Sleep is an important part of our lives. It is a time when our bodies can recoup and rest. Even Jesus took the time to sleep and rest. However, it is also a time when we are most vulnerable.
This is a time when spiritual attacks can be at their most aggressive. For this reason, it is extremely important to pray at bedtime, which will protect your body and soul.
It is a time when we can ask angel warriors to stand guard over us and the Holy Spirit to be our protectors.
In Ephesians 6, we are given the armor of God to make our time of rest peaceful. But God also instructed us to ask for His help. He is the God who gives us all we ask, even the smallest of things.
Before you start, save these bedtime prayers for couples.
1) Short Bedtime Prayer for Protection
“Jesus, as I am getting ready for bed, please stretch out Your hands over me for my protection. Please send Your angels to guard me.
Lord in Heaven, You have given us hope and strength. I ask for Your protection as I lay my head down to rest.
In the Name of Your Son, Jesus Christ, I pray for a good and peaceful night’s rest. Thank You, Father God. Amen.”
Original StAgnes.net prayer. Copying prohibited, except with source.
The Lord God showed us how to pray throughout the Bible. Jesus showed us how to pray right up until His death on the cross.
He did not need to pray, as He is the Son of God, but He guided us to pray through His examples.
We can pray any time of the day, but it is important to place our lives in His care when we go to bed. Even as we lay on our beds, we can commit ourselves to Him and ask Him to protect us in our most vulnerable state.
You should also try these powerful prayers before sleep.
2) Powerful Night Prayer for Protection
“Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, I implore Your presence with me during this dark night. Please protect my soul and my spirit
As the night passes, I pray for Your protection to be over my life and that of my entire family.
Dear Father in Heaven, please set angels around our bedsides and around our home tonight. Thank You for being present with us. Amen.”
Original StAgnes.net prayer. Copying prohibited, except with source.
While the storm raged, Jesus was asleep. He knew He was protected.
He did not need to pray, but we need to pray because we need His help, as the disciples proved. We always need to ask for His protection, especially when the night is dark.
Evil lurks in the dark, and we need to ask for God’s help in combating its attacks.
He has guardian angels He can deploy to help us. But we need to ask Him for that protection.
3) Night Prayer for Protection Against Evil Spirits
“Father, Your Son, Jesus Christ, was no stranger to evil attacks. It is for this reason that I call on Your Son to protect me against demonic forces tonight.
Thank You, Father, that we are able to stand against the evil forces tonight as You protect us.
Lord Jesus, Holy Spirit, please stand against the demonic spirits who are relentless in their attacks. We ask You to protect us. Amen.”
Original StAgnes.net prayer. Copying prohibited, except with source.
Evil spirits are real, and they wish to do us harm, especially when we fervently seek the Lord and serve him. See how they even taunted Jesus in Matthew 8:29 :
“And, behold, they cried out, saying, What have we to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of God? art thou come hither to torment us before the time?”
It means that, if they can taunt Jesus, we are not exempt. They will not leave us alone, and we need to pray against them with the authority of Christ.
Do not fear them, as they thrive on our fear.
4) Bedtime Prayer for Family Protection
“My dearest Lord God and Father, I ask for Your protection over me, my family and my loved ones as we go into this night.
Father, in Your Holy Name, I ask that You protect my entire family as we enter this nighttime. Protect us as we sleep.
Lord Jesus, send angels for each of our family members to protect them. I also pray that You set them around our home to protect us. Thank You. Amen.”
Original StAgnes.net prayer. Copying prohibited, except with source.
God’s grace covers us, both individually and as a family. When we go to bed at night, we are not always able to protect our family physically.
However, our prayers are the greatest weapon we have to protect us all.
Pray every night for safety against physical as well as spiritual harm. Pray for the Lord to place a hedge around your family, as He did for Job.
Say this Bible verse before paying, to remember God that He has protected His children before:
“Have You not made a hedge around him, around his household, and around all that he has on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land. But now, stretch out Your hand and touch all that he has, and he will surely curse You to Your face!” — Job 1:10-11.
5) Blessed Bedtime Prayer for Sleep Protection
“Dearest Lord Jesus, bless us as we lay down to rest on our beds. We ask for You to bless our sleep and rest in Your Name.
Father God, in Your Holy Name, we pray for our bedtime to be a blessed one. We pray for Your Holiness to abide with us.
Thank You, Father, that we can come to You and ask for Your blessings as we get ready to sleep and whenever we need. Amen.”
Original StAgnes.net prayer. Copying prohibited, except with source.
Always pray for the Lord’s presence when you go to bed. His presence is always with us, but He wants us to talk to him even at bedtime.
Ask Him for a blessed rest. Look to Him for your blessings, even at night in your bed.
He tells us in His Word: “Fear not, for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, Yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.” — Isaiah 41:10.
6) Short Nighttime Prayer for Protection
“Dear Father, I ask that You shield me from all ungodliness tonight.
Thank You for hearing my prayers, dear Lord. My heart is filled with the knowledge that You always protect me, especially at night when darkness falls.
Be my guide and strength, Oh Lord, as I ask for Your full protection over my life tonight. Amen.”
Original StAgnes.net prayer. Copying prohibited, except with source.
God knows what we need every moment of the day. We should always trust Him regardless of our circumstances. We know He will protect us even if we do not ask Him for it.
As the Bible says: “But let all those rejoice who put their trust in You; Let them ever shout for joy, because You defend them; Let those also who love Your name Be joyful in You.” — Psalm 5:11.
However, even as “the joy of the Lord is our strength” (Nehemiah 8:10), we should always invite Him into our night wherever we take our rest.
Also try these powerful prayers against demoniac attacks.
7) Miracle Prayer for Protection While Sleeping
“Father in Heaven, I bring my night to You and pray that Your mighty hand will be over me as I sleep tonight.
I ask for Your mighty angels to stand guard over me. I thank You for this special gift tonight.
Blessed Redeemer, thank You that I can rely completely on You to protect me while I sleep tonight.
Amen.”
Original StAgnes.net prayer. Copying prohibited, except with source.
As we sleep in our beds at night, we can be assured that God will be watching over us. Even if we forget to ask Him to protect us, He does so anyway.
He tells us this: “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” — Joshua 1:9.
He says these words to Joshua, but we can take Him at His word that this is true for us too. If we ask Him, He will “be with you wherever you go.”
8) Catholic Bedtime Prayer for Protection
“Blessed Mother Mary, please pray to the Lord on my behalf, for me to be protected tonight as I sleep.
Thank You, Father, for providing me with my special angel to watch over me as I sleep.
I pray tonight, dear God, that I will have peaceful and calm rest, as I know that You are protecting me. Amen.”
Original StAgnes.net prayer. Copying prohibited, except with source.
Asking Mother Mary and the Saints to assist with a good night’s rest should not be a strange thing to do for any Catholic.
Praying probably has been part of your daily life, especially if you have been a Catholic, since childhood.
We can ask for anything from God, and that includes asking for protection at bedtime. God says: “I lie down and sleep; I wake again, because the LORD sustains me.” — Psalms 3:5.
I believe you will love these prayers for courage during difficult times.
9) Short Prayer for Sleep and Rest
“Father God, I do need to rest tonight. Will You please help me find calm and peace so that I can rest peacefully? Thank You.
Dear Heavenly Father, I am reaching out to You tonight to ask You for peaceful rest in Your powerful Name.
Thank You Father that I can come to You and ask You for the sleep and rest I need so much tonight. Amen.”
Original StAgnes.net prayer. Copying prohibited, except with source.
The Bible gives us the hope that we can ask God to give us sleep and rest. Our rest comes with the peace we have.
As it says: “In peace I will lie down and sleep, for you alone, LORD, make me dwell in safety.” — Psalms 4:8.
Ask the Lord to provide you with the essential sleep and rest you need. He will never refuse this, as He knows what sleep means to us.
Before you leave, take a look at these prayers to thank God for answered prayers.
Should I Pray Every Night Before Going To Sleep?
Humans need sleep, but the devil never sleeps.
We should therefore always be vigilant, especially when we are asleep. We cannot look out for ourselves when we sleep, but God can.
It is therefore best to cover ourselves with prayer each night when we go to bed.
Praying before bedtime will help us sleep better as we can focus on God. We will also know that He is with us as we sleep.
Can I ask for protection from other people?
While we sleep or at any other time, we can certainly ask people to protect us.
We can ask for intercessory prayers, and this will strengthen our protection. It is important, though, to be strong in the Lord so that we can stand firm against the devil and his onslaughts.
We can never go without help from our fellow believers. If we are having a really difficult time, we should always ask for help. The more prayers we can get, the better.
Can I Pray More Than One Prayer?
God does not count our prayers. He looks at how sincere we are when we ask Him for help.
The same applies to bedtime prayers, specifically for protection during the night.
As we said before, we should be fearless when it comes to spiritual attacks, even if it means saying more than one prayer. Prayer is also not prescriptive. However, we can use written prayers to help us focus even more.
Final Thoughts
When it comes to prayer, for whatever reason, it is about sincerity. God wants us to ask for help, and that means, as we mentioned, as many prayers as we need to say. Prayer is the best way to make our requests known to God.
As His Word says: “Be anxious for nothing, 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 minds through Christ Jesus.” — Philippians 4:6-7.
With this peace that “surpasses all understanding,” we can be assured of a good night’s rest as well. We ought to pray every night at bedtime to:
- Ask forgiveness for our sins committed that day;
- Set aside all worry and leave “tomorrow” in God’s care (“Be anxious for nothing”);
- Most importantly, ask God for protection and a good night’s rest.
