A Good Night Short Prayer

Just as we pray when we are about to start our day or throughout the day, praying at night is also a beneficial practice. It is not about collecting a particular number of prayers, but instead, it means communing with God. Prayer is our way of communicating with God. God communicates to us through His Word and the Bible, and we communicate with God through prayer. Indeed, the Bible commands us to pray to God (Philippians 4:6-7  Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.); however, in the end, we do it primarily because it is a delight (1 John 5:3  In fact, this is love for God: to keep his commands. And his commands are not burdensome,). That is why it is never an issue about how many times we pray in a day or if we should or should not pray at night if we have prayed during the day. Prayer is just part of what we always do as sons and daughters of God.

Father in heaven, as I pray during the night before I go to sleep, may I not see it as a routine I must complete before sleeping but as a delightful time to commune with You. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.

 

 

Essential Points for Prayer

Prayer is one of the many aspects of a Christian’s life about which we constantly have questions. It is good to seek and ask God how to do something. The disciples did so when they asked Jesus how to pray. Matthew 6:7-13, in which the disciples asked Jesus to teach them how to pray, shows how vital prayer is. They could have asked Jesus anything, such as how to cast out demons precisely step by step or how to do miracles and the process behind them, but they asked Jesus how to pray. Jesus replied using the phrases “when you pray” and “pray then.” That leads us to our essential points:

1. Prayer is presumed in a Christian.

Jesus didn’t say, “If you pray.” He said, “When you pray” and “pray then.” It is presumed that if a person is a Christian, he or she will pray to God. That presumption carries more substance because it assumes that a truly heart-changed Christian would desire to commune with God and so pray to Him (2 Corinthians 5:17  Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!). It is presumed that a Christian does not live by their strength but is always dependent on God through prayer (Philippians 4:13). Prayer is essential for a Christian to grow in spiritual maturity. It is part of abiding in Christ to bear fruit (John 15:4-5).

2. It is about the posture of our hearts.

At times, we can get too technical when it comes to prayer. Should we kneel when praying? The truth is that God is more concerned about the posture of our hearts when praying than the posture of our bodies. Praying to God always involves a posture of humility before the LORD (Micah 6:8 He has shown you, O mortal, what is good.     And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy     and to walk humbly[a] with your God.).

3. It is not about the eloquence of your words.

While it is good to be able to articulate clearly what we want to pour out to God in prayer, eloquence is not the main point. As mentioned above, when praying to God, it is about our hearts. You can please yourself with the eloquence of Your Words but still miss the mark. As you pray, pour out to God what you want. God, in His sovereign knowledge, can make sense out of a confused prayer when we are going through trials and cannot articulate well. You don’t have to make God understand; He already does before a word is on your tongue (Psalm 139:4 Before a word is on my tongue you, Lord, know it completely.).

Praying a Good Night Short Prayer

The points above show us that even the short prayers we pray at night before sleep are meaningful. As long as they are not done out of laziness, even short prayers are meaningful because we pray them with utmost sincerity in Christ; in the desire to commune with and talk to God.

Whether it is a short prayer of thanking God for your day, surrendering to Him the worries you have for tomorrow, or whatever concerns you have, bring it to the LORD. Do not let the pressure to be eloquent or use lengthy phrases discourage you. With a sincere heart, though our prayer is short, we pray to our heavenly Father.

Father in heaven, thank You for sustaining me with Your grace today. Refresh me as I sleep tonight. I entrust tomorrow to You. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.

Prayer is essential for a Christian. A Christian cannot go on his or her faith journey without prayer. Behind the giants of the faith that we know are men and women of prayer. Prayer is a way in which we are edified.