Prayer for Sleep
Updated: 8 hours ago
Sleep is one of God's quiet gifts, and night can also be a time of worry, loneliness, or restlessness. For centuries the Church has ended the day with Night Prayer (Compline), asking God for a peaceful night and a perfect end. This prayer comes from that tradition: it is the closing collect that asks God to visit our home and let His holy angels dwell there.
Pray it at bedtime, alone or as a family, after an examination of conscience. It is a good prayer for anyone who struggles with insomnia or anxious thoughts at night, for parents putting children to bed, for travelers in unfamiliar places, and for blessing the house. It also serves as an evening prayer for protection of the home and all who live in it.
The Prayer
Visit, we beseech Thee, O Lord, this habitation, and drive far from it all snares of the enemy; let Thy holy Angels dwell herein to preserve us in peace, and let Thy blessing be always upon us. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Sources: Traditional Compline blessing of the house; classic English, public domain.
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