In Chapter 7 of Anne of Green Gables, Marilla tries to teach Anne to say her prayers:

“She had intended to teach Anne the childish classic, ‘Now I lay me down to sleep.’ But she had, as I have told you, the glimmerings of a sense of humor–which is simply another name for a sense of fitness of things; and it suddenly occurred to her that that simple little prayer, sacred to white-robed childhood lisping at motherly knees, was entirely unsuited to this freckled witch of a girl who knew and cared nothing bout God’s love, since she had never had it translated to her through the medium of human love.”

Davy has a habit of saying his prayers to Anne. In Chapter 8 of Anne of the Island, Anne returns from Redmond for the holidays and finds that Davy hasn’t said his prayers lately because he’s been wanting to say a swear word. Davy confesses the entire matter to Anne:

“And now do you feel as if you could say your prayers, Davy?”

“Oh, yes,” said Davy, eagerly wriggling down on his knees, “I can say them now all right. I ain’t scared now to say if I should die before I wake,’ like I was when I was wanting to say that word.”

Chapter 25 of Anne of Ingleside deals with Nan Blythe and her mistaken ideas about God. Nan bargains with God in her prayers for things that she wants…

“All the Ingleside children had been started in life with the old classic, “Now I lay me” . . . then promoted to “Our Father” . . . then encouraged to make their own small petitions also in whatever language they chose. What gave Nan the idea that God might be induced to grant her petitions by promises of good behaviour or displays of fortitude could be hard to say. Perhaps a certain rather young and pretty Sunday School teacher was indirectly responsible for it by her frequent admonitions that if they were not good girls God would not do this or that for them. It was easy to turn this idea inside out and come to the conclusion that if you were this or that, did this or that, you had a right to expect that God would do the things you wanted.”

“Now I lay me down to sleep” is a children’s bedtime prayer. There are many variations of it; the following version is chosen because of Davy’s quote in Anne of the Island. The second verse is optional.

Now I Lay Me…

Now I lay me down to sleep,
I pray the Lord my soul to keep.
If I should die before I wake,
I pray the Lord my soul to take.

But should I waken with the light,
’tis Jesus kept me through the night
and should I live another day,
I pray that Jesus guide my way.

Amen