Have you ever said this prayer when you where a child?

Question

"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.
What Exactly does this mean to you?

Answer 1

Yes I did say this. I don't think there is anything wrong with speaking about death as far as children are concerned. Death is a part of life and it is only scary if you do not bring God into their life to balance it with hope. Children already in this day and age know about death what they don't know about is God. More children today should pray this prayer. Death should not be swept under the carpet because it happens to everyone.

Answer 2

It means that if your life is taken, while you're sleeping, that you ask God now, to take your soul later, as you will be unable to ask then.
We should always be praying. Always. And if ever you do pray, it would make a lotta sense to pray at the beginning and the end of the day. Thank you and God Bless.

Answer 3

A child's prayer for God's protection during the sleeping hours and in the event of sudden death while in a non-conscious state the child expresses now, the will to go to heaven with Jesus.
---------------------------------------------
NB For people who think it's a bit morbid to 'frighten' children with thoughts of death, remember that at the time the prayer was composed, infant mortality was far, far higher than it is today. Children were well used to seeing little brothers ans sisters die off through diseases we now treat with anti-biotics. Think tuberculosis, malaria (fever 'n' ague), cholera, typhoid etc. With clean water, better nutritition and a battery of remedies in the health care professions, death is no longer the common experience it once was for children.

Answer 4

It means that with child-like faith (if you understand and are sincere in your limited child's knowledge) you are asking God to watch over you, acknowledging His supreme power to protect you with a guardian angel and if for some reason it is your time to go before the next morning dawns, you trust His angels will bear your soul away on their wings (what a trip!) to your eternal home with God in Heaven. God will always keep what is committed to Him and He knows best and I think this beautiful prayer acknoledges all that.

Answer 5

This prayer always scared me because it implys that first you may not awaken, and second there is possibilitys of your soul going somewhere other than with the lord after you die. Not a comforting prayer.

Answer 6

You know that you are not promised to wake up the next day and place you life into the protective arms of the Lord. Amen!!

Answer 7

i didn't know people prayed that at night till i was like in grade 3. It didn't scare me. in the days when that prayer was invented, lots of people died for unknown reasons, so yeah, I understood that when I heard it. I knew stuff like that in grade 3.

Answer 8

To me it means that God will watch over me and my soul while I sleep, but, if I should die my prayer is that God will take my soul to heaven. To me it seems pretty simple---watch over me and if something should happen--take care of me.

Answer 9

Means if i die in my sleep He will take me to Heaven.
My brother and i quoted this prayer every night before bed.

Answer 10

My mother edited it to:

Bless me now and let me wake
A good little girl for Jesus' sake.

She didn't think it would be very conducive to sleep to introduce the notion of dying while tucking us in.