I thank you, my heavenly Father,
through Jesus Christ your dear Son,
that you have kept me this night from all harm and danger.
I pray that you will keep me this day also
from sin and all evil,
so that all my doings and life may please you.
For into your hands I commend myself:
my body, my soul, and all that I have.
Let your holy angel be with me,
so that the wicked foe may have no power over me.
Amen.
LUTHERAN LUTHER'S SMALL CATECHISM, 1529
Luther's Morning Prayer
Also known as Luther's Small Catechism Morning Blessing ยท Morning Blessing (Lutheran)
About this prayer
Luther's Morning Prayer is one of two brief daily prayers appointed in Luther's Small Catechism of 1529, the other being the Evening Prayer. The Small Catechism was composed by Martin Luther as a guide for heads of households to teach the Christian faith to their families and servants. Luther placed the morning and evening prayers in the section on prayer alongside the Lord's Prayer, intending them to sanctify the ordinary rhythms of rising and sleeping. The morning prayer gives thanks for preservation through the night and asks for protection through the coming day, entrusting body and soul into God's hands. It has been used in Lutheran households and congregations continuously since the Reformation.
When it's said
Luther's Morning Prayer is said upon rising each morning in Lutheran households and at morning devotions in Lutheran congregations and schools. It is one of the catechism prayers that Lutheran children are taught from an early age. In many Lutheran families it is said before breakfast alongside the morning grace. It remains part of the daily prayer life of Lutheran Christians worldwide.
Notes on the text
The structure of the prayer follows a simple pattern of thanksgiving, petition, and self-commendation. 'Into your hands I commend myself' echoes Luke 23:46 and Psalm 31:5. The reference to the holy angel reflects the Lutheran catechetical tradition of teaching about angelic protection, drawing on Psalm 91:11 and Matthew 18:10. The prayer is notable for its brevity and its domestic, household character.
Common questions
Where does Luther's Morning Prayer come from?
Martin Luther composed it for his Small Catechism, published in 1529 AD. The Small Catechism was written to provide basic Christian instruction in a form usable by ordinary families in their homes, and the morning and evening prayers were designed for daily household use. Luther intended both prayers to be said briefly and simply, not as devotional set-pieces.
What does 'commend myself, my body and soul, and all things' mean?
The phrase places everything the worshipper has and is into God's keeping for the day ahead. The pattern echoes Luke 23:46, where Christ on the cross says 'Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit.' Luther adapted the language for daily use: each morning, the Christian places themselves into God's hands as Christ did, trusting God's care through the day.
What is 'the evil foe' Luther refers to?
The phrase refers to the devil and all spiritual evil. Luther's catechism was written in a context where belief in active spiritual evil was universal in Christian Europe, and the prayer asks for the protection of a holy angel against demonic attack. Modern Lutherans interpret the line variously: some retain the traditional understanding, others read 'the evil foe' as a general image of the forces working against goodness in life.
Source
Martin Luther, Small Catechism, 1529. Public domain.
Last reviewed: May 2026 against primary source.