End Your Day with a Good Word

by Rick Warren — August 17, 2021
From 40 Days of Prayer

“For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen."

Matthew 6:13 (AMP)

How you end your day makes all the difference in how you sleep. And how you sleep makes all the difference in how you’re able to function the next day. To live with purpose, you need to end your day well.

End your day with a benediction—a good word. There is no better word than God’s Word. Read some promises from God. Be encouraged by truth, like this last line from the Lord’s Prayer: “For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen” (Matthew 6:13 AMP).

When you end your day with this verse, you’re going to sleep a whole lot better, because it contains two incredibly encouraging truths:

God is in control.

Politicians aren’t in control. Other nations aren’t. Your boss isn’t. God is ultimately in control. The Bible says, “The king’s heart is like a stream of water directed by the LORD; he guides it wherever he pleases” (Proverbs 21:1 NLT). That’s why the world changes when God’s people pray. He’s waiting for us to talk to him and surrender the burdens that are keeping us from rest.

God and his family win in the end!

This isn’t the end of the story. When you read the last chapter of the Bible, you discover that God wins. If the last thing you look at before you go to bed is either news or late-night TV hosts talking about the news, then you’ll go to bed depressed. But if you go to bed with God’s truth playing in your head, then you’ll go to bed with peace.

Holocaust survivor Corrie Ten Boom said, “If you look at the world, you’ll be distressed. If you look within, you’ll be depressed. If you look at Christ, you’ll be at rest.”

Where are you looking to find rest? Before you end your day, remind yourself of God’s truth. Say to him, “God, you’re in control. This is not the end of the story, and we win in the end. Good night, Lord. I’ll see you in the morning.”

Then, sleep in peace.

Talk It Over

  • What changes do you notice—physically, relationally, emotionally, and spiritually—when you get a good night’s sleep?
  • Why should God’s Word give you peace?
  • What one step can you take today to start the habit of ending your day with a good word from God’s Word?

There is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ.

The Bible says all people fall short of God’s perfect standard. Yet God still loves you—even though you sin and you’re flawed. In fact, God loves you so much that he sent his Son, Jesus, to cleanse you from your sins and to bring you into the family of God.

If you’re ready to enter God’s family, here’s a prayer you can start with: “Dear God, I know that when I die I’m going to give an account of my life to you directly. I confess I have ignored you. I know I have sinned against you, and I have lived by my plan, not yours. I want that to change, starting right now. I want to turn away from my sins toward you.

“Thank you for sending Jesus to die for all that I’ve done wrong so that I don’t have to pay the penalty. I know that I don’t deserve your forgiveness. I know that only your grace can save me, Lord.

“Jesus, thank you for loving me so much that you took all my guilt on yourself. You made me acceptable for heaven, and I humbly ask you to save me. I ask you to save me from the sins and the habits that are messing up my life right now. I believe in you, Jesus. And I believe that you will keep your promise to save me instantly and certainly and completely and eternally. In Jesus’ name. Amen.”

If you prayed the prayer above, please write and tell me at [email protected]. I’d like to send you some materials as you begin your journey with Jesus.


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