Bed Time Prayer

[kagomeshuko]

When I was little, the bed time prayer I was taught went like this:

Now I lay me down to sleep
I pray the Lord my soul to keep
If I should die before I wake
I pray the Lord my soul to take.
This I ask for Jesus' sake. Amen.

It makes sense and the rhyme makes sense. However, asking God to take your soul if you die before you wake can be scary for a child. My mother also though so. When she learned of another version, we started saying the prayer this way:

Now I lay me down to sleep
I pray the Lord my soul to keep
My angels watch me through the night
And wake me with the morning light.
This I ask for Jesus' sake. Amen.

The rhyme was gone and I didn't like that. There is an archaic form of sake that means "because of," which makes the prayer make sense. I ask this "because of Jesus." However, most people don't know that meaning of the word "sake." In fact, I looked up the meaning on McNeese's Oxford English Dictionary. Most people know it as something for that person. It seems strange with the meaning most people know since obviously Jesus is just fine if these things don't happen.

I found in one of the music books that we have that the prayer fits into "All Night, All Day." I could easily sing the prayer and I liked that.

All night, all day
Angels watching over me my Lord
All night, all day
Angels watching over me.

Now I lay me down to sleep
Angels watching over me my Lord
I pray the Lord my soul to keep
Angels watching over me.

All night, all day
Angels watching over me my Lord
All night, all day
Angels watching over me.

May angels watch me through the night
Angels watching over me my Lord
And wake me with the morning light
Angels watching over me.

All night, all day
Angels watching over me my Lord
All night, all day
Angels watching over me.

Now, while not caring for "Jesus' sake," but thinking there was a reason it was that way, I tried to figure out a way to make the phrase fit into the song, but it didn't work.

I kept trying to think of things and then started praying about what I could sing. I don't remember exactly when each thing happened. However, God answered my prayers and helped me to come up with a last verse. God reminded me of other prayers and things that are said and finally the last verse came to me!

I pray this prayer in Jesus' name
Angels watching over me my Lord
May He the power and glory proclaim
Angels watching over me.

All night, all day
Angels watching over me my Lord
All night, all day
Angels watching over me.

Amen. Amen.

And now I'm happy with my standard bedtime prayer.

Of course, I still pray for people and other things, but it is good to have a bed time routine.