increases feelings of calmness and wellness, thus reducing the ill-effects of stress. Prayers can also nullify the negative effects on physical health that are caused by stress.

2. Praying Helps with Self-control

Research has found that people who pray regularly have better discipline and self-control than people who do not pray. Studies have also shown that children who pray regularly are less prone to throwing tantrums and are more disciplined.

3. Praying Makes One Compassionate

Praying makes people more kind and compassionate. This is a value you definitely want to inculcate in your child. Studies have shown that regular prayer can reduce aggressive behaviour and prevent angry outbursts in both adults and children. Praying for the needs of other people makes children more empathetic and sensitive to the feelings of people around them. Overall, praying makes kids nicer.

4. Praying Helps Develop Trust

Praying with your child improves the bond of trust between you and your child and strengthens the unity between you two. Praying with family members can help your child get closer to them.

5. Praying Makes One More Forgiving

Adults and children who pray regularly have been found to be more willing to forgive others and are less inclined to hold grudges.

Simple Night Time Prayers for Kids

Here are some simple bedtime prayers for toddlers and young children:

1. Thank You, God!

This prayer is in the form of a rhyme and can be remembered by children easily. This prayer is very simple and can be understood by children without difficulty.  This prayer is about Thanking God for all the good things he has provided and you should definitely teach it to your child. The prayer goes as follows:

“Thank you God for the world so sweet,
Thank you God for the food we eat,
Thank you, God for the birds that sing,
Thank you, God, for everything!”

2. Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep

This is a very popular prayer that has several variations. Here are 2 versions of this prayer:

“Now I lay me down to sleep.
I pray the Lord my soul to keep.
If I should live for other days,
I pray the Lord to guide my ways.
Lord, unto thee I pray, thou hast guarded me all day;
safe I am while in thy sight.
Safely let me sleep tonight.
Bless my friends; the whole world blesses;
Help me to learn helpfulness.
Keep me ever in thy sight,
so to all, I say good night.”

“Now I lay me down to sleep;
I pray the Lord my soul to keep.
May God guard me through the night,
And wake me with the morning light.”

3. Hi, It’s Me!

This beautiful rhyme is a child’s bedtime prayer and can be easily understood even by toddlers.

“Hi, it’s me, just come to pray
And thank you for a fun-filled day!
You’ve been with me, so I know you’ve seen
All the great exciting things.
But also when I’m sad or cross
I know you love me, no matter what!
So help me rest and go to sleep
And feel the peace of your love for me.”

4. Dear God

This is a prayer for young children of school-going age and is suitable for a child who has had a bad day or is feeling sad or troubled.

“Dear God,
I’ve felt a bit sad today.
Sometimes people say things that upset me.
Sometimes I feel lonely at school.
Sometimes I feel misunderstood by my mum and dad.
Sometimes my feelings are all mixed up inside.
Please make me feel better.
Please make me sleep with good dreams.
Please make a happier day tomorrow.”

5. Father, We Thank Thee

Children should say this bedtime prayer to show gratitude to God for showering his blessings on them. This prayer is ideal for making your child understand that it is important to be thankful for the good things in life and to be kind and loving.

“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.”

6. Angels Bless

This prayer asks angels to watch over your child.

“Angels bless, and angels keep
Angels guard me while I sleep
Bless my heart and bless my home
Bless my spirit as I roam
Guide and guard me through the night
and wake me with the morning’s light.”

7. Lord in Heaven

This prayer asks for God’s care and guidance. It also asks God to bless all the people who love you.

“Lord in heaven, hear my prayer,
Keep me in your loving care.
Be my guide in all I do.
Bless all those who love me, too.”

8. When I See the Moon

This is an ancient prayer that praises God for his kindness.

“When I see the moon in the night sky,
I speak my evening prayer;
Praise be to the being of life,
For his kindness and his goodness.”

9. Lord Be Beside Us

This prayer asks God to guide and protect the whole family.

“Lord be beside us, all every day
Guiding and leading us gently always.
Lord be above us, help us to see
The hope of the future, of all we could be.
Lord be beneath us, carry us when
We’re too shattered or tired to really have strength.
Lord be ahead of us, smoothing our paths
Protecting and blessing the places we pass.
Lord be behind us, healing our wounds,
Forgiving our mistakes and making us new.
Lord, be within us, this family is yours
Now and forever, you are our Lord.”

10. God, Grant Me the Serenity

This prayer is for slightly older children and asks God for serenity, wisdom, and courage.

“God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change,
Courage to change the things I can,
And wisdom to know the difference.”

Making your child say a bedtime prayer every night will give you a chance to bond with him. You can also talk to your child about the things that might be troubling him and give a solution to his problem. After the prayer session, teach him values like kindness and truthfulness. A bedtime prayer habit will also help your child calm down and sleep restfully. So, teach these bedtime prayers to your little child and raise a happy child.

Also Read: Interesting Bedtime Stories for Children

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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.

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