THE UPPER ROOM DAILY DEVOTIONAL 30 JUNE 2024, SUNDAY MESSAGE
TOPIC: Peaceful Sleep
TODAY’S READING
Proverbs 3:19-26
When you lie down, you will not be afraid; when you lie down, your sleep will be sweet. – Proverbs 3:24 (NIV)
TODAY’S MESSAGE
In a small-group discussion at my church, I mentioned that I often struggled to fall asleep. Another member of the group, a retired school psychologist, said that he tells people not to look ahead to their plans for the next day when trying to sleep but rather to look back at what they did that day.
As I reflected on this, I thought of the Creation story in Genesis 1. At the end of each day during the process of creation, God looked at creation and said it was good. So I decided to combine God’s pattern in Genesis with the psychologist’s advice.
At night before sleeping, I looked back at my day. As I remembered each event, accomplishment, or interaction, I thought, It was good, and thanked God for it. When I remembered an unpleasant experience, I still thought, It was good. Then I thanked God for what was good about it, such as a valuable lesson I learned or my gratitude that God was with me through the experience.
I now use this process every night, and it continues to bless me. It helps me fall asleep and puts me in a good frame of mind daily.
TODAY’S PRAYER
Dear God, how gracious you are to teach us how to live and sleep in peace! Help us to approach each day with gratitude. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
Tonight I will look back on my day and thank God.
PRAYER FOCUS
People who struggle to sleep
The Upper Room Daily Devotional 30 June 2024 Message. The Upper Room is a daily devotional magazine published in more than 30 languages and 100 countries around the world. The daily meditations are written by readers of the magazine and others interested in sharing their faith experiences through writing—both laity and clergy, published authors and new writers. The meditations are stories of real people working to live faithfully with the Bible as their touchstone. Every day, readers of The Upper Room around the world read the same story in many different languages and pray the same prayer together. Read More