Bedtime Prayers, by Heidi Avery

I adore bedtime with my children. It’s the precious last 10-15 minutes of the day where I fluff their pillows and prepare their beds. I close the blinds and change the lighting from overhead to subtle low-lit butterflies for one, flowers for another and moon-in-my room for him. I turn on gentle, relaxing music to help lull them off to dreamland. Once snuggled in I lovingly settle in next to them to read a favorite story. And, before I go, I spend the most serious minute of my day praying over their soft, sleepy heads. It’s always the same, varying some, but basically sounds a bit like this…

Father, thank you for my darling child, she is a precious gift that you have given to me and I love her. Help her to close her eyes and drift off into a restful night’s sleep with the sweetest of dreams. Move deep into her heart Lord, cause her to love you desperately and to seek after you unceasingly. She is yours; I give her over to you again. Protect her and keep her from harm and use her in a mighty way to bring glory to you. Amen.

My children can get to sleep just fine without the night lights, the music and the story… they prefer them of course, but they do well without them. However, the one thing that they absolutely need is that prayer. Whether it’s the comfort of my words or a peace from God himself they are soon at ease and happily off to sleep.

Now, there are many other times I pray for them and with them, but this time that I pray over them is so important to me because it sums up all that I really care about. I don’t want a single day to go by without…

--Thanking God for entrusting me and blessing my days with my children.

--Asking Him to invade their hearts with an irresistible love and desire to follow Him.

--Placing them back in His hands where they belong; giving them up again because each day I steal them back.

--Seeking protection over them; praying that their lives will be a mighty testimony to Him.

I don’t know what their future holds. Will He call them into His kingdom? I don’t know His plans, but I will heed the great wisdom of Philippians 4:6 and not be anxious about it. I will continue to petition Him over their salvation, requesting that He cover them with His grace. Outside of glorifying Him through my own life nothing else matters to me.