Effective Prayer: A blog about the different kinds of prayers and how it can help you.
Praying is a way to connect with the divine, which we all know is the source of all things. It’s also a great way to express gratitude for what you have, and to ask for what you want in life. When you pray, you are opening up your heart and soul to God’s light; when that happens, you will find yourself more at peace than ever before.
Even if you start off your day with a cup of coffee and a meaningful morning prayer, it’s all too easy to get caught up in the chaos and stress of your daily routine. By the time you return home at the end of the day, it’s possible you totally forgot the intentions you set for yourself upon waking, which is why it can be helpful to say a night prayer to God before you go to sleep. Whether you’re looking to ease your mind, erase your worries, or find the strength to finish out your week, the best night prayers will help you end your day on a high note, no matter where the day’s events might have taken you.
Jesus knows exactly what you need, at the exact moment you need it. That’s why you should use your evening prayers as a way to give thanks to him — especially if it happened to slip your mind earlier in the day. Before you know it, reciting goodnight prayers will become a nightly routine, and you’ll be able to fall asleep knowing you aren’t alone. For the sweetest of dreams, try saying these one of these night prayers before you hit the hay.
Goodnight Prayer for Blessings
Bless us with rest tonight, Jesus, and a good night’s sleep. Forgive us for the things we did today that did not honor you. Thank you for loving us so much and that you know us through and through. We need your help every day, and we thank you for the strength you give and for helping us know that with you, even hard things are possible. Bless our family and our home, and keep us safe through the night. May your angels guard us and watch over us, just like you promised.
What Should I Pray For?
Do you ever find yourself struggling to know what to pray for? You want to make prayer part of your daily routine, but you feel like you are repeating yourself. You want to freshen things up.
You are not alone. For many Christians, prayer can sometimes feel dry or stale. Prayer is talking with someone who loves you deeply and knows you intimately, so it might be hard to admit or deal with when the conversation has seemed to dry up. Part of the problem can also be the temptation to see prayer as talking to God rather than talking with Him.
But everyone goes through times when praying feels like walking uphill. So we’ve created this list of things you can pray for when you need a little inspiration. Each item on the list comes with a verse from the Bible to shape your thinking and an example of how you might pray in response.
Treat this list as open-ended and please add more suggestions in the comment section at the bottom of this page.
You can also explore our beginner’s guide to prayer.
If you’re in a hurry, use this list to jump to a specific prayer idea:
Praise God for Who He Is
Thank God for What He Has Done
Pray that You Remember God’s Love and Grace for You
Pray That You Would Love Your Neighbors
Talk to God About Someone in Need
Pray for Someone Who Does Not Yet Know Jesus
Pray That You Would Love Your Enemies
Pray That You Would Give Your Time, Money and Energy
Pray for Your Church or Christian Community
Pray for Your City, Nation and Civic Leaders
Pray for Kindness
Pray for Humility
Pray for Teachability
Pray for The Ability to Forgive
Pray for Obedience
Pray for Your Mind to Be Renewed
Pray for Purity
Pray for Responsibility
Pray for Hope and Courage
You’ve told us we are just like sheep. And that you lead us and guard us like a shepherd. You know our names, and you make us feel special and loved. When we hurt, you help us feel better. Thank you, Jesus, for your good care and for giving us [mom/dad/parents/foster parents/pastors] to help. Thank you for the Bible, and for teaching us stuff in life that helps us grow. Bless the people in our world, and help them to know you love them, too. Thank you for all the people who help us so much: teachers, doctors, policemen, and firemen—and so many more.
Thank you for your good plan for our lives. Help us to obey you and love you more and more. When we awake in the morning, put a smile on our face and your purpose in our hearts, ready to start a new day. We love you, Jesus. Good night. In Jesus’s precious name, Amen. ~ Rebecca Barlow Jordan
For A Good Night’s Sleep
Grant me a good night’s sleep tonight, God, so that I can awake refreshed and ready to begin another day loving you. Thank you again for blessings so undeserved and too numerous to count. I love being your child, and I long for the word “faithful” to describe my service to you, each day of every year. When I awake in the morning, may it be with a joyful smile, not a grumpy spirit. May your protection and your presence bathe this place with peace and safety against the enemy. Good night, Lord. In Jesus’s name, Amen. ~ Rebecca Barlow Jordan
Before You Go to Bed
Father, thank you for holding me together today. I needed you, and you were there for me. Thank you for every bit of love, mercy, and grace that was shown to me though I did not deserve it. Thank you for your faithfulness even in my suffering. To you alone be the glory. Amen. – Topher Haddox
At the End of A Hard Day
Father, I can barely lift my eyes to you. It’s all I can do to cry out for help. Please extend your grace to me this day. Help me to see that you are in this and that you are with me. Help me to remember that you are not surprised or taken off guard by the events of this day. Forgive me for my fears about this day.
Forgive me for how I have complained and muttered about how hard this day has been. Forgive me for forgetting that you are with me. Forgive me for forgetting who I am because of what your Son, Jesus Christ, has done. Forgive me for failing to remember the glorious truths and riches I have because of the gospel. Father, hear my prayer. Grant me gospel hope in the midst of this hard day. Help me to cling to your grace, your wisdom, and your strength. ~ Christina Fox
A Beautiful Prayer to End the Day
Heavenly Father, my day is drawing to an end, and I’m ready to turn in. But before I do, I have to thank you for your faithfulness today. It’s always a good day, even when things may not go the way I plan, or when the world seems in chaos because you are in control.
For all the times when I was aware of your help today, all the times when your unseen presence seemed so near, thank you, God. But for all the ways you worked behind the scenes, unknown to me, moments when heaven-sent angels moved on my behalf in ways I’ll never know, thank you for those also, Lord. Amen. ~ Rebecca Barlow Jordan
For Sweet Sleep
Heavenly Father, who gives rest to His children – will You wash over me a peace that passes all understanding as I lay down to sleep tonight? I ask that You would ease the load of the burdens I am carrying. My desire is to be an effective mother, wife, and friend and I know my attitude, energy level, and spiritual life will not be sufficient to do this if I don’t have the deep spiritual rest You long to give me. Be merciful, O Lord, and give sweet sleep to Your child. In Jesus’ Name, Amen. ~ Lysa TerKeurst
A Bedtime Prayer to Stop an Anxious Heart
Dear Lord, please help me trust You and empower me through Your Spirit to stop my emotions from bossing me around. I want to quit worrying about what might happen and focus on what has already happened by remembering and praising You for Your faithfulness in my life. In Jesus’ Name, Amen. ~ Renee Swoop
Prayer for a Reset
Lord, I long for those moments early in my faith when I felt your closeness, your joy, your energy and zest for life. I confess that the daily grind has ground down my passion for you. I confess that I allow the cares of the world to choke out the joy of the gospel. Lord, turn my heart toward you again. Fix my eyes on you, fix my heart on you. Help me have a reset in my faith and in my life, starting today. Renew my heart, renew my life for you and your ways. Help me see the daily routines of life as moments to gracefully submit to your will. Thank you for being the Lord of my life everyday. In Jesus’ Name, Amen. ~ Jennifer Waddle
Giving Thanks Evening Prayer
Dear God, we thank you tonight for the good day and for the special way you take care of us all the time. Thank you for the fun times outside and the quiet times inside, and for helping us learn new things every day.
Thank you for creating us special, exactly the way you wanted. Thank you for protecting us throughout the day. Forgive us for the wrong things we do. Thank you for loving us even when we disobey or try to do things our way. Help us to always choose your way, God, because it’s always best. We pray for all the people who don’t know you, and that they will come to understand your love for them, too.
Bless our family and thank you for good times together and apart. Bless our friends and those we love, including our grandparents, our aunts and uncles and cousins. Thank you for our home and a place to sleep and good food to eat. Help us rest well, give us peaceful dreams, and send your angels around our home to protect us throughout the night. Teach us to trust you and to love you more and more. You are good; you are great; and you are faithful, God. And we love you. Good night. In Jesus’s precious name, Amen. ~ Rebecca Barlow Jordan
Night-time Blessing Prayer
Dear God, Thank you for your great love and blessing over our lives. Thank you that your favor has no end, but it lasts for our entire lifetime. Forgive us for sometimes forgetting that you are intimately acquainted with all of our ways, that you know what concerns us, and you cover us, as with a shield. We ask for your guidance so that we might walk fully in your blessing and goodness today. We ask that your face would shine on us. That you would open the right doors for our lives and for our loved ones, that you would close the wrong doors and protect us from those we need to walk away from. Establish the work of our hands and bring to fulfillment all that you have given us to do in these days. We pray that you would make our way purposeful and our footsteps firm out of your goodness and love. Give us a heart of wisdom to hear your voice, and make us strong by your huge favor and grace. In Jesus’ Name, Amen. ~ Debbie McDaniel
For True Rest
Dear Lord, break me of the need to be busy pursuing a sense of self-worth. Make me secure in who You are and who You’ve made me to be, and as a result, teach me what it means to truly rest. Help me catch my breath. In Jesus’ Name, Amen ~ Max Lucado
To Sleep Worry Free
Lord, I’ve shouldered my cares as if I’m the one in control. Help me become like a child, handing all my stresses, worries and responsibilities to You, my faithful Father. I trust You. In Jesus’ Name, Amen. ~ Amy Carroll
Forgiveness at the End of the Day
Forgive me for any foolish actions on my part today or things I did without first asking your blessing or wisdom. Those are moments I’d rather forget, but I’m so grateful for your forgiveness when I ask. I never want to go to bed without clearing the air between us, Lord. Our friendship means too much, and your holiness deserves that. Thank you for loving me just as I am. In Jesus Name, Amen. ~ Rebecca Barlow Jordan
A Short Night-time Prayer (2 Timothy 1:7)
For God’s not given me a spirit of fear,
But a spirit of love,
and of power, and a sound mind,
To live each day and glorify his name.
Popular Child’s Bedtime Prayer, 18th Century
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.
Alternative Version for Children:
Now I lay me down to sleep,
I pray the Lord my soul to keep,
Watch and guard me through the night,
and wake me with the morning light.
Amen.
At the End of a Dissapointing Day
Lord, thank You for working in my life, even in ways that look like failure. Help me keep my eyes on You and not on my situation. Help me trust You more, especially when I face what looks like a disappointment. In Jesus’ Name, Amen. ~ Glynnis Whitwer
For Loved Ones
As I close my eyes tonight, I’m praying for loved ones around me, for friends and those who need to know you, Lord. I’m praying that your love, like the billions of stars in the night sky outside, will touch them and help them see who you really are. I pray for our world and those in it. I pray for their needs as well as my own. ~ Rebecca Barlow Jordan
Bible Verses about Sleep and Rest
Scriptures to comfort you for a peaceful rest.
Exodus 33:14 – And he said, “My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.”
Matthew 11:28-30 – Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
Mark 6:31 – And he said to them, “Come away by yourselves to a desolate place and rest a while.” For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat.
Psalm 127:2 – It is in vain that you rise up early and go late to rest, eating the bread of anxious toil; for he gives to his beloved sleep.
Psalm 4:8 – In peace I will both lie down and sleep; for you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety.
Psalm 37:7 – Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way, over the man who carries out evil devices!
Psalm 46:10 – “Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!”
Philippians 4:6-7 – Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Isaiah 30:15 – For thus said the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel, “In returning and rest you shall be saved; in quietness and in trust shall be your strength.” But you were unwilling,
Genesis 2:2-3 – And on the seventh day God finished his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done. So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it God rested from all his work that he had done in creation.