“Prayer before Sleep” by Timothy Keller

“O Lord God, now grant me the grace not only to rest my body this night, but to have my spiritual repose, in soul and conscience, in Your grace and love, that I may let go of all earthly cares so I might be comforted and eased in all my ways.

And because no day passes that I do not sin in so many ways, please bury all my offenses in Your mercy, that I might not lose your presence.

Forgive me, merciful Father, for Christ’s sake.

And as I lay down in sleep to safely wake again only by Your grace, keep me in a joyful, lively remembrance that whatever happens, I will someday know my final rising– the resurrection– because Jesus Christ lay down in death for me, and rose for my justification.

In His name I pray, Amen.”

–Tim Keller, Prayer: Experiencing Awe and Intimacy with God (New York: Dutton, 2014), 266. This prayer was freely adapted from John Calvin’s prayer before sleep as quoted in John Calvin: Writings on Pastoral Piety, Ed. Elsie McKee (Mahwah, NJ: Paulist Press, 2001), 214.

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Filed under Christian Theology, Jesus Christ, John Calvin, Mercy, Prayer, Puritanical, Quotable Quotes, The Gospel, Tim Keller

4 responses to ““Prayer before Sleep” by Timothy Keller

  1. Dr. Bryan E. Galloway

    Reblogged this on Pray for Revival!.

  2. Reminds me of a nighttime prayer recorded in Rule and Exercises of Holy Living, by Jeremy Taylor. How important this is to our sleep, which also belongs to God!

  3. Pingback: Prayers Before Sleep – Barrie Covenant News Brief

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