Evening Prayer on Sunday

Lord, abide with me; for it is toward evening, and the day is far spent. O Thou everlasting and almighty God! How marvelous are Thy works, how unspeakable is the goodness which Thou dost manifest toward the children of men! I can tell of Thy grace and truth, Thy love and mercy; for in the day that is closing Thou hast been exceedingly merciful to me in body and soul. Thou hast fed my soul with the bread of life, and hast given me to drink of the living water. Thy word has been in my mouth sweeter than honey and the honeycomb. O let Thy Word through all my life be a light unto my path, that I may direct my way by it; then shall I not stumble, nor fall from Thy grace.

Thou hast also preserved and sustained my body, so that I have reached this evening in health. I am not worthy of the many mercies which Thou hast bestowed upon me. When I now retire to rest, do Thou, O my Guardian, stand by my side, keep watch over me, and fold Thy protecting arms about me. Let me ever walk in the light of the Lord, and have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness. Let Thy Word, which I have heard and learned, strike root in my heart as a holy seed, whose fruit shall be seen in my life, in piety, in the fear of God, in deadness to the world, and in complete consecration to Thee. Be Thou my shelter and defense against the heat of temptation and the fiery darts of Satan. The Lord is my light and my salvation, whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life, of whom shall I be afraid? Ward off from me and mine all danger by fire or water, and misfortune of every kind; and let all who are distressed, or sick, or dying, experience Thy grace. Then on the morrow our mouth shall be filled with Thy praise, and we will proclaim Thy goodness to us in body and soul.

Forgive me, if I have not served Thee today with such zeal as I ought; and do not on that account take away Thy grace from me. In the new week let all things be new in me: give me a new love and a new desire for Thee. Help me to hate and forsake the sins which I committed in the week that is passed, so that all men may see that I have not spent this Sunday in vain. Help me to bear in mind that I have an immortal soul, so that I may be more concerned for the welfare of my soul than my body. I retire now, O God, to rest and sleep. In so doing, I am reminded of my last long sleep, in which I shall rest till, on the joyful morning of the resurrection, Thou shalt wake me to life eternal. Retire then, my body, to rest in thy chamber, but Thou, my soul, into the wounds of Jesus. Amen.