Many of us are probably aware of the nightly prayer that goes thus: “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.”
I’m sure this prayer was meant to ensure a sense of security in a child while he slept. And the sense of knowing our soul would be taken to be with the Lord would be reassuring to someone older as well. However, when my children became old enough to say nightly prayers, one line of this prayer bothered me, where the children were concerned. I did not want the thought that they might die while asleep to be last in their minds. Yes, it could happen, but I did not want that to be a source of concern for them.
About this time I had found, and bought a big, thick story book that was filled with short stories and poems for children.That's the book that one of the girls left lying in the floor, and their Dad stumped his big toe on it one night, when walking around barefoot in the dark. A very big ouch! [Sorry, kids; I don’t know what happened to that book. We had it for many years; it lost both front and back covers, but eventually disappeared.]
Among all those poems and stories was a child’s prayer, similar to the one quoted above, but with a variation. This one went like this: “Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray the Lord my soul to keep. When in the morning light I wake, Help me the path of life to take.” With this prayer the Lord would keep them through the night, and go with them through the coming day. As one of my little brothers used to say, "It was more better." I liked it better for the children, and it is a pretty good prayer for adults too.
I rememberthe book; it had wonderful stories/ poems. Over the years, I have often wished I still had or could get a copy of the book.
ReplyDeleteYes, I also remember that book. It is too bad it is lost because there were a lot of stories in it that I would love to go back read again. I had forgotten about the modified version of that nightly prayer. It is a much more comforting thought before you go to sleep for a child. But I also think it is a better thought to hold in your mind as you go to sleep for an adult too. I already know that my soul is in his hands; but I don't always give Him the days. Not letting Him direct the days is what gets me in trouble!
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