A prayer before sleep

Master of the World, the day is over. There were good moments in it that I want to remember, and moments I would rather forget. I lay them all before You now, because I do not have the strength to carry them with me into the night.

If someone hurt me today, in a word or a deed, I do not want to fall asleep angry at them. Let me let it go, and let no one be punished because of me. And if I hurt someone, give me the courage to make it right tomorrow, and do not let today's mistake become a habit.

You know that just when the light goes out, the thoughts wake up. The bills, health, the children, what I said and what I did not say. I ask You for quiet. Let me understand that the night is not the time to solve all of these, and that I can set them down until morning without their running away from me.

And if I lie awake and cannot fall asleep, let me not fight it or count the hours. Let me rest even lying down, and speak with You quietly until sleep comes.

Watch over me and my home in the hours when I am not awake. Give me deep sleep that restores my strength, and dreams that do not frighten. I entrust my soul into Your hand, so that You return it to me in the morning, fresh and ready for a new day.

And if tomorrow brings hardship, it will wait until morning. Now is the time to rest. Let sleep come quietly, and let the morning bring with it joy and strength to begin again.