The short answer
A night prayer hands the day back to God. Thank him for what was good, be honest about what went wrong, and give him whatever you’re still carrying, so you can sleep. Each of the seven prayers below takes a minute or two. The psalms end the day this way too: “In peace I will both lay myself down and sleep, for you alone, LORD, make me live in safety.” (Psalm 4:8).
A short night prayer
For the nights when you’re too tired for anything more, pray this as you turn off the light.
Lord, thank you for this day. Forgive me for what I did wrong, and help me forgive anyone who wronged me. I give you the things I couldn’t finish and the worries I’m still holding. Watch over me and the people I love tonight, and give us rest. Amen.
A prayer of thanks at the end of the day
Psalm 92 is called “A song for the Sabbath day”, and it begins by thanking God at both ends of the day: “It is a good thing to give thanks to the LORD, to sing praises to your name, Most High, to proclaim your loving kindness in the morning, and your faithfulness every night” (Psalm 92:1–2).
Father, thank you for the good things in this day, the big ones and the ones I almost missed. Thank you for the people who were kind to me, for the work my hands could do, and for every way you kept me. You were faithful today, and you will be faithful tonight. Amen.
A prayer to look back on the day
An old Christian habit, often called the examen, ends the day by looking back over it with God: where you saw his goodness, and where you fell short. A psalm puts it simply: “Search your own heart on your bed, and be still.” (Psalm 4:4). It isn’t meant to end in dread: “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous to forgive us the sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9).
Lord, walk back through this day with me. Show me where you were with me, and thank you for each of those moments. Show me where I was unkind, careless or proud, and forgive me. Where I need to make something right tomorrow, give me the courage to do it. Then let me rest, forgiven. Amen.
A night prayer for protection
Psalm 121 was sung by pilgrims on the road to Jerusalem, and its promise matters most in the dark: “Behold, he who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.” (Psalm 121:4). You can go to sleep because God doesn’t have to.
God who never sleeps, keep watch over us tonight. Guard this home and everyone in it. Protect the people I love who are far away, and those who are working through the night. Keep us from harm and from fear, and wake us safely in the morning. Amen.
A prayer to let go of worry
Worries tend to get louder once the lights go out. Peter’s advice is to hand them over, every one of them: “casting all your worries on him, because he cares for you.” (1 Peter 5:7). As you pray, name each worry, one at a time.
Lord, I can’t fix these things tonight, so I’m giving them to you, one by one. You care about each of them more than I do, and you will still be holding them in the morning. Quiet my mind, slow my thoughts, and give me the sleep I need. Amen.
A prayer when you can’t sleep
Lying awake at 3 a.m. can feel lonely, but people have prayed in the middle of the night for thousands of years: “when I remember you on my bed, and think about you in the night watches. For you have been my help.” (Psalm 63:6–7). Even the dark isn’t dark to God: “the night shines as the day. The darkness is like light to you.” (Psalm 139:12).
Lord, I’m awake and I can’t settle. If there is something you want me to pray about, show me. If not, quiet my body and my thoughts. Thank you that you are here in the dark, and that I don’t have to make myself sleep. I rest in you, whether sleep comes soon or not. Amen.
If sleep often won’t come, our guide to Bible verses for sleep has more to read in the night.
A bedtime prayer for children
Many children learn a traditional rhyme first: “Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray the Lord my soul to keep.” Its next lines, about dying before you wake, can frighten young children, so here is a gentler rhyme to pray together.
Thank you, God, for this good day, for friends and food and time to play. I’m sorry when I didn’t share, or wasn’t kind, or didn’t care. Please keep my family safe tonight, and hold us till the morning light. Amen.
Then let each child add one thing they’re thankful for and one person to pray for. It keeps the prayer theirs, and it tells you what’s on their mind.
Compline, the church’s night prayer
For centuries, monasteries have ended the day with a short service called Compline, from the Latin for completion. It is still prayed today, often by candlelight, and it is built around a few psalms about trusting God through the night, especially Psalm 4, Psalm 91 and Psalm 134.
Psalm 134 is only three verses long, and it was written for the people who kept watch in the temple overnight: “Praise the LORD, all you servants of the LORD, who stand by night in the LORD’s house!” (Psalm 134:1).
Compline also keeps a line from Psalm 31 that Christians have said at the close of the day for centuries: “Into your hand I commend my spirit. You redeem me, LORD, God of truth.” (Psalm 31:5). It’s a way of saying: I trust you with everything, even my sleep.
Bible verses to pray at bedtime
Each of these is short enough to pray as you fall asleep.
- Psalm 3:5. “I laid myself down and slept. I awakened, for the LORD sustains me.”
- Psalm 141:2. “Let my prayer be set before you like incense; the lifting up of my hands like the evening sacrifice.”
- Psalm 42:8. “In the night his song shall be with me: a prayer to the God of my life.”
- Proverbs 3:24. “When you lie down, you will not be afraid. Yes, you will lie down, and your sleep will be sweet.”
- Psalm 16:7. “I will bless the LORD, who has given me counsel. Yes, my heart instructs me in the night seasons.”
Common questions
What is a good prayer to say before bed?
Keep it simple: thank God for the day, ask forgiveness for what went wrong, give him your worries and ask him to watch over you. The short prayer at the top of this guide does all four in under a minute.
Is it okay to fall asleep while praying?
Yes. Falling asleep while you pray isn’t a failure. It can be a sign that you finally stopped carrying the day. The psalms trust God with sleep itself: “for he gives sleep to his loved ones.” (Psalm 127:2).
How do I pray at bedtime with my kids?
Keep it short and let them take part. Say a simple rhyme together, then ask each child for one thing they’re thankful for and one person to pray for. Many parents end with a blessing, such as Numbers 6:24–26, said over each child.
What is Compline?
Compline is the last of the church’s set times of prayer each day, said just before sleep. It is short and quiet, and built around psalms of trust such as Psalm 4, Psalm 91 and Psalm 134. Monasteries still pray it every night, and some churches hold a sung Compline service on Sunday evenings.