When I was a kid, my grandmother had this thing about going to bed with clean feet. I can remember getting ready to climb into bed and Granny, with her keen eye spotting what I wasn’t in the least concerned about, saying, “Get in there and wash those nasty feet!” To this day, if I look down and see the soles of my feet looking murky, I chuckle and think of her—and I dutifully go get the job done.

You and I walk through a lot of ugliness throughout the course of every day. Some of us are carrying worry, drama, bitterness, unforgiveness, traumatic experiences, anger, and unbelief right into bed with us, where we didn’t wash them from the part of us that comes into direct contact with these spiritual hindrances. They’re like filth, but in our souls instead of on our soles.

Father, we are getting ready to lie down and we want to receive the restorative sleep that You give to those You love. We ask Your forgiveness for anything that puts a barrier between You and us. We want nothing to isolate us from Your voice.

We ask You to wash us clean from the inside out. Lord, some of us have come into contact with evil spirits that would attach themselves to us like leeches. We have seen and heard things we shouldn’t have. Give us back our innocence and trust again so life doesn’t cause us to become calloused and hard.

And Lord, even though our feet are shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace, at the end of the day we still need to wash away the grime of walking through this world, picking up bad habits and wrong mindsets. We release our frustrations and our failures into the wash pan and we let You pour them down the drain forever. We don’t wallow tonight in regret or worry. Our feet are clean and we feel better, and we can now go to sleep knowing Your angels watch over us.

As You visit us in the night watches, upload Your mysteries into us. Let us awaken in the morning with praise and thanksgiving, a sense of peace and purpose, and wisdom to go about all we do with excellence. Your new mercies await us on the other side of the sleep we’re ready to receive. Tomorrow, You’ll order our steps again and at bedtime, we will allow You to wash away anything the day may have left behind.

Thank You for giving us clean hands (and feet), and a pure heart. Goodnight, our beloved Savior!