When I was a kid, I used to always say prayers at bedtime. Sometimes my parents would come say them with me. Sometimes I would kneel beside my bread. Other nights, I would simply sit in bed and pray. Sometimes I would fall asleep praying.
Somewhere along the way, I have lost the practice of praying before going to sleep. Sure, I pray throughout the day. But at night, I get tired and don't feel like praying. Maybe I have kind of thought of bedtime prayers as something you do when you are a kid. I do grownup prayers now. But I was recently convicted about my attitude toward bedtime prayers while reading The Prayer God Answers by Eberhard Arnold.
Eberhard Arnold wrote about childlike faith in prayer. Suddenly, I saw that bedtime prayers are those which can be the most powerful of all. It has nothing to do with the time of the day but the condition of our hearts. God's ears are open to hear the humble cry of His children. Kids have a capacity for faith far beyond most adults. They have dangerous wonder which can lead them to believe for things that adults would say is just impossible.
I have been having some trouble sleeping over the last year. It comes in spells. I have always been a person who wakes up in the middle of the night. But sometimes now, I find it hard to go back to sleep. This leads me to be too tired in the morning and generally feel sluggish the next day. Maybe bedtime prayers is just what the doctor ordered? I'll try it and hopefully rediscover some of the heart that I had when I used to pray simple prayers and believed in a Big God.
Father, watch over me while I sleep. May I find rest in You and be at peace. You are my shield against the enemy. Ignite my childlike faith again. Cause me to return to the days of bedtime prayers and big dreams. May I be refreshed each night for the day ahead. You can do all things because You're just that Big. Thank You for caring for me and holding all of my days in Your hands. Amen!
