The meaning of prayer before bed
We spend more than a third of our lives sleeping, and sometimes even more. It has been proven that sleep after prayer is much more restorative and brings wisdom, invisibly connecting reality and the world of dreams. It’s not for nothing that there is a proverb: “The morning is wiser than the evening.” But if you do not pray, then a person can be especially vulnerable to sinful desires and the influence of evil forces.
No matter what happens, it is important to come to God before going to bed. Open your heart, reveal all your sorrows and joys, even if your strength is running out. Evening prayer has a calming and protective effect. It serves as an excellent addition to the end of any day - work or weekend. You can pray in the form of petition, thanksgiving or doxology.
Prayers before going to bed are very important for Orthodox Christians. They include cycles of petitions to the saints, psalms, and doxologies. We thank the gentlemen for the day we lived and the unforgettable experience we gained. They apologize for sins – imaginable and unthinkable. After getting rid of the burden of daily life and bad influences, the quality of sleep improves greatly.
What it is advisable to pray for:
- about forgiveness of sins;
- about obedience and instruction;
- about the message of an angel;
- on protection and preservation;
- about sending wise and good thoughts;
- about patience;
- about the salvation of soul and body;
- about getting rid of the actions of enemies and ill-wishers.
Many believers note that if you do not pray, it is very difficult to fall asleep, and the sleep itself can be intermittent and restless. You need to read sacred words every day, and not occasionally. Then you will be able to avoid many of the problems and misfortunes that many face on the path of life. In turning to the Lord, they ask for protection in dreams and at night from fears, and ask for the advent of a new joyful day, filled with happiness and meaning.
Prayer always helps believers, regardless of whether a person is awake or asleep. With the help of the words with which we turn to God and Heavenly intercessors, we can ward off trouble, prevent troubles, and receive miraculous help.
What evening prayers are recommended to be read before bed:
- coming to bed;
- troparia;
- Saint Macarius;
- Saint Antiochus;
- to the Holy Spirit;
- Saint Macarius the Great;
- John Chrysostom;
- to Jesus Christ;
- to the Blessed Virgin Mary;
- to the Guardian Angel;
- To the Honest Cross.
It is also important to read prayers for the coming sleep over babies. Especially if the child is restless and often wakes up during the night. The following petitions will help cope with the nightmares and fears of toddlers and older children:
- to Saint Martha;
- to the Kazan Mother of God;
- at the Guardian Angel of a baptized baby;
- to Matrona of Moscow;
- for the blessing of a child.
To read, stand at the head of the bed and quietly pray. In the morning, you can notice that fidgets wake up well-rested, joyful and less capricious. While children are small, mothers or fathers pray for the salvation of their souls. When your children grow up, you can begin to teach them to pray on their own.
Ask God and Heavenly protectors with faith and love for help before going to bed, and your prayer will never go unheeded.
Sincere and earnest appeal will overshadow with divine grace and send effective help. Dreams will be kind and joyful.
When and how to read evening prayers
Evening prayers are read daily and cannot be postponed. They help to cope with the passions of the past day, humbly and repentantly accept the events and actions of others, and cleanse your soul of sinful thoughts and destructive feelings.
Beginning Christians only need to follow three steps in evening prayer:
- retire;
- cleanse your soul of anger, irritation and resentment of the past day, tune in to a conversation with God;
- cross yourself and read your prayer rule.
An evening prayer ritual is a way to get back on track. In no case should you treat it as a heavy holy burden and an opportunity to proudly elevate yourself above those around you. And, of course, this is not a reason to condemn loved ones who have not yet been churched.
Evening prayers
Appeal to the Lord God
In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, prayers for the sake of Your Most Pure Mother, our reverend and God-bearing fathers and all saints, have mercy on us. Amen.
Heavenly King, Comforter, Soul of truth, Who is everywhere and fulfills everything, Treasure of good things and Giver of life, come and dwell in us, and cleanse us from all filth, and save, O Good One, our souls.
Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal, have mercy on us. (Thrice)
Our Father, who art in heaven! Hallowed be Thy name, Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, as it is in heaven and on earth. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our debts, just as we forgive our debtors; and do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.
Tropari
Have mercy on us, Lord, have mercy on us; Perplexed by any answer, we offer this prayer to You as the Master of sin: have mercy on us.
Glory: Lord, have mercy on us, for we trust in You; Do not be angry with us, do not remember our iniquities, but look upon us now as if you are gracious, and deliver us from our enemies; For Thou art our God, and we are Thy people; all works are done by Thy hand, and we call upon Thy name.
And now: Open the doors of mercy to us, blessed Mother of God, who trust in You, so that we may not perish, but may be delivered from troubles by You: for You are the salvation of the Christian race.
Lord have mercy. (12 times)
Prayer 1, St. Macarius the Great, to God the Father
Eternal God and King of every creature, who has vouchsafed me even at this hour to come, forgive me the sins I have committed this day in deed, word and thought, and cleanse, O Lord, my humble soul from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit. And grant me, Lord, to pass through this dream in peace at night, so that, rising from my humble bed, I will please Your most holy name all the days of my life, and will trample the fleshly and incorporeal enemies that fight me. And deliver me, Lord, from vain thoughts that defile me, and from evil lusts. For Yours is the kingdom, and the power and the glory, of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.
Prayer to the Blessed Virgin Mary
Good Mother of the King, Most Pure and Blessed Mother of God Mary, pour out the mercy of Thy Son and our God on my passionate soul and with Thy prayers instruct me in good deeds, so that I may pass through the rest of my life without blemish and through Thee I will find paradise, O Virgin Mother of God, the only Pure One and Blessed One.
Prayer to the Holy Guardian Angel
Angel of Christ, my holy guardian and protector of my soul and body, forgive me all who have sinned this day, and deliver me from every wickedness of the enemy who opposes me, so that in no sin I will anger my God; but pray for me, a sinful and unworthy servant, that you may show me worthy of the goodness and mercy of the All-Holy Trinity and the Mother of my Lord Jesus Christ and all the saints. Amen.
Kontakion to the Mother of God
To the chosen Voivode, victorious, as having been delivered from the evil ones, let us write thanks to Thy servants, the Mother of God, but as having an invincible power, free us from all troubles, let us call Ti; Rejoice, Unbrided Bride.
Glorious Ever-Virgin, Mother of Christ God, bring our prayer to Your Son and our God, may You save our souls.
I place all my trust in You, Mother of God, keep me under Your roof.
Virgin Mary, do not despise me, a sinner, who requires Your help and Your intercession, for my soul trusts in You, and have mercy on me.
Prayer of Saint Ioannikios
My hope is the Father, my refuge is the Son, my protection is the Holy Spirit: Holy Trinity, glory to Thee.
It is worthy to eat as you truly bless Thee, the Mother of God, the Ever-Blessed and Most Immaculate and the Mother of our God. We magnify You, the most honorable Cherub and the most glorious without comparison Seraphim, who gave birth to God the Word without corruption.
Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, prayers for the sake of Your Most Pure Mother, our reverend and God-bearing fathers and all saints, have mercy on us. Amen.
If you find an error, please select a piece of text and press Ctrl+Enter.
Prayer book for the future sleep
All the prayers that need to be read at night are collected in the prayer book. Due to the workload of modern people, you can choose short prayers that have great power and are in no way inferior in effectiveness to long prayer texts.
If you have problems sleeping, you should ask for restful sleep with the following prayer:
“Eternal God and Heavenly King, creator of all life on earth. You are Almighty and All-Merciful. I turn to you at the evening hour, hear my prayer and grant me peace of mind. Forgive me all my sins, committed not out of malice or out of desire to harm anyone, but out of ignorance and inexperience. I sincerely repent of my misdeeds and hope for your forgiveness. Cleanse my humble soul, Lord, and do not allow me to experience eternal torment. Give me the opportunity to go to sleep in peace and tranquility, so that the next day I can accomplish my deeds for the glory of the Lord with new strength. Only your kingdom has power and glory. Deliver me, Lord, from vain thoughts and deeds. Amen".
Prayers Optina Pustyn
The elders of Optina Pustyn offer bedtime prayers to those to come. It is believed that these prayers, first of all, need to be listened to. Therefore, you need to turn on the audio recording and repeat the prayer words after the monks. If you pray in this way every evening, you can gain confidence in your own goals. This will allow you to successfully move towards your goals, overcoming all obstacles. By saying prayers you can reliably protect yourself from temptations and choose the right path in life. The prayers of the elders of Optina Pustyn are a real example of insight and wisdom for every believer.
But if it is not possible to repeat prayers via audio, then you can independently pronounce this short prayer text in Russian:
“In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen. Have mercy on us, Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, for the sake of the prayers of the Most Holy Theotokos, Your Mother. Have mercy on us for the sake of all your holy and holy servants. Amen. We praise you, Almighty, Comforter and Guardian of Truth. You are everywhere and you bestow your good treasures on all those who pray to you. Save our souls from all kinds of defilement and dwell in us, filling our souls with joy. Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal, have mercy on us.”
Short prayers before bed in Russian
The prayer book contains a brief evening prayer rule. But it is not required reading. Each person can choose which prayers are more important for him to read on a particular day, and the Church allows this approach.
Before going to bed, you should definitely thank the Lord for your day. Moreover, this must be done regardless of how successful the day was. You also need to freely ask for blessings for the coming day.
Always further communication with God must begin with the words:
“In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen".
After this, an appeal to Jesus Christ is pronounced, which is used by the Optina monks; it is translated into Russian above. Next, the prayer to the “Holy Trinity” is read.
In short, it sounds like this:
“Most Holy Trinity, have mercy on us; cleanse our sins, Lord; Lord of Heaven, forgive sins; O Almighty and All-merciful, visit us and heal us from various infirmities, for the sake of Your Holy Name.”
Then a prayer is said, which has enormous power and is known to everyone - “Our Father.” It is here that you can finish your evening reading of prayers and go to rest. But if an internal need arises, then you can continue prayerful communication with the Higher powers. Thus, mothers can turn to the Most Holy Theotokos in prayer for the well-being of their children. For a small child, you can ask for a restful sleep. You can also turn to other saints with requests that are especially important to you in this period of life. A prayer to your own Guardian Angel is considered very useful.
If you are just starting to read bedtime prayers for the future or are teaching your child to them, then you need to do this gradually. You cannot overexert your consciousness. It is important to ensure that prayer texts become part of your soul and do not cause tension.
Listen to the audio prayer for the night:
Download for free in MP3:
Molitva_na_noch.mp3 [5.85 Mb] (downloads: 66)
Author of the article:
Natalya Nadezhdina
