Evening Prayer Routine for Christians: The Examen and How to End Your Day with God

The morning prayer sets the orientation of the day. The evening prayer closes it — reviewing what happened, naming what was good and what was broken, and returning the day to God before sleep.

Evening prayer has a different character than morning prayer. It's more reflective, more honest, often more tender. The busyness has subsided; there's space to look back.

The most powerful tool for evening prayer in the Christian tradition is the Daily Examen — a practice developed by Ignatius of Loyola in the 16th century and used by millions of Christians since.

What Is the Examen?

The Examen (from Latin examinare — to examine, to weigh) is a daily practice of reviewing the day in God's presence, with particular attention to where you felt most alive and where you felt most drained, where you responded well and where you fell short.

Ignatius was convinced that God communicates through our experience — through our consolations (what brings life, joy, peace) and our desolations (what drains, disturbs, or distances us from God). The Examen is a daily practice of noticing this communication and responding to it.

It takes 10-15 minutes and can be done in bed, in a chair, or anywhere you can be quiet at the end of your day.

The Five Steps of the Daily Examen

Step 1: Gratitude (2 minutes)

Begin by asking God to be present. Then look back over your day and notice what you're grateful for.

Not "big picture" gratitude — specific moments. The conversation that surprised you. The food that was genuinely good. The moment of unexpected peace. A beautiful sky. Someone's kindness.

Naming these specifically does two things: it trains your attention toward gift-recognition (re-calibrating the brain away from its default negative bias), and it acknowledges that the goodness in your day was not entirely your doing — it came to you.

Step 2: Review (3-4 minutes)

Walk back through your day, slowly. Not judging it yet — just watching it like a film. Hour by hour, or event by event.

Where did you feel most alive? What brought energy, joy, a sense of rightness? These are what Ignatius called "consolations" — experiences of being in alignment with who God made you to be and what God is doing in the world.

Where did you feel most drained, disturbed, or distant from yourself or God? These are "desolations" — not necessarily sin, but something worth attention.

The review is not primarily about what you did but about what you experienced. What happened to you today, emotionally and spiritually?

Step 3: Gratitude and Grief (2 minutes)

Look at what the review revealed. Name what you're grateful for — specifically, from today.

Then name what you're sad about. The moment you were unkind. The opportunity you missed. The fear that drove a decision you regret. The distance from God you felt.

Grief here is not guilt-performance; it's honest acknowledgment. Something wasn't right, and you're naming it.

Step 4: Confession and Forgiveness (2 minutes)

Bring the failures and fallings-short of the day to God directly. Not in elaborate language — simply: "I was impatient with ___. I'm sorry. I want to be better."

Receive forgiveness. Don't wallow in guilt. 1 John 1:9: "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness." The confession itself, honestly made, is where forgiveness lives. You don't need to punish yourself further.

Step 5: Hope and Tomorrow (2 minutes)

Look ahead to tomorrow. What's coming? What are you anxious about? What are you hoping for?

Bring these to God now: "God, I'm scared about the meeting tomorrow. I'm hoping for reconciliation with ___. I need courage for ___."

End with a simple expression of trust. "The day is yours. I return it to you. I trust you with tomorrow." This conscious act of releasing the day — not carrying it into sleep — is the practical benefit of evening prayer: better sleep, less rumination, more actual rest.

Variations

The One-Question Examen: Too tired for the full five steps? Ask yourself one question: "Where did I experience God today?" (Or: "Where did I push God away today?") Name one thing. Pray about it. Done.

Journaling the Examen: Some people write the Examen in a prayer journal — short notes on consolations, desolations, and what they're bringing to God. The written record, reviewed monthly, reveals patterns in your spiritual life that aren't visible day by day.

Praying the Examen with a Spouse: Some couples end their day with a shared Examen — each sharing one consolation and one desolation from the day, then praying briefly together. This deepens both intimacy and shared spiritual life.

The Brief Liturgical Alternative: If the Examen feels too structured, Compline (Night Prayer) from the Book of Common Prayer or the Liturgy of the Hours provides a brief liturgical framework — psalms, a Scripture reading, and a few prayers — for closing the day. Apps: Laudate, Universalis, DailyOffice.org.

The Theology of Evening Prayer

Evening prayer is not merely a psychological hygiene practice — though it has genuine psychological benefits (reduced rumination, improved sleep quality, greater self-awareness).

Theologically, it's an acknowledgment that:

The day belonged to God. You did not manufacture the day; you received it. Returning it acknowledges the gift.

You are accountable. Evening review is a practice of honesty — you are a person who makes real choices that have real effects on real people. The Examen holds that accountability before God rather than suppressing it.

God was present today, even if unfelt. Part of the Examen's work is finding where God was in the day you actually lived, not just in the elevated moments of prayer. The contemplative tradition insists that God is present in all things — in the ordinary, the difficult, the overlooked. The evening review trains you to see him there.

Grace covers what the day revealed. The consolation of the Examen is not what the good moments produce — it's what the honest acknowledgment of the difficult ones receives: forgiveness, peace, the grace to try again tomorrow.

A Simple Prayer to Close With

"Lord, thank you for today — for what was good and what was hard. Forgive me where I fell short. I give this day back to you. Watch over those I love through the night. I trust tomorrow to you. Amen."

Then sleep. The day is returned. The night is God's.

Related: Morning Prayer Routine for Christians | Prayer Journal Guide