In peace I will lie down and sleep, for you alone, LORD, make me dwell in safety. – Psalm 4:8

Today's Scripture Reading (June 14, 2022): Psalms 4 & 5

The prayer was written in the 18^th Century by an unknown author. The prayer has been rewritten a few times over the centuries. But the most common traditional version goes like this;

Now I lay me down to sleep,
I pray the Lord my Soul to keep;
If I should die before I 'wake,
I pray the Lord my Soul to take.

The prayer is actually an updated version of an older prayer written by George Wheler in 1698.

            Upon lying down, and going to sleep.

Here I lay me down to sleep.
To thee, O Lord, I give my Soul to keep,
Wake I ever, Or, Wake I never;
To thee O Lord, I give my Soul to keep for ever.

The original poem doesn't quite flow off the tongue like the revised version. Other versions have been written by sensitive parents who don't believe children should be thinking about dying during the night; a thought included in both of the earlier versions of the prayer. and so they remove the portion that reads "If I should die before I wake" or "Wake I ever or, Wake I never." One of these valiant attempts to rewrite the prayer includes;

Now I lay me down to sleep,
I pray the Lord my soul to keep;
His Love to guard me through the night,
And wake me in the morning's light amen.  

I understand the desire to soften the effect of a prayer designed for children; I mean, none of us want to even think about the deaths of our children, let alone introduce the concept to them. But the word change steals away some of the power of the prayer. One of the biggest bogeymen that we will face in this life is death, and yet not even death can separate us from the love and presence of God.

And this was something that David understood. He knew that he was safe in the presence of his God, and not even death could separate him from God, so here, he could lie down and sleep.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Psalm 6