Night Prayer of Trust
A prayer for the end of the day, when the work is set down and the rest is left with God.
The Church has always prayed at nightfall. In the Liturgy of the Hours the last prayer of the day is called Night Prayer, or Compline, and its spirit is trust: the day is finished, and we place ourselves in the hands of God.
You do not need a breviary to pray in that spirit. A few quiet minutes are enough.
Before you pray: a look back
- Become still, and remember that God is present.
- Give thanks for one or two specific gifts of the day.
- Notice where you loved well, and where you did not.
- Ask forgiveness simply, without rehearsing your failures.
- Entrust tomorrow to God and let it go.
Night Prayer of Trust
Lord Jesus Christ, the day is over.
What I finished and what I left undone,
I place in your hands.
Thank you for the good I received today
and for the people you set beside me.
Where I was impatient or unkind,
forgive me, and heal what I have hurt.
Watch over those I love,
the sick, the lonely, and those who cannot sleep.
Keep this house in your peace.
Into your hands I commend my spirit.
Let me rest in you tonight
and rise tomorrow ready to serve you.
Amen.
Original prayer by Take Jesus Home.