Ending Your Day with God: Why the Last Thought Matters

Editor’s note – Most of us check a screen one more time before the lights go off, without giving it a second thought. The author didn’t overhaul her whole life; she changed one small habit at the end of the day. That change raises a real question for every believer: what occupies our minds in the last minutes before sleep? This piece asks you to consider your own nighttime routine.

My Nighttime Routine with God

I’ve been reading through Galatians during my Bible reading at night.

I start my mornings with God through Bible reading and prayer, and I’ve also made it a priority to end my day in His Word. At night, I usually play quiet inspirational music in the background while I read my Bible and pray. It’s become a peaceful way for me to wind down before bed.

But recently, I realized one part of my routine needed to change.

After finishing my Bible reading and prayer, I would take my phone to plug it in for the night. Before turning it off, though, I’d usually think, “Let me check my email one more time.” Then maybe I’d check whether I had received a sales notification. Maybe I’d glance at another notification that had come through.

I wasn’t spending hours scrolling through social media before bed. It might have only taken a few minutes. But a couple of weeks ago, I felt God nudging me about it.

Why do you need to check everything again?

Editor’s note – That question – why check everything again – is worth taking seriously. One more glance at a notification feels harmless, but the habit quietly shapes where our attention actually lives.

I Want God’s Word to Be the Last Thing on My Mind

That question stayed with me. I had just spent time reading God’s Word and praying. My mind was focused on Him, and I was preparing to go to sleep.

Why did I need to immediately fill my mind with emails, sales, work, notifications, or anything else happening online? Whatever was there could wait until morning.

So I’ve started doing something different. Once I finish my Bible reading and prayer at night, that’s it. I turn off my phone, plug it in, and don’t check anything else.

I’ll admit that it took some getting used to.

There were moments when my natural reaction was still, “Let me just check one more thing.” Then I would remind myself: No. It can wait. It’s only been a short time since I started doing this consistently, but I’ve really enjoyed the change.

I want to begin my day with God, and I want to end my day with Him too.

Psalm 63:6 says:

On my bed I remember you; I think of you through the watches of the night. [Psalm 63:6]

I love that picture. At the end of the day, when everything else has quieted down, I want my mind resting on God rather than wondering whether another email came in.

Editor’s note – Psalm 63:6 pictures a mind that turns toward God even in the middle of the night. That’s a high bar, but one deliberate boundary at the end of the day can retrain where our thoughts default.

Technology is a Tool, but I Don’t Want it Controlling Me

This experience has also made me think more about my relationship with technology in general. Technology is an important part of my life and work.

I use my phone throughout the day because in many ways it’s like a mini computer for me. I use it for work, dictation, communication, social media, photos and videos, and many other practical things.

I also use AI tools like ChatGPT to help me brainstorm ideas, think through business plans, organize my thoughts, and work through strategies.

Those tools can be extremely helpful. But I want them to remain exactly that:

➡️Tools.

I want to use technology without letting it dictate where my attention goes every minute. There’s a difference. My phone doesn’t need my attention simply because a notification appeared.

◾An email doesn’t need to be answered simply because it arrived.

◾A sale notification will still be there tomorrow morning.

And there is something freeing about recognizing that.

I’ve realized that boundaries don’t necessarily mean something is bad. Sometimes boundaries simply help us keep good and useful things in their proper place. For me, this new nighttime boundary is becoming very simple:

Once I’ve finished my Bible reading and prayer, my phone is done for the day too.

Editor’s note – The line between using a tool and being used by it is worth serious reflection. A boundary doesn’t make technology evil; it just keeps it from becoming what our hearts answer to first.

I Want to Be Sensitive When God Shows Me Something

One thing I’ve been especially thankful for this year is how God keeps showing me little areas where I can grow. They aren’t always huge changes. This one certainly wasn’t.

I wasn’t giving up hours of scrolling every night. I was changing a habit that probably only took a few minutes. But those few minutes represented something bigger to me.

They represented where I wanted my attention to be.

My word for this year is intentional, and I’m realizing again that intentionality often shows up in very ordinary decisions.

◾What do I do first when I wake up?

◾Where does my mind go when I’m stressed?

◾What am I putting into my mind throughout the day?

And now I’m asking another question:

What gets my final attention before I go to sleep?

Psalm 4:8 says, “In peace I will lie down and sleep, for you alone, LORD, make me dwell in safety.”

That’s how I want to end my days. Not thinking about another email. Not wondering whether I made another sale. Not checking one more notification.

Just resting.

Tomorrow, I’ll have plenty of time to turn the phone back on, check my email, work on my business, write, post on social media, and take care of everything else that needs my attention.

But before I go to sleep, I want to remember where my peace actually comes from. It doesn’t come from knowing I’ve checked every notification. It comes from God.

And especially in a world where something is always competing for our attention, I want to stay sensitive to the Holy Spirit when He points out an area where I need to change. For someone else, it may not involve a phone at all.

God may be showing you something completely different. The important thing is that when He puts His finger on an area of our lives, we’re willing to listen. I’m thankful He brought this small habit to my attention.

Now when I finish reading my Bible at night, pray, turn off my phone, and plug it in, I’m reminding myself that everything else can wait until tomorrow. For tonight, I want God to have the last word.

Has God brought something to your attention recently that He’s asking you to change so you can continue growing in your spiritual walk?

A Word from the Editor
Psalm 4:8 ties peace to the Lord alone, not to a fully-checked inbox. If Christ has already secured that peace, one more notification was never going to add to it. Consider guarding the last few minutes of your day for Him; let the phone wait until morning, and let God have the last word before you sleep.

Editor Comment: You root this practice in Psalm 4:8's promise that God alone makes us dwell in safety, and that truth cuts against a culture trained to find peace in checking one more notification. Ending each night with your phone off and your Bible close shows readers exactly what putting that trust into practice looks like.

This article appeared on Medium and is reprinted with modifications and by permission.