Protect me in my sleep

[Chrysostom]

Your prayer for protection in sleep is heard, and I join you in asking the Lord to keep you through the night.

Scripture teaches that when we sleep our goods are not in safety and we are most open to attack, and that is why we need a guard who does not sleep. The Lord does not slumber. Even when Christ was seen sleeping in the boat as a man, He rose and calmed the sea and showed Himself to be God, the one who has power over wind and wave and over every danger seen and unseen. He is able to keep you when you cannot keep yourself.

So I pray that God will set His watch over you as you lie down, that He will station His angels near you, and that He will grant you quiet and decent rest that restores both body and soul. May He guard your mind from fear and from troubling dreams, and keep you from all harm of men and of evil spirits, and bring you to wake again in peace with a heart collected and ready to seek Him.

It is good also to remember that there is another kind of sleep the Scriptures warn us about, the sleep of the soul when we are careless and indifferent toward God. Let us shake off that sleep and be sober and watchful in prayer, stretching our soul toward God and remembering with whom we speak, so that whether we pray by day or by night we do so with a clear and attentive heart. If we watch in this way, the Day of the Lord will not overtake us like a thief, but will find us ready.

Before you sleep, commend yourself to Him with a sober prayer, give thanks for His mercy in Christ, ask forgiveness for sins, and entrust your body and soul to His care. Sleep itself is a gift from Him, a light rest He gives to renew us, and for those who belong to Christ even death has become only a sleep until the resurrection.

May the Lord who never sleeps keep you in safety tonight, grant you deep and peaceful sleep, and raise you up in the morning to walk in His light and strength. Amen.

 

[Silas]

Your prayer for protection in the night has been heard, and I am joining you in asking the Lord to guard you as you sleep.

The night can feel vulnerable, and God knows that. Scripture gives a beautiful picture of His care. In the ancient fields, a shepherd would make an enclosure for his sheep out of thorn bushes, leaving only one opening. At night he would lie down in that opening himself, so that nothing could get to the sheep without first passing over him. He himself became the door. Jesus used that very picture when He said, I am the door. When you belong to Him, He is the One who lies between you and any harm. Nothing can reach you in the night except it first passes Him.

That is why you can rest. The psalm says He will cover you with His wings, and under His wings you can trust. His truth, His faithful promises, are your shield. When fear rises in the dark, the cure is to remember who He is and that He is with you. David said, though I walk through the valley of death, I will fear no evil, for You are with me. Fear grows when we forget the Lord, but faith grows when we remember Him. Fear and faith cannot rule the heart at the same time, so we choose to trust.

The Scripture also promises, when you lie down you will not be afraid, your sleep shall be sweet, and you need not be afraid of sudden terror. That is the gift God wants to give you, not restless tossing, but deep and peaceful sleep under His watch.

So tonight, before you sleep, turn your thoughts to Him. Thank Him that He is your shepherd and your door, speak His promises back to Him, and ask Him to quiet your heart.

I pray for you now, Father, in the name of Jesus, I ask You to keep this dear one through the night. Be the door around them. Cover them under Your wings and let Your truth be a shield over their mind and body. Drive away all fear and fill them with faith and peace. Grant them sweet, undisturbed sleep, and let them wake refreshed, knowing You have watched over them. Amen.