According to recent statistics by the Sleep Foundation, 50-70 million people in the U.S. have trouble sleeping at night. Coincidently, a 2023 survey conducted by Pew Research shows that 40% of all U.S. parents are increasingly worried about their children. It doesn’t take a statistician to realize that these two reports probably go hand and hand. There’s nothing worse than suffering sleepless nights over deep concern for our kids.
In the following bedtime prayers for children, we’ll look to God’s promises to help us rest better in Him.
Bedtime Prayer for Infant Children
New parents tend to be concerned about their little ones, especially at night. From the moment our babies leave the womb and find refuge in our loving arms, we’re overcome with a desire to protect and hold their teeny bodies next to ours forever. But it helps to remember that before our babies were ever in our arms, they were in God’s loving hands. New moms and dads forfeit plenty of sleep for practical reasons, but worry doesn’t need to be one of them if we put our trust in the Lord.
Dear God, thank you for knitting together (baby’s name) in the womb. Even though our hearts are full to bursting with love for this child, we know you love them more than we could ever fathom. You’ve stationed your angels around this baby from the moment they were born and even know the number of hairs on their little downy head. You’ve pre-destined a good plan for (baby’s name) future and have promised to see to completion the good work you began. We trust you, Lord. We love you, and thank you for allowing us to be stewards of this precious gift. Please help us rest in Your love, protection, and provision tonight. And help our baby sleep soundly in Your loving care. In Jesus’s name, Amen.
Bedtime Prayer for Children with Anxiety
Anxiety can feel overwhelming when we try to manage it on our own. And it’s doubly difficult to navigate if you’re a parent struggling with anxious feelings caused by your child’s anxiety. In 4 “Ways to Help Calm Your Anxious Child,” Amanda Idleman explains that “God charges us to be strong and courageous (Joshua 1:9). But We don’t have to power through to find courage; we just have to walk hand in hand with our Savior to find it.” Here is a bedtime prayer to help manage anxiety by walking hand and hand with the God who is our peace:
Heavenly Father, thank you for being with us today and thank you that as we lie down in our beds, you are the God who never sleeps. You’re always awake and watching over us. As we quiet our bodies, we ask that you help settle our minds. You are Jehovah Shalom—which means the Lord is peace. You invite us to cast all our cares upon you because you love us and want us to rest in you. So right now, we give you all the loud, scary, and worrying thoughts that make us restless. And we pray that you’ll bring to our remembrance every promise we’ve learned from your Word and help us recall the good things you’ve given us to be thankful for. But most of all, please help us keep our thoughts fixed on you, Lord—your goodness, your kindness, and your love for us—because you are our peace.
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God” (Philippians 4:6).
“You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you” (Isaiah 26:3)
Bedtime Prayer for Children with Medical Issues
Parenting a child with medical issues can take its toll on our stress levels and rob us of sleep when we need it most. But we can trust that God is not surprised by our dire circumstances. He is busy behind the scenes working together all things for good. As this Crosswalk.com article reminds us, while we wait on God, He wants us to “experience hope and joy despite the circumstances.”
One way we can do this is by remembering who God is and allowing His strength to become our own. Here is a bedtime prayer to help:
Heavenly Father, you are Jehovah Rapha, the Lord our healer. You created this whole universe and all that is in it. You breathed life into a mound of dust and created humans. And when we sinned against you and fell into a curse of death, even then, you made a way for us to have new life through your Son. Nothing is too difficult for you. Nothing.
God, we pray that Jesus’s healing virtue would flow through (child’s name) even while they sleep. Please be the Great Physician through every person attending to their care. Call every process, function, and system in their body into submission to your perfect will. And keep our precious child in your perfect peace. As we wait on you, Lord, please fill us with your peace too. Renew our strength, hope, and energy as we sleep tonight to be strong for (child’s name). Thank you for your grace that helps us through every hard moment. And thank you that your power is made perfect in our weakness. In Jesus’s name, Amen.
Bedtime Prayer for Children with Special Needs
God has a special place in his heart for those the world views as weak and vulnerable, and He often uses their lives to turn flawed perspectives upside down for His glory.
“God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him” (1 Corinthians 1:27-29)
But even with a clear perspective, raising a child with special needs can seem daunting. God sees, knows, and cares about our children and those who love and care for them. Annie Yorty writes that His Word provides “an antidote to every fear-driven worry.” Here is a bedtime prayer that will help replace fear and worry with God’s truth:
Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for creating (child’s name) with love and purpose. You are El Roi, the God who sees us. Thank you that you see, know, and understand our children better than anyone ever could—because you are the one who formed their innermost being, and you know them from the inside out. As we prepare for bedtime, please enable them to sense your constant, loving, abiding presence. Minister to their heart and mind as only you can. Thank you for revealing your glory through every challenge in our lives. Please quiet our fears with your perfect love. Help us keep our eyes fixed on Jesus and our hearts yielded to your good plan for (child’s name) future—so that we can all experience the deep, sweet sleep you want for us tonight. In Jesus’s name, Amen.
Bedtime Prayer for Children Who are in Foster Care or Orphaned
Our loving Father does not turn a deaf ear to orphaned, fatherless, or abandoned children. There are over 140 million orphans in the world today, and in the U.S. alone, there are more than 400,000 children in foster care. God hears their cries from Heaven and takes them seriously. He is the Father to the fatherless—their defender, protector, and executor of justice. (Psalm 27:10-14, Psalm 68:5, Deuteronomy 10:18) And He calls Believers to become a part of his protective care for these children.
“Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world” (James 1:17).
Here is a bedtime prayer that reflects God’s heart for these beloved children:
Dear God, You are faithful and true in all you do. Thank you for being a good Father—our Abba Father—who never leaves or forsakes us. Please draw these little ones to you. Open their hearts to receive new life, heritage, and hope through Jesus. Watch over them as they sleep and place a hedge of protection around them. Help them dwell in your loving protection and open doors for earthly homes where they can be loved, nurtured, and trained in your ways. Lord, as we turn out our lights to sleep tonight, turn our hearts to your will concerning these children. Use us, your people who are called by your name, and filled with your Spirit, as instruments of love, care, and provision for them. In Jesus’s name. Amen.
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This article is part of our prayer resources meant to inspire and encourage your prayer life when you face uncertain times. Remember, the Holy Spirit intercedes for us, and God knows your heart even if you can't find the words to pray.
Prayers for Healing
Morning Prayers
Prayers for Family
Prayers for Surgery
Prayers for Strength
Night Prayers Before Bed
Prayers for Protection
The Lord's Prayer: Our Father
