Bedtime Prayers

Like many houses, bedtime comes with a ritual, as for me and my house we have had a bedtime ritual, as well, which involves bedtime prayers.

In times past when my girls were little, when the clock read 8:30pm, it was time for bed.

Baths were had, teeth were brushed, pjs were on, Bibles were opened and prayers were said.

Now I lay me down to sleep.

The Bible stories came in children book form, prayers were sweet and simple from tiny mouths and hearts. Small hands folded with innocent gratitude to a God they were still learning about, “Thank you God for mommy, daddy, the dog and pb&j.”

I pray the Lord my soul to keep. With time and age prayers and bedtimes began to change. School years and Adolescence brought on new challenges and new prayers. Prayers for a good friend, for kindness of others and to others, and a place to belong and feel accepted. The children’s books turned from Old Testament lessons into reading of scripture.

After my oldest put on of Christ through the waters of baptism she is now a Christian, but still developing her faith and knowledge of God. “Who is He? Is He real?“

Prayers for faith and questions now arise, honest, hard questions of what faith is really about. Simple Scripture reading turns to Bible study to help develop her own faith, but bedtime prayers are still a family affair.

The ritual continues throughout the years as she grows in wisdom and stature with God and man. The time changes with each passing year, as well as the prayers.

The prayers start to become her own, personal Bible study takes presidance. “I’ll say my own prayer tonight. I did my own Bible study today.“

She comes home late from time spent with friends or a practice after the bedtime tradition is over for the night, way past the original 8:30 bedtime, yet she still comes to tell me goodnight and we seem to sneak the tradition back in from time to time.

Sure I’m sad those days are gone with her, and I will miss the simple tradition we spent together in our bedtime prayers and time in God’s Word, but knowing that she’s developing her own faith and she’s equipped to do her own study and say her own faithful prayers makes me very happy. The ritual has now become her own and she will carry that with her into the next stage of her life as she goes off to college next week. I pray that someday she will carry this on with her own children, as well.

My prayers, however have not changed. My prayers are that she remain faithful to the Lord in the way she lives And she will always honor and please the Lord, and her life will produce every kind of good fruit. All the while, she will grow as she learns to know God better and better.” Colossians‬ ‭1:10‬ ‭

“And now, just as she accepted Christ Jesus as her Lord, she must continue to follow him. Let her roots grow down into him, and let her life be built on him. Then her faith will grow strong in the truth she was taught, and she will overflow with thankfulness.” Colossians‬ ‭2:6-7‬

The bedtime prayer ritual has not went away for her, it’s just changed to her own prayer. Her hands have grown, yet still fold, her heart has grown in knowledge of the Lord. She knows Him more intimatley now and her prayers reflect that. Now and in the future as she lays down to sleep, I pray that she continues that bedtime ritual and calls on the Lord through prayer and I will continue to pray that the Lord will keep her soul.

Amen.