If you have a hard time quieting all the chaotic thoughts racing through your head as you’re trying to fall asleep, you are not alone! Although it can be frustrating, be encouraged that you have a Savior who loves you and wants to bring you good rest and lasting peace. Here are four Scripture verses and simple prayers you can read and pray over your anxious mind.
The Lord is my shepherd; I have all that I need. He lets me rest in green meadows; He leads me beside peaceful streams. – Psalm 23:1-2 NLT
God, my mind is so loud with worrisome thoughts that I can hardly focus enough to pray. Be near right now. Intercede for me, Holy Spirit, when I don’t have the words to say. Remind me of the rest I have in You. Remind me that I can lay all my burdens at your feet. Thank You for being my Good Shepherd, who leads me always beside beautiful green meadows and peaceful streams. Please quiet my mind with Your gentle presence tonight. In Jesus’ name, amen.
I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.” – John 16:33 NLT
Heavenly Father, I choose to rest on Your promises, even in hard seasons when I can’t see what You’re doing. I take comfort in the fact that nothing in this world surprises You, and nothing ever catches You off guard. You know the beginning from the ending. You have already overcome the world. You hold me in the palm of Your hand, so I don’t need to worry or be afraid. Help my mind to be filled with this truth, and help me sleep peacefully tonight. I love you. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Our actions will show that we belong to the truth, so we will be confident when we stand before God. Even if we feel guilty, God is greater than our feelings, and He knows everything. – 1 John 3:19-20 NLT
God, sometimes in the dark of night I’m overtaken by guilt and shame for my past actions. I can’t sleep because I just keep reliving every wrong thing I’ve ever done or said. In this moment, Lord, remind me that You paid for all of my sins and transgressions—past, present, and future—when You died on the cross. I don’t need to live in shame anymore. You wash my heart clean, and You see me not for who I was or what I’ve done, but for who Jesus has made me through His death and resurrection. Thank You for such an amazing gift. I choose to rest in You tonight. In Your Son’s holy name, amen.
I sank down to the very roots of the mountains. I was imprisoned in the earth, whose gates lock shut forever. But You, O Lord my God, snatched me from the jaws of death! As my life was slipping away, I remembered the Lord, and my earnest prayer went out to You in Your holy Temple. – Jonah 2:7-8 NLT
Lord, my God, whenever I let anxious thoughts overtake me, help me to remember that You are there to rescue me. You reach down and lift me from the jaws of death with Your righteous right hand. I know I am safe in Your presence. I don’t have to give in to my feelings of fear and anxiety. Let Your peace and love flood through me as I lie down to sleep. Quiet my mind and my heart, so that I might be able to fully rest in You. Thank You, Jesus. In Your name, amen.
