God Squad: The origin of a good night prayer
As I approach my 74th birthday, I recall saying a nightly prayer as a child: 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. I wonder where this prayer came from.
-- J., via email
Like the parable of the long spoons, which I discussed recently, this is also a famous spiritual gem whose origins are obscure....