All Praise to Thee, My God, This Night (ELW 565)
1 All praise to thee, my God, this night
for all the blessings of the light.
Keep me, oh, keep me, King of kings,
beneath thine own almighty wings.
2 Forgive me, Lord, for thy dear Son,
the ill that I this day have done;
that with the world, myself, and thee,
I, ere I sleep, at peace may be.
3 Teach me to live, that I may dread
the grave as little as my bed.
Teach me to die, that so I may
rise glorious at the awesome day.
4 Oh, may my soul in thee repose,
and may sweet sleep mine eyelids close,
sleep that shall me more vig’rous make
to serve my God when I awake!
5 Praise God, from whom all blessings flow;
praise God, all creatures here below;
praise God above, ye heav’nly host;
praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.
Devotion
Too often, I struggle sleeping at night. At times, my brain just doesn’t want to shut down. I rehash my day. I struggle with the injustices in the news headlines. I think about my lengthy to-do lists. My daughter gave me a perfect birthday present: a pair of socks that say, “Shhhh…I am over-thinking!” Jesus even warns us not to worry about tomorrow, for today’s worries are enough.
I love this beautiful evening hymn. It is a quiet reminder to tuck away the worries and focus on our amazing and loving God. We can’t solve everything, but rest assured God can. May our final words and thoughts each night be prayers of thanksgiving to God who is faithful and present with us always. Deeply breathe in the breath of God, then release the worries of the day to him. Give everything to him and sleep well, beloved child of God.
Prayer
Lord, may I be at rest in you, and sweetly sleep the whole night through.
Refresh my strength, for your own sake, so I may serve you when I wake. Amen.