With the rising numbers of people experiencing worry and anxiety, the levels of insomnia are rapidly increasing too. According to research done through Mental Health UK, 66% of adolescents cite poor sleep as negatively impacting their mental health. While there are plenty of meditative sleep aid resources available, few appear to include the ultimate source of peace: Scripture.
In spring 2022, the Our Daily Bread Ministries UK office launched the Evening Meditations podcast. As the Our Daily Bread devotional is often used to start readers’ days, Evening Meditations is there to help people end their days. Chris Wale, one of the producers of the project, said it’s a way to “help many people meditate on something truly good, uplifting, and hope-filled.”
Listeners can conclude their days by listening to an average 10-minute-long devotional reading that’s covered in Scripture and is designed to calm the soul. “It’s a podcast made to embody what the psalmist writes in Psalm 4:8, ‘In peace I will lie down and sleep, for you alone, Lord, make me dwell in safety.’ The whole purpose of each episode is to help listeners slow down and focus on God alone,” Chris said.
Since launching the project a year ago, Evening Meditations has more than 1 million downloads and is consistently featured in the Great Britain Podcast Charts. The feedback has been very affirming and shows that the content and team’s hard work is well-received.
“I really appreciate and enjoy this podcast each evening. A beautiful listen to encourage and comfort before bed. Thank you.” —podcast listener
“Thank you. I am new to Our Daily Bread Ministries and have added this to my quiet meditation time. God bless the work and team.” —podcast listener
Similar to the process of writing the Our Daily Bread devotional articles, the themes and topics (outside of holidays) for the podcast are divinely random. Writers can produce scripts according to whatever they feel like writing or perceive will meet listener needs. The team consists of a small group of writers and one editor. After the script has been written and finalized, it then goes into the recording process where one of the presenters reads it. The team currently has seven to eight presenters. Once the script has been recorded, it is mixed by an audio specialist and scheduled for publication.
Currently, the team is in the process of composing custom music to compliment each presenter’s voice and to keep the audio quality as high as possible. “A big challenge is the responsibility of creating content that is listened to and relied upon by so many. We really want to make sure we get it right each time,” Chris said. As the team works diligently to produce the highest quality material, they are determined to ensure that each message reveals God’s heart.
With so many struggling with their mental health, we hope that many people who have never heard of Our Daily Bread Ministries will find us through Evening Meditations, both believers and nonbelievers. “We pray that when listeners discover our podcast, they will find a truly transformative experience as they meet God in His Word,” Chris said.
You can listen to Evening Meditations today on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube Shorts, Instagram Reels, TikTok, and our newly updated Our Daily Bread Ministries app.
