Night
Prayers Before Sleep: St Macarius and “Into Your Hands”
“Into thine hands I will commit my spirit: thou hast redeemed me, O Lord God of truth.”Psalm 30:5 (31:5)
Reflection
Among the first of the Slavonic prayer book's “Prayers Before Sleep” is one that tradition attributes to St Macarius the Great: a plain review of the day in deed, word, and thought, and a request for peaceful rest. The same book ends the evening rule with a single line to say as you lie down, built on the psalm verse above, which Christ himself prayed from the Cross (Luke 23:46). Christians have long seen sleep as a small rehearsal for death, and they are not afraid to say so. Each night we practise handing our whole life back to God, trusting that he will raise us up in the morning, and on the last day. Pray these lying down if you like, with the lights already low. The prayers are attributed by tradition; the translations are our own, made from the Church Slavonic text.
A prayer
Eternal God and King of all creation, who have counted me worthy to reach even this hour: forgive me the sins I have committed this day in deed, word, and thought; and cleanse, O Lord, my humble soul from every defilement of flesh and spirit. And grant me, O Lord, to pass through the sleep of this night in peace, that, rising from my lowly bed, I may please your most holy name all the days of my life, and trample down the enemies, bodily and bodiless, who fight against me. And deliver me, O Lord, from the vain thoughts that defile me, and from evil desires. For yours is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen. Into your hands, O Lord Jesus Christ, my God, I commend my spirit. Bless me, have mercy on me, and grant me eternal life. Amen.
Carry this with you
What are you handing back to God tonight, so that you do not have to hold it while you sleep?