Tired, Now I Go to Sleep (see LSB 887)

Luise Hensel, 1817 (Müde bin ich, geh zur Ruh)
English translation ©2007 Rev. Gerson Flor

Tired, now I go to sleep;
Close my eyes in slumber deep.
Father, may Thine eyes tonight,
Keep my bed safe in Thy sight.

All the wrong I did today,
Dearest God, forgive, I pray;
Jesus’ cross and blood, I trust,
Make me clean, upright and just.

My dear family be blest,
Lord, within Thy hand to rest;
Care for people great and small,
May Thy grace embrace us all.

Comfort every weary soul,
Holy Spirit, and console;
Grow our faith until our eyes
See Thy face in paradise.

Night after night, as a child, I would sing this prayer with my parents, brothers, and sister. Until my confirmation day. After that, I was old enough that I no longer needed to pray like a child.

Twenty years later, I now sing the same old familiar words with my wife and children as we tuck them in bed. One night I realized the great joy that I have in making these words my very own, and also how much I lost during all those years I spent thinking myself taller than these simple words. For yes, I remain a little child before God, always in need of His kind protection, forgiveness, blessing, comfort, and promise.

It is true, we can grow tired of God’s grace; but we can never grow over it. When we think it is not ourselves, but our children who need to learn about God, we are drifting into danger. For we are no better equipped than they are to fight against our flesh, the world, and the devil. Against these, with might of ours can naught be done; but for us fights the Valiant One – Jesus Christ, true God and true man.

It is His help that we invoke in this simple prayer. It is His protection that guides us waking and guards us sleeping, that awake we may watch with Christ and asleep we may rest in peace. Grant this, Lord, unto us all! Amen.

[Jesus] said,
"Truly, I say to you,
unless you turn and become like children,
you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.
St. Matthew 18:3

P.S.: The very last two lines read:

Laß den Mond am Himmel stehn und die stille Welt besehn
(Let the moon remain in the sky and watch over the quiet world)

The translation above departs from the original German to follow the Portuguese version of the text:

Fortalece a fé, ó Deus, faze-nos entrar nos céus.
(Strengthen the faith, O God, make us enter into heaven).

It is my conviction that translations can improve on the original text, and where that has happened we should have no regrets in following the best vernacular option.