October 23, 2019

A tried and true, middle of the night when your thoughts are swirling and you can’t sleep prayer is the Jesus Prayer. “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.”Not only does the prayer have a kind of mantric quality about it, but it also places you on theologically firm ground. Jesus is Lord, you are a sinful person in need, and the two of you meet on the ground of His mercy.

Seeing yourself in the blindness of Bartimaeus the beggar is also the right move. “And as Jesus was leaving Jericho with his disciples and a great crowd, Bartimaeus, a blind beggar, the son of Timaeus, was sitting by the roadside. And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” And many rebuked him, telling him to be silent. But he cried out all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” (Mark 10:46-48)  Jesus responds to Bartimaeus with mercy and restores his sight.

In fact, you don’t have to wait to 3am to pray the Jesus Prayer. Jesus is here all the time, a very present help in time of trouble, whenever the shadow of darkness falls. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.

“Be our light in the darkness, O Lord, and in your great mercy defend us from all perils and dangers of this night; for the love of your only Son, our Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.” (A Collect for Aid against Perils – BCP p. 123)