Psalm 5:1-3 – Give ear to my words, O Lord, consider my sighing. Listen to my cry for help, my King and my God, for to you I pray. In the morning, O Lord, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before You and wait in expectation. (NIV)

When I was very small, my mother taught me these words as a bedtime prayer:

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.

Pretty heavy words for a preschooler — but this short prayer remains in my memory, so it must have at least taught me that it is important to talk to God regularly.

I still sometimes pray as I'm preparing to sleep, though not with those same words. More often, however, it is my habit to pray as I'm preparing to get up in the morning. I'm sure those aren't always the most coherent prayers, but it is my way of checking in, of re-establishing the connection, of saying "Good morning, Lord!"

Not long ago, I woke up and remembered, "Now I lay me down to sleep." Just for fun, I changed it up a little. Then, I hopped out of bed and wrote it down. I must confess that I like mine better than the original!

Now I stir me up to rise
I pray the Lord will guide my eyes,
My ears, my hands, my thoughts, my talk;
I pray You'll show me where to walk,
And lead me in Your path so true,
And show me what I ought to do.

I pray that as I hear Your voice
I will obey in every choice,
And in Your strength I will hold fast
Until the sun goes down at last;
And when I lay me down to sleep,
I'll trust You, Lord, my soul to keep.

Whatever words you use, it is always a good idea to check in with God at the start of every day. Now, please join me in one more little prayer:

Prayer: Lord God our Father, help us to reaffirm our connection to You this very moment, and to stay close by Your side all day long. You have promised to guide us; remind us to follow. If we seek first Your kingdom, anything else we need You will provide. Amen.