¶ A Prayer to be sayde at nyghte going to bed.
Evening Prayer for God's Care
The believer acknowledges total dependence on God and petitions for protection from darkness and growth in faith.
O merciful Lord God, heavenly Father, whether we sleep or wake, live or die, we are always yours.✦1 Therefore I ask you from the heart that you would take care and charge of me, and not let me perish in the works of darkness, but kindle the light of your countenance in my heart, so that godly knowledge may increase in me daily through a right and pure faith, and that I may always be bound to walk and live according to your will and pleasure, through Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior.✦23
Concluding Commendation
The prayer is sealed with 'Amen' and a final committal of the spirit into God's hands, echoing Psalm 31.
Amen. Lord, into your hands I commit my spirit; you have redeemed me, Lord God of truth.
Read the original English
OMercifull Lorde God heauenly … ther, whether we sleepe or wake, liue ordye, we are alwayes thyne. Whe… fore I beseche the hartelye, that thou wy… …ouchsafe to take care and charge of me, & not to suffer me to pe…ysh in the worc…es of darckenes, but to kindle the lyghte of thy …ountenaunce in my hearte, that the godly knowledge maye daylye increase in me, thorowe a ryghte and pure fayth, and that I maye alwayes be …ounde to walcke and lyue a…ter thy wyll and pleasure, thorowe …sus Christe ou…e Lord and Sanio…re.
Amen.
Lorde into thy handes I commend my spryte, thou haste Redemed me Lord God of truth.
Scripture echoes
Notes
- 1 ↩Source shows OCR lacunae: 'heauenly … ther' and fused 'liue ordye'. Translated as the standard prayer formula 'heavenly Father' and 'live or die'.
- 2 ↩Multiple OCR lacunae reconstructed: Wherefore; wilt vouchsafe; perish; works; countenance; bound; after; Jesus; our; Savior.
- 3 ↩Kept 'light of your countenance' for the biblical prayer cadence rather than paraphrasing to a more generic 'face' or 'presence'.
John Ponet's Short Catechisme (1553) companion
Rule yourself daily, not just on retreat
Chosen Portion turns the mirror into a daily practice — a short reading and examining question each morning before you lead anyone.
Chosen Portion makes the mirror daily: the ruler-formation questions this collection preserves become a two-minute morning examination in the app.
- A daily formation reading drawn from centuries of counsel to those in authority
- One pointed examination question a day — two minutes, before the meetings start
- Track your practice over weeks and watch the examined life become a habit