This bedtime prayer for perseverance is for the end of a day when you are tired of pushing, still carrying something unfinished, and need to lay it down before sleep. Pray it in the evening, once the lights are low and before you close your eyes. You can read it aloud exactly as written, or use it as a starting point and speak in your own words.
Bedtime Prayer for Perseverance
Lord, the day is ending and I am still tired. I have kept going through the work that did not get finished, the conversations that were harder than I expected, and the worry that came back every time I thought I had set it down. Thank you that you saw every hour of it, and that you were not surprised by any of it. Tonight I do not ask you to make the road shorter. I ask you to give me the strength to keep walking it tomorrow.
Father, you know the places where I want to quit. You know the questions that have no answer yet, the people I am trying to love well, and the fear that I am falling behind. Keep me steady in those places. When I feel like giving up, remind me that you are still working even when I cannot see the result. Help me trust that small faithful steps add up, and that you do not waste a single one of them.
Now I give you the night. Guard my sleep and quiet my mind. Protect the people I love while I rest, and keep watch over the things I could not control today. Let me wake with a little more courage than I had when I lay down. Amen.
A Shorter Version to Pray in a Moment
Lord, I am worn out and I still have more to face. Give me enough strength for tomorrow, and enough patience for the next hour. Hold me while I rest, and do not let me carry what you have already taken. Help me keep going, one honest step at a time. Amen.
Scriptures to Pray Alongside
Galatians 6:9
Let us not be weary in doing good, for we will reap in due season, if we don’t give up.
(WEB)
Pray this verse by asking God to keep you from growing weary in doing good. Name the one faithful thing you are tempted to abandon, and ask him to give you the patience to finish it in his time.
Isaiah 40:31
But those who wait for the LORD will renew their strength. They will mount up with wings like eagles. They will run, and not be weary. They will walk, and not faint.
(WEB)
Read this slowly and ask the Lord to renew your strength while you sleep. Picture yourself resting in him rather than striving on your own, and thank him that waiting on him is not the same as doing nothing.
Romans 5:3-5
3 Not only this, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces perseverance; 4 and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope: 5 and hope doesn’t disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.
(WEB)
Use this passage to pray honestly about the hard seasons you are in. Ask God to shape perseverance in you over time, and to let hope grow where discouragement has been taking root.
Psalm 46:1-2
1 God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. 2 Therefore we won’t be afraid, though the earth changes, though the mountains are shaken into the heart of the seas…
(WEB)
Pray these verses as a reminder that God is near when everything feels unsteady. Ask him to be your refuge tonight, and to steady your heart even if the troubles around you have not yet changed.
Hebrews 12:1
Therefore let us also, seeing we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, lay aside every weight and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us…
(WEB)
Bring this verse to God by naming the weight you are carrying and asking him to help you set it aside. Ask for the grace to run the race he has given you, one day at a time.
How to Pray This Prayer
Pray this prayer at the same time each night if you can, right after you turn off the last light or while you are getting into bed. It helps to sit on the edge of the bed with your hands open in your lap, or to rest one hand on your chest as you speak. If your mind wanders, slow down and go back to the line that stood out most to you.
You may also pray it with someone who shares your home or your struggle. A spouse, a close friend, or a child old enough to join in can read a line each, or simply sit quietly while you pray. Keep a notebook beside your bed and write down anything you want to bring back to God in the morning.
A Blessing to Close
May the Lord who did not grow weary in creating you keep you steady through the night. May he remind you that the work you began is still in his hands, and that your faithfulness is seen. Rest well, and wake to his mercy, which is new every morning.
