Using Scriptures as Bedtime Prayers: 3 Nighttime Psalms
In our home, we often try to use scripture as bedtime prayers with our kids, especially these 3 particular Psalms.
Of course, we all know how typical bedtime prayers go:
“Now I lay me down to sleep…”
“Father, we thank Thee for night…”
My wife and I try to pray with our kids every night before they go to sleep. Probably a lot of Christian parents do the same. One way to infuse a lot of rich meaning into bedtime prayers is to use fitting verses from the Psalms.
Reciting a short section from the Psalms not only fills our children’s minds with God’s truths as they drift off to sleep, but doing so repeatedly can teach them to memorize key sections of Scripture. These are the top three Psalms we use for bedtime prayers with our kids.
Using Scriptures as Bedtime Prayers: 3 Nighttime Psalms
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Psalm 121
This entire Psalm is great for bedtime prayers. It is short, easily memorable, and contains many timely truths for children trying to get to sleep in a dark room all by themselves.
The Psalm was originally sung by pilgrims traveling long distances to Jerusalem for an annual feast. The caravans of travelers would have to brave bad weather, rough terrain, hot days, cold nights, and the dangers of the dark. This Psalm celebrates a God who is with us throughout all our travels.
Psalm 121 teaches our kids they have nothing to fear, even in the night. Though we drift off to sleep, “he who keeps you will not slumber. Behold, he who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep” (v.3b-4).
Psalm 139:7-12
This whole Psalm is worth memorizing if you can find the time, especially as a bedtime prayer. It one of King David’s most notable songs. Charles Spurgeon said that David must have dedicated this Psalm to the Chief Musician because “this sacred song is worthy of the most excellent of the singers.”
Verses 7-12 in particular are great for bedtime. They remind our children that nothing can separate us from God’s presence—not even the darkest night. God is present in the highest heaven, the deepest abyss, and the most distant land imaginable. God is everywhere. The night itself cannot hide us from Him: “even the darkness is not dark to you; the night is bright as the day, for darkness is as light with you” (v.12).
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Psalm 63:5-8
David wrote this song during one of the most troubled times of his later life. His son Absolom had taken over the kingdom, and David was on the run to escape the usurping army. David was not only weary from running, he was also weary in his soul: he hungered and thirsted for God.
David instructs our children what they can do at night when they find it hard to sleep. He says, “I remember you upon my bed, and meditate on you in the watches of the night” (v.6). David teaches us to meditate on all the times God has been our help (v.7), so as parents, before we pray this bedtime prayer with our restless children, we can remind them of the times God has shown himself faithful to us. Only as our children remember these things will their souls be satisfied (v.5)..
Other perfect nighttime Psalms for Bedtime Prayers
“By day the Lord commands his steadfast love, and at night his song is with me, a prayer to the God of my life.” – Psalm 42:8
“But you, O Lord, are a shield about me, my glory, and the lifter of my head. I cried aloud to the Lord, and he answered me from his holy hill. Selah. I lay down and slept; I woke again, for the Lord sustained me.” – Psalm 3:3-5
“You have put more joy in my heart than they have when their grain and wine abound. In peace I will both lie down and sleep; for you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety.” – Psalm 4:7-8
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Free Psalms for Bedtime Prayers Printable Signs:
Download these free printable signs to put near your child’s bed: Psalms for Bedtime Prayers (pdf)
More Biblical Parenting Tips:
- Parenting with Proverbs: The Art of Correction Using Biblical Wisdom
- Write Through the Bible Curriculum
- Screen Sense: 3 No-Fail Strategies for Ending the Struggle Over Screen Time
- 4 Dynamite Devotional Tools for Parents
- 3 Ways Every Parent Should Be Praying For Their Kids
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About Luke Gilkerson
Luke Gilkerson and his wife Trisha are the primary authors of IntoxicatedOnLife.com. For 5 years, Luke worked as a Campus Minister at the University of Toledo. Following this, he worked as the Educational Resource Manager at Covenant Eyes, a company dedicated to protecting eyes and minds from harmful sexual content online. Luke has a BA in Philosophy and an MA in Religion from Reformed Theological Seminary. He is the author of several family Bible studies, including The Talk: 7 Lessons to Introduce Your Child to Biblical Sexuality.
9 PSALMS TO READ WITH YOUR KIDS AT BEDTIME
We have a bedtime routine in our home that involves reading (several) books, singing some songs and praying before it’s time to lay down and (hopefully!) go to sleep.
But you know what I’d been missing in that routine?
The golden opportunity to walk through Scripture and commit it to memory.
We usually read individually from an age-appropriate Bible storybook or devotional and often do our family Bible time in the evenings too. And we do lots of memory work for Sunday school and just in general, so I pretty much thought I had it covered.
Plus, maybe our children can’t absorb anything else at night because they’re so tired–right? I was wrong!
I did a little research into what makes a good bedtime routine (for my kids and myself) and learned some fascinating things in particular about reading before bed!
5 Amazing Things That Happen when You Read to Your Child Right Before Bed
1) They will sleep better because reading helps a child wind down better than TV (which you probably knew!)
2) Their stress level reduces by as much as 60 percent (wow!) because your body is focused on what you’re reading/hearing rather than other stressors (and we all know our children sometimes struggle with anxious thoughts!)
3) Words, especially poetry (like the book of Psalms), boosts memory, because it links to the right half of the brain, which regulates emotion.
4) Sleep forms new connections, and the things read right before bed will be retained significantly better than things read earlier in the day
5) Your child’s dreams will likely be sweeter, because they are often influenced by what we’ve most recently thought, talked or read about.
So I decided to incorporate some psalms with our bedtime routine, and the kids have really enjoyed it so far!
It’s been a good motivator to spend just a few minutes with each of our four kids by themselves….I feel like they learn and listen better that way at the end of the day, rather than trying to do this all in a group.
You can do this too!
Reading and teaching our children Bible verses, even at night, will stick with them for a lifetime.
Here are some ideas for you to get started reading the psalms with your kids at bedtime (or any time!), including specific psalms, their meanings, and how to learn them together based on the age of your children.
I hope this can help you in your bedtime routine with your children too!
9 Psalms to Read with Your Kids at Bedtime
Psalm 4:8
“I will lie down and sleep in peace, for you O Lord make me dwell in safety.”
This is a favorite of our kids and we say it together every night, when our youngest was two she had this verse memorized! If you want, you can expand on it for older kids with verses 4-8: “Be angry, and do not sin; ponder in your own hearts on your beds, and be silent. Offer right sacrifices, and put your trust in the Lord. There are many who say, ‘Who will show us some good? Lift up the light of your face upon us, O Lord!’ You have put more joy in my heart than they have when their grain and wine abound. In peace I will both lie down and sleep; for you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety.”
Psalm 121
This is a short psalm that is easy to memorize and is a reminder for our children how God is always watching over them and that He does not sleep or lose sight of us. It’s a encouragement for when we feel alone or worried.
“He will not allow your foot to be moved; He who keeps you will not slumber. Behold, He who keeps Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep.” (vs. 3-4)
Psalm 147:4
I honestly don’t recall having heard this verse before a couple of years ago when I found it in one of my daughter’s bedtime books. I think it’s a great psalm for nighttime because we can look at the stars with our kids and remind them of God’s personal involvement in creating them and the entire world.
“He determines the number of the stars; he gives to all of them their names.”
A simple paraphrase of this verse says “God counts the stars and names each one.”
If you want, you can have your children learn more of Psalm 147, the words are wonderful for declaring the power of God.
Psalm 139
This psalm is about the omniscience of God, meaning that he is all-knowing. For believers, this is a comfort! And so my husband and I like sharing these words with my children, because it reflects the truth that God is taking care of them and knows all about them.
I like the way the NLT has verses 3-5: “You see me when I travel and when I rest at home. You know everything I do. You know what I am going to say even before I say it, LORD. You go before me and follow me. You place your hand of blessing on my head.”
At nighttime, those verses are perfect for memorizing. Try working on the whole psalm with your family!
Psalm 42:8
As a grown woman, I’ve come to the painful realization that life is hard. It’s not always easy to believe the promises of Scripture when you are going through an extremely difficult time, but in the end, the truth about God that I learn from the Bible is what I cling to. I wish I had memorized more verses as a child, even when my worries were really small compared to what I go through now.
Because of that, I strongly believe that teaching our kids what Scripture tells us about God as they grow up (even when they are very little!) is going to continually be to their benefit! The whole Psalm 42 is great to read and learn with older kids, but for younger children, this is a good verse to use at bedtime:
“The Lord will command His lovingkindness in the daytime; and His song will be with me in the night, a prayer to the God of my life.” Psalm 42:8
Psalm 91:11
This psalm of protection has been so helpful for my 5 year old, who struggles with being scared at night.
“For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways.” Psalm 91:11
Psalm 63:3-7
Sometimes at night, it’s hard to fall asleep. My mind is full of everything but peace and calm. My children, especially my 8 and 11 year old, struggle to go to sleep some night as well. What a blessing it would be if we could fall asleep thinking about the Lord instead of our troubles (or our to-do list!)
“Because Your lovingkindness is better than life, my lips shall praise You. Thus I will bless You while I live; I will lift up my hands in Your name. My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness, and my mouth shall praise You with joyful lips.When I remember You on my bed, I meditate on You in the night watches. Because You have been my help, therefore in the shadow of Your wings I will rejoice.” Psalm 63:6-7
Here are a couple more psalms that are perfect for bedtime:
Psalm 3:3-5 – “But You, O LORD, are a shield about me, my glory, and the One who lifts my head. I was crying to the Lord with my voice, and He answered me from His holy mountain. I lay down and slept; I awoke, for the Lord sustains me.” NASB
Psalm 130: 5-7 – “I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in His word I hope; my soul waits for the Lord more than the watchmen wait for morning, more than the watchmen wait for morning. O Israel, hope in the Lord! For with the Lord, there is steadfast love, and with Him is plentiful redemption.” ESV
——-> CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD A PRINTABLE WITH THE REFERENCES FOR THESE VERSES, SO YOU CAN REFERENCE THEM AT A GLANCE WHEN YOU READ THEM WITH YOUR KIDS!
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Ideas for Helping Your Kids Memorize the Psalms at Bedtime
- For young children, have them repeat very short phrases from the psalm verse or verses back to you. You can also put them to song. For instance, Psalm 4:8 can be found on Steve Green’s Hide Em in Your Heart, Volume 2, along with many other Scripture memory songs! Pretty soon, they will know how to say the verse all by themselves!
- As your children get older, they can repeat longer phrases of the psalm with you or journal the words. My 8 year old likes to write down the verse she is learning and then add colorful pictures or color in the letters. My 11 year old is not into art ;) so he would rather just say the verse out loud back to me a few times and then we say it together at night after he learns it. (Side thought: Here’s a new Scripture coloring and activity book that I’ve heard rave reviews about!!)
- Print out some of the verses you are learning and hang them in your child’s room! This is a very visual way to be reminded of the verses and you can easily switch them out. They weren’t all psalms, but this is what we did in our son’s room when he was younger:
Want a simple resource to teach your children a variety of Bible verses in fun and engaging ways, in just 10 minutes each day?
Check out my printable Scripture memory program, God’s Word in My Heart!
Available in four translations (KJV, ESV, NASB and Variety) for only $4.99, this resource will help you:
- Teach your children A-Z Scriptures
- Teach Bible verses about sin and salvation to help lead them to Jesus
- Implement our list of fun ideas for learning and memorizing Scripture for toddlers on up to upper elementary!
- Have the flexibility to learn the Bible together as a family, even with multiple age kids!
- Find specific songs to pair with the Bible verses your kids are learning (singing helps greatly with memorization)
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