You are held, even in the dark
A Prayer Before Sleep
There is an old and beautiful practice of ending the day with prayer, of handing the day back to God and laying yourself down in His care before you sleep. Whether your day was good or hard, whether your heart is peaceful or troubled, praying before sleep is a way of saying, I do not have to hold the night together; God does. This page offers a prayer you can make your own, a gentle way to close the day. You do not need many words. A few honest ones, offered as you lie down, are a fitting end to any day and a quiet handoff of yourself into the keeping of the One who never sleeps.
“I will both lay me down in peace, and sleep: for thou, LORD, only makest me dwell in safety.”Psalm 4:8
“I laid me down and slept; I awaked; for the LORD sustained me.”Psalm 3:5
“When thou liest down, thou shalt not be afraid: yea, thou shalt lie down, and thy sleep shall be sweet.”Proverbs 3:24
“Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”Matthew 11:28
Let us slow the night down
A bedtime prayer is not a spell to guarantee good sleep or ward off every trouble; it is simply a turning of your heart to God as the day ends. Some nights you will pray it and drift off easily; other nights sleep will be harder to find, and that is not the prayer failing. The point is not a perfect night but a right resting place for your mind and your worries as you lie down. So pray honestly, hand over whatever the day held and whatever tomorrow threatens, and let the prayer settle you into trust rather than striving. This is a handoff, not a performance.
Something to hold in the dark
The Bible gives the grieving and the anxious the same gentle words to fall asleep on. I will both lay me down in peace, and sleep: for thou, LORD, only makest me dwell in safety. And, I laid me down and slept; I awaked; for the LORD sustained me, the confidence that the God who keeps you through the night will wake you in the morning. When thou liest down, thou shalt not be afraid: yea, thou shalt lie down, and thy sleep shall be sweet. Pray these truths back to God as you close your eyes. Come unto me, Jesus says, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest; lay the day's labor down at His feet.
The One who slept in the storm
When you pray before sleep, you are placing yourself into the hands of Jesus, who invites the weary to come to Him for rest. He is the One who makes you dwell in safety and sustains you through the night. You do not keep yourself alive as you sleep; He does. So end the day by handing it, and yourself, to Him. Lay down the labor and the burdens at the feet of the One who cares for you, and rest in the promise that He is watching over you while you cannot watch over yourself. Pray the prayer below, or your own, and let Him give His beloved sleep.
Who is Jesus? · Begin with Jesus · Ask someone to pray with you
Questions people ask
What is a good prayer to pray before sleep?
A good bedtime prayer simply hands the day and yourself back to God: thank Him for the day, release your worries and tomorrow's unknowns to Him, and rest in His promise to keep you through the night. You can use the prayer on this page, pray a psalm like the promise that God makes you lie down in safety, or use your own honest words. What matters is turning your heart to God as you close the day, not the exact wording.
Does praying before bed help you sleep?
For many people, ending the day by handing their worries to God genuinely settles the mind and eases the transition into sleep, because it moves the burdens out of your hands and into His. It is not a guaranteed formula, and some nights sleep is still hard, but the practice of releasing the day to God cultivates trust and peace over time. Pair it with calming habits, and let the prayer be a nightly handoff rather than a performance.
Is there a Bible verse to fall asleep to?
Yes, several psalms are ideal to fall asleep on. One says, I will both lay me down in peace, and sleep: for thou, LORD, only makest me dwell in safety. Another promises that when you lie down, your sleep shall be sweet. Repeating a short, comforting verse as you close your eyes gives your mind a steady, true thing to rest on instead of the day's worries, which can quiet the churn and settle you toward sleep.