Christian child's prayer
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Christian child's prayer is typically short, rhyming or has a memorable tune. It is said before bedtime, to give thanks for a meal or as a nursery rhyme. Many of these prayers have a long tradition and obscure origin. Some adult prayers are equally popular with children such as the Golden Rule (Luke 6:31, Matthew 7:12), the Doxology, the Serenity Prayer, John 3:16 and, for older children, The Lord's Prayer and Psalm 23.
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[edit] Bedtime prayers
[edit] Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep
Now I lay me down to sleep,
I pray thee, Lord, my soul [or "thy child"] to keep;
If I should die before I wake,
I pray thee, Lord, my soul to take.
- This is listed as "A Child's Bedtime Prayer" in the 1784 edition of The New England Primer. Other editions have variations. In the 1777 edition, line 1 reads "Now I lay me down to take my sleep". In the 1814 edition, line 2 reads "I pray thee, Lord, my soul to keep". Another early version is said to be in the Enchiridion Leonis, a book of prayers and charms which may have circulated as early as the 17th century, though it often claims earlier authorship.
- The first line is uttered by John Wayne in "The High and the Mighty" while looking at runway lights in the shape of the cross. The first line is in Henry David Thoreau's 1859 essay "A Plea for Captain John Brown".
- All four lines are sung in the bridge of Metallica's 1991 song "Enter Sandman" and spoken by the Heather Langenkamp character in the 1984 film "Nightmare on Elm Street" and by the Heather O'Rourke character in the 1982 film "Poltergeist".
- Since modern culture is less comfortable discussing death with children, lines 3 and 4 are often replaced with one of the following (or sometimes added as lines 5 and 6):
May angels watch me through the night
and wake me with the morning light.
Guard me while I sleep tonight,
And wake me safe at dawn's first light.
Dear Jesus, please be at my side
To light and guard and rule and guide.
God bless Mommy; Daddy, too,
And help me to always be true to you.
Thy love guard me through the night
And wake me with the morning light.
[edit] Bless Me Lord
Bless me Lord, this night I pray,
Keep me safe till dawn of day,
Bless my mother and my father,
Bless my sister and my brother,
Bless each little girl and boy,
Bless them all for heavenly joy.
[edit] Father in Heaven
Father in heaven, hear my prayer;
Keep me in your loving care.
Be my guide in all I do;
Bless all those who love me too.
[edit] Giving thanks
[edit] God is Great
God is great, God is good.
And we thank him for our food.
- With these additional lines, it is sung to "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star":
By God's hands we all are fed.
Thank you, God, for daily bread.
God is great and God is good,
And we thank God for our food.
[edit] Thank You Lord
Thank you for the world so sweet,
Thank you for the food we eat,
Thank you for the birds that sing,
Thank you, God, for everything.
[edit] Come Lord Jesus
Come Lord Jesus, be our guest,
and let these gifts to us be blessed.
[edit] Organized prayer
[edit] Regent's prayer
Almighty God,
we acknowledge our dependence upon Thee,
and we beg Thy blessings upon us, our parents,
our teachers and our country.
- Published in the 1950's in the New York State Board of Regents "Statement on Moral and Spiritual Training in the Schools" and afterwards known as the Regent's Prayer.
- This school prayer was the one in question in the landmark 1962 Supreme Court case Engle v. Vitale
[edit] Philmont grace
For food, for raiment,
for life, for opportunity,
for friendship and fellowship,
we thank you, O Lord.
- Boy Scout prayer called the Philmont Grace, named for the Philmont Scout Ranch in New Mexico
[edit] S Bar F grace
For the gifts of food and freedom,
And the hills to roam.
For the crimson sunsets
And the Earth, our home
For the stars at night
And the gentle winds in the trees
We thank you, Great Spirit, for all of these
- Boy Scout prayer called the S Bar F Grace, named for the S Bar F Scout Ranch in Knob Lick, Missouri
[edit] Nursery rhymes
[edit] Jesus Loves Me
Jesus loves me - this I know,
For the Bible tells me so,
Little ones to him belong,
They are weak but He is strong.
Yes, Jesus loves me.
Yes, Jesus loves me.
Yes, Jesus loves me. The Bible tells me so.
- 1860 hymn by Anna Bartlett Warner
[edit] Jesus Loves the Little Children
Jesus loves the little children,
All the children of the world.
Red and yellow, black and white,
All are precious in his sight,
Jesus loves the little children of the world.
- Words written by preacher Clare Herbert Woolston (1856-1927)
- Sung to the 1864 Civil War tune "Tramp, Tramp, Tramp" by George Fredrick Root
- Inspired by Matthew 19:14: Jesus said, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these."
- Some have sought to improve on Woolston's original words by inserting the color "brown" between "red" and "yellow."
- Some more politically correct modern versions read 'Every color, ever race, all are covered by His grace' instead of 'Red and yellow, black, and white, all are precious in His sight.'
- A recorded version of this is played durring several different parts of the movie SEE NO EVIL.
[edit] He's got the Whole World in his hands
He's got the whole world in his hands.
He's got you and me, brother, in his hands.
He's got you and me, sister in his hands.
He's got the little bitty baby in his hands.
He's got the whole world in his hands.
[edit] Michael Row The Boat Ashore
Michael, row the boat ashore, Alleluia!
Michael, row the boat ashore, Alleluia!
Sister help to trim the sails, Alleluia!
Sister help to trim the sails, Alleluia!
The river is deep and the river is wide, Alleluia!
Milk and honey on the other side, Alleluia!
Jordan's river is chilly and cold, Alleluia!
Chills the body, but not the soul, Alleluia!
If you get there before I do. Alleluia!
Tell my people I'm coming too. Alleluia!
- First noticed in 1863, sung by African-American slaves in the Georgia Sea Islands
[edit] Away In A Manger
Away in a manger, no crib for a bed,
The little Lord Jesus laid down his sweet head;
The stars in the sky looked down where he lay,
The little Lord Jesus, asleep on the hay
- First published in a Lutheran Sunday school book in 1885 in Philadelphia
[edit] Frère Jacques
Frère Jacques, Frère Jacques,
Dormez vous? Dormez vous?
Sonnez les matines, Sonnez les matines
Ding Ding Dong, Ding Ding Dong
- The tune served as the basis of Gustav Mahler's "Symphony No. 1, 3rd Movement"
- The first line is sung as background vocals on "Paperback Writer" by the Beatles
