10 Powerful Evening Prayers to Focus Your Faith
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Our days can tend toward much busyness, yet the Lord is with us throughout every one, and His presence is felt even more when we begin our days communing with Him in prayer. Similarly, ending each day with prayer in the quiet space of our homes calms and quiets our souls as we ready ourselves for sleep. I’d like to offer ten evening prayers to end your day with God.
1. A Prayer for Hard Days
“It is the LORD who goes before you. He will be with you; He will not leave you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed” (Deuteronomy 31:8).
Father,
This day gave me many challenges and disappointments, and my heart is heavy with anxiety and discontent. I thank You for Your abiding presence in my life, that no matter what every day brings, You never leave me or forsake me. I know I can rest in my Lord Jesus as I lay my head down for the night. Nothing that happens during each day will stop Your steadfast love and faithfulness. And I know your mercies are new every morning.
I praise You, God of all comfort and joy. I thank You, Lord Jesus, for what You have done, for what You are doing, and for what You will do. I praise You, Father, in the matchless name of Jesus Christ.
Amen.
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2. A Prayer for Counsel
“Blessed is the man
who walks not in the counsel of the wicked,
nor stands in the way of sinners,
nor sits in the seat of scoffers;but his delight is in the law of the LORD,
and on his law he meditates day and night”(Psalm 1:1-2).
My Lord and my God,
I praise You for who You are and I thank You for Your Word. So many times this day I thought about what You taught me from the Scriptures this morning! I met many people today whose delight is not in Your law. I know I can’t perfectly obey Your law, but I am saved by the One who can and did, Jesus Christ. Yet my counsel is Your Word and Your spirit within me. You help me to know who I am in Christ and that You will keep me from bad counsel. As I rest in Your Word, I pray You will give me a restful night of sleep. May You be glorified even in that. In Jesus’ name I pray.
Amen.
3. A Prayer for Evangelism
“And I was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling, and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power” (1 Corinthians 2:3-4).
Wow, Father.
Today You led me to unsaved people while out doing errands. I confess, Lord, I get afraid when I think about being so vulnerable with other people, especially people I don’t know. I fear I won’t share properly or I’ll get questions I can’t answer. Forgive me, Lord, for my lack of faith. I’m thinking about what the Apostle Paul said when he wrote to the Corinthian church. Here was a man we all consider the greatest minister of the gospel outside of Christ, and he dealt with fear! But as I remembered this passage, I knew I could rest in You — Your Spirit to give me the words I needed to share the truths I live by, that Jesus is Lord to Your glory!
The gospel has the power to save people, not me. I pray You use what I shared to bring those people to salvation. Thank You, Father, for what You do with my weak self! As I go to sleep, I pray You will give me great rest. It’s in Jesus’ name I pray.
Amen.
Photo credit: Unsplash/Fa Barboza
4. A Prayer after Loss
“But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope” (1 Thessalonians 4:13).
Father God,
I am so weepy tonight in my grief, and I know I need rest. I just can’t turn off my mind from thinking about being without my beloved one. They know You and love You as Lord, and this comforts me because I know they are safely in Your arms. But I’m so alone!
Please help me, Father, as I cry myself to sleep. Help me to rest in Your promise of the best that’s yet to come — that my loved one is before Your throne in worship. No more pain. No more tears. Just complete worship. Would I wish them to be apart from You now that they’ve been in Your holy presence? Selfishly I want them here with me, but really, why would I wish them away from You, glorious God? I do have hope, and my hope is in You, for You never fail. I will see my beloved again, and we will worship You together! All praise to You in Jesus’s name. For now, this night, I will sleep with my hope in You. I love You, Lord.
Amen.
5. A Prayer of Thanksgiving
“And my God will supply every need of yours according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:19).
Lord God,
What a great day You gave me! I am so thankful to You for Your boundless provision for me and for my family. I don’t take Your goodness for granted, and I praise You for caring for our every need. Thank You for saving me. Thank You for Jesus, my Savior and Lord, and thank You for Your Spirit who dwells within me. I am so full of thankfulness, and so in awe of Your grace. My I never take it for granted. As I close my eyes to sleep, I will reflect on Your goodness, mercy, and provision for my every need. In Jesus’s strong name I pray.
Amen.
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6. A Prayer for Sleeplessness
“He makes me lie down in green pastures.
He leads me beside still waters”(Psalm 23:2).
Lord God,
I haven’t been able to sleep lately. I keep trying to think of something that might be keeping me from sleep, but so far, I can’t think of anything. And so, Father, I bow before Your throne and ask You to bring to mind anything I might be holding back from You that I need to confess and ask forgiveness for. I know there’s always some sin! Thank You for always forgiving me and for Your steadfast faithfulness and patience with me. I love You Lord and I will praise You forever. I pray for a good night’s sleep so I can wake refreshed and ready to get to what You would have me do. Thank You for leading me in Your peaceful presence. For Your glory I pray.
Amen.
7. A Prayer While on the Mission Field
“So, being affectionately desirous of you, we were ready to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own selves, because you had become very dear to us” (1 Thessalonians 2:8).
Lord Jesus,
Because of Your work on the cross, You are building Your church. I thank You for allowing me to travel on mission trips to not only share the gospel, but share my heart as well with the believers in other countries. And I had the joy and privilege of sharing Your gospel both to and from our team’s destination. Those people I served with are my brothers and sisters, and I love them. I pray I get to see them before we all get to heaven, but if not, I look forward to forever with them in heaven. I go to sleep tonight praising You for them and praying they too rest well. In Christ’s name I pray and give thanks.
Amen.
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8. A Prayer for Persecuted Brother and Sisters
“…and when they had called in the apostles, they beat them and charged them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go. Then they left the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the Name” (Acts 5:40-41).
Father,
The world is a mess, and it has been for a long time. But Your kingdom, Your church, is growing and thriving! I’m thinking of those beloved brothers and sisters who face persecution every day for their faith. But they won’t hide. They joyfully say they welcome persecution because the church grows because of it. Hallelujah, Father. Yet still I ask for Your protection for all the saints, and I pray that as I settle for the night, You would bring salvation to their persecutors and turn their world upside down, for Your glory alone. May they too rest in Christ, for it’s in His name I pray.
Amen.
9. A Prayer to Remember Light in the Darkness
“And night will be no more. They will need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light, and they will reign forever and ever” (Revelation 22:5).
Oh, Lord God,
What a glorious future awaits us who love You as Lord and Savior. As I lay here in the dark, I am thinking about how dark the world is for those who don’t call Jesus Lord. I rejoice knowing one day You will usher us into Your presence where You will vanquish night! We will be part of the new heavens and earth, and You will be our light. I can’t imagine that, but I sure can trust You that it will be exactly as you say it will be. Lord, bless my sleep tonight, and help me wake and share Your good news — the Light of the world — with those who are darkness. I praise You.
Amen.
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10. A Prayer of Worship
“For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God” (Ephesians 2:8).
Lord Jesus,
I can’t thank You enough. I can’t praise You enough because You are more than enough! Thank You for the gift of Life in Your name. Thank You for saving me. Thank You for what You did, are doing, and will do. Thank You for Your grace. There’s nothing I have to do to save myself because I can’t! You alone are the Author and Perfecter of my faith, and I have been saved by Your grace. What a gift life in You is.
As I go to sleep this evening, the only thing I regret is not being able to sing praises to You as I sleep. I will sing now, and I pray You will wake me in the morning to sing my praise to You then, too. For it’s in Your precious and holy name I pray.
Amen.
My prayer for you, my readers, is you will rest in Christ and His work on the cross for you. I pray you will accept and enjoy His grace and share the good news with as many as the Lord places in your path. May He be glorified because of you (Galatians 1:24).
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