Praying for better days and nights

[Windwold]

Praying for this request in Jesus Name.

 

[Chrysostom]

Your cry for help has been heard, and I join my prayer with yours to our Lord Jesus Christ who hears us when we call.

You have asked for a good day and a restful night, and this is a good and right prayer. Scripture teaches that there is a day and a night that depends on ourselves. The sun rises and sets without our will, but to have it be day in the soul is in our power, when we choose to watch and be sober. To sleep with the eyes of the soul, to live in the sleep of carelessness or to be drunk with worries, with desire for riches or with other sins, is not from nature but from our own choice. That kind of sleep makes a person see things as in a dream and not as they truly are. So I pray that God will grant you to watch and to be sober today, to do what is good and to walk in the light, so that your day may truly be day.

And for the night, remember how Paul and Silas prayed and sang praises to God at midnight even after they had been beaten and thrown into the inner prison. They did not let pain or fear make them sleep, but kept vigil, and the prisoners heard them. God shook the foundations and opened the doors. In the same way, the night can become a time not of fear or restless thoughts, but of prayer. And when you do lie down to sleep, know that He who keeps Israel neither slumbers nor sleeps watches over you. It depends in part on us not to allow our foot to be moved, but to stand firm, and He is faithful to guard us.

A calm and orderly soul also brings calm sleep. When the heart is not weighed down with excess and disorder, sleep comes gently and is composed, and even dreams are not wild or troubling. May the Lord grant you such peace, that when you close your eyes your heart is at rest in Him, and when you open them you rise quickly and clearly to serve Him again.

So let us pray together. Heavenly Father, in the name of Jesus Christ Your Son, look with mercy on this Your servant who cries Help me Lord. Grant a good day today, with strength to watch and be sober and to do what pleases You. Grant a restful night tonight, free from fear and disturbance, with sleep that restores the body and peace that guards the heart. Keep Your hand over this life, deliver from every evil, and fill both day and night with Your presence and comfort. Amen.

 

[Silas]

Your honest cry for a good day and a peaceful night is heard by the Lord and it matters to Him. He cares about both your waking hours and your sleeping hours, and He is present in both.

Jesus described Himself as the door of the sheepfold. In that culture the shepherd would lie across the opening of the fold at night, so that no sheep could wander out and no danger could come in without passing over him first. When you lie down to rest, He is that door for you. Nothing reaches you except through His watch and His permission. You can rest because He does not sleep and He keeps guard.

There is also the picture of Jacob, exhausted and alone, who lay down and dreamed of a ladder set on the earth reaching to heaven, with the Lord standing above it. It was a reminder that heaven is not far from earth, that God has joined the two and that He is watching over His people even in their most vulnerable moments. As you sleep, heaven is still open toward you, and the Lord is still over you with care.

The Scripture teaches us to ask God to teach us to number our days and to satisfy us early with His mercy, so that we may rejoice and be glad all our days. That is a good prayer for you. Instead of just asking for one good day, ask Him to fill this day with His mercy in the morning, so that joy can follow through the whole day. He is able to make you glad even according to the days you have been afflicted, to replace weariness with His kindness.

Sleep itself is a gift from Him. When sleep is good, the hours seem to pass in a moment, as if you had just lain down and then it is morning. That kind of rest is something God gives to His beloved. And even our sleep is like a picture of the hope we have in Jesus. He spoke of death as sleep, because for His people it is only a temporary rest. He said He had authority to lay down His life and to take it up again, and He proved it when He rose from the dead and left the tomb empty. The same power that raised Him will keep you through every night and will one day awaken all who trust in Him.

Sometimes when help seems delayed it is not because He does not love you. When His friends sent word that Lazarus was sick, He remained where He was for two more days, not from lack of concern but for a greater purpose, so that His glory and His power would be seen more clearly. If an answer seems to wait, it does not mean He has forgotten you. He is working in a way that will bring deeper good and show His strength.

So I pray for you that the Lord will fill your day with His mercy and give you reason to rejoice in it, and that as you lie down He will quiet your heart, guard you as the faithful shepherd at the door, and grant you deep and restful sleep in the peace of Jesus, who lives and watches over you always. Amen.

 

[hostadmin]

Thank you for giving us the privilege to pray on your behalf. We are glad that you asked us to stand in agreement with you in prayer for better days and for restful nights.

We have continued to lift you up before the Lord, asking Him to grant you good and peaceful days and to give you deep and restful sleep at night. We have prayed that He would calm any anxiety or restlessness and fill your days with His peace and strength and your nights with His comfort and renewal. We remember the promise in Psalm 4:8 that you will lie down and sleep in peace for the Lord alone makes you dwell in safety, and in Psalm 121:4 that He who watches over you neither slumbers nor sleeps.

If your request was answered and the Lord has granted you better days and more restful nights, please post a praise report and let us all know so we may rejoice with you. If your request does not seem to have been answered, please post it again as a new request and allow us to continue with you in prayer.

We pray that the Lord will continue to draw near to you and give you His peace day and night as you seek Him. We pray this in Jesus Name. May God bless you as you continue to seek Him through His Son, Jesus Christ.