Evening Prayers

The day laid down, a brief reckoning, and the placing of sleep, and life, in God's hands.

Orthodox evening prayers close the day: thanksgiving for what it gave, a quiet look back at where one fell, the asking of forgiveness, and the commending of the night to God. They usually begin with the Trisagion prayers and are said at home before sleep, and, as with the morning prayers, the measure is set with one's priest.

As the day is given to God at its rising, so it is returned to Him at its setting. The evening prayers close the day: thanksgiving for what was given, a quiet examination of where one fell, the asking of forgiveness, and the commending of sleep, that small nightly rehearsal of death, into God's keeping.

The Church has always prayed as the light declines. The Song of Simeon, “Lord, now lettest Thou Thy servant depart in peace,” is an evening prayer, and so is the plea that the night be passed in peace and the morning found in mercy. To end the day this way is to refuse to carry its burdens into sleep, laying them instead where they belong.

The evening rule includes a brief looking-back over the day, not to accuse the self, but to bring what was missed to God, and to carry the heavier things toward confession. It ends, as the whole life should, in peace: nothing clung to, everything entrusted.

Questions about Evening Prayers

What prayers do Orthodox Christians say before bed?

The evening prayers, also called the prayers before sleep: the Trisagion prayers, prayers of thanksgiving and repentance, and the commending of the night to God, closed with the sign of the Cross.

Why look back over the day?

So as not to carry its burdens into sleep. A short, honest examination, with thanks for what was good and sorrow for what was not, ends in asking God's forgiveness.

What is the Song of Simeon?

The words of the righteous Simeon holding the infant Christ: "Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, according to thy word" (Luke 2:29). The Church sings them at Vespers every evening.

More questions about the Orthodox Church, answered ›

“Lord, now lettest Thou Thy servant depart in peace, according to Thy word: for mine eyes have seen Thy salvation.”

The Song of Simeon, Luke 2:29–30 (KJV, public domain)

In Orthros

The evening prayers, the Song of Simeon, and a quiet nightly review are kept in Orthros, the review locked behind Face ID if you wish, available on your device, with supported private writing able to sync through your own iCloud account. Each text carries its source.