Nighttime prayers, Compline
“Keep watch, dear Lord, with those who work, or watch, or
weep this night, and give your angels charge over those who
sleep. Tend the sick, Lord Christ; give rest to the weary, bless
the dying, soothe the suffering, pity the afflicted, shield the
joyous; and all for your love’s sake.” Amen.—St. Augustine of Hippo. Book of Common Prayer, p. 134.
This gift from St. Augustine is one of the nighttime prayers from Compline, an evening service read just before bedtime. Families or groups can say the short prayer service as a gathering before retiring. I particularly remember when our friends Barbara and Hap Hoffman came to our house and said compline with our family every night for six weeks while recovering from surgery.
In my medical practice, this prayer was meaningful, as I could visualize the people I knew working at night at our Children’s Hospital and the patients we were all helping care for. This prayer also strengthened me when I was on call at the hospital at night, knowing that people all over the globe were saying these prayers.
As compline became a more regular part of our rule of life, we visualize people in other professions, working at night, in grocery stores, restaurants, airlines, and police stations. We remember those dying and those mourning the death of a loved one. Then, we begin praying for the joyous.
All of these prayers ever so briefly can help us get out of ourselves and all our problems as we begin praying and thinking about others. This service calms our souls and is better than any sleeping pill, drug, or drink.
Below is another nighttime prayer from the New Zealand Prayer Book. I especially relate to the part, “what has been done has been done; what has not been done, let it be.”
I remember the C.S. Lewis quote you often hear from me, “We do not pray to change God. Instead, we pray to change ourselves.”
Nighttime prayers can change us.
New Zealand Prayer Book
“Lord,
it is night.
The night is for stillness.
Let us be still in the presence of God.
It is night after a long day.
What has been done has been done;
what has not been done;
let it be.
The night is dark.
Let our fears of the darkness of the world and of our own lives rest in you.
The night is quiet.
Let the quietness of your peace enfold us,
all dear to us,
and all who have no peace.
The night heralds the dawn.
Let us look expectantly to a new day,
new joys,
new possibilities.
In your name we pray.” Amen. p. 184.
Joanna https://www.joannaseibert.com/