My Soul To Take

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

This is the prayer my mother and I used to say before I went to bed each night. The way I remember it, this prayer provided me with a measure of comfort, since I was terrified of going to bed. The notion that God was going to protect me alleviated at least some of the anxiety associated with, in part, my anticipation of night terrors. In later years, I would derive no such comfort from this prayer or any other, but I digress.
In retrospect, I question the wisdom of instilling in a child the idea that he or she might die before waking. I can imagine the scene if I were to teach this to my son:
First of all, he never lays himself down to sleep, but let's suppose that he does.

Now I lay me down to sleep
I pray the Lord my soul to keep

"Dad, what's a soul?"
"Well, a soul isn't anything material, but it's your spirit, the essence of who you are, or so some people believe."

If I should die before I wake

"Dad, could I die before I wake up?"
"No, no, no. Not really die, but you're just asking God to look after you while you're sleeping."
"Who's God again?"
"Well, like your soul, God isn't a physical being so much as a spiritual one. People believe he's everywhere, especially up in the sky, looking down upon us."
"Like Santa Claus?"
"Kind of, yes. Sees you when you're sleeping, knows when you're awake."
"I don't want anyone looking at me while I'm sleeping."
"I don't blame you"
"What's spiritual?"
"Beings that don't have bodies."
"But they're alive? Like ghosts?"
"Sort of, yes."
"I won't be able to sleep if there's a ghost watching over me."
"Good ghosts."
"I thought you didn't believe in ghosts."
"I don't. I just want you to go to sleep."

I pray the Lord my soul to take.

"If my soul isn't real, like a thing, how can he take it?"
"Good question."
"And why would he want to take it."
"So it can be with him. For safekeeping."
"Like a bank?"
"Yeah, the soul bank. Some people call it heaven."