Unlocked: Daily Devotions for Teens Keys for Kids Ministries

READ: PSALM 95:1-6



The ocean…the powerful water coming up to the beach and splashing against it. The beautiful color. The sparkling. The place for people to gather on the sand and spend hours swimming and just enjoying life. Who owns all of that? Who made it?



I love the ocean and everything to do with it. I love the Great Lakes. I love small lakes, rushing rivers, and trickling creeks. When I hear the “sea” mentioned in the Bible, I pay attention.



Psalm 95 says it is God who has made the water and who is the true Owner of it. It is His because He is the One who has created it. Where would we be without water, without Him sharing it with us? How can we look at the water and not see the power of our God and the greatness of all that He has created and done?



As I think about the ocean and the fact that it was formed by God, that it is His, I can’t help but feel awe. My God is amazing. The things that He has accomplished are amazing. How special it is for us to know this God and be saved by Him—the Creator and Owner of things like the ocean and each river and lake. • Emily Acker



• Which part of nature amazes you the most? Consider taking a moment to think about how God is the Creator, not just of the whole world, but of that one thing in particular, and praise Him for it.



• Have you ever thought of Jesus as the Maker of the sea? Colossians 1:16 says, “everything was created by him, in heaven and on earth.” When Jesus spoke to the wind and waves during a fierce storm, everything became completely calm in an instant, and His disciples said to each other, “Who then is this? Even the wind and the sea obey him!” (Mark 4:41). Have you ever stopped to think about how the God who has created all things is the same God who has such a great love for you that He was willing to humble Himself and die for you (Philippians 2:5-12)? And He is the same God who is therefor you each day. You can know the Maker of the sea, personally, intimately. If you want to know more, see our "Know Jesus" page.



Our Lord and God, you are worthy to receive glory and honor and power, because you have created all things, and by your will they exist and were created. Revelation 4:11 (CSB) 

READ: PSALM 91; JOHN 15:1-5; ACTS 16:22-25; COLOSSIANS 3:15-17



Today, while I was getting the hose and sprinkler sorted, I stood in the sunshine. It was nice, for a bit. But eventually the blaring sun was just too much. So, I moved my operation into the shade. Wow, was that better! Standing in the shadow of the house, I could keep on working and ultimately fix the problem with the hose.



In life, we can usually handle some discomfort; but we can’t bear up under blazing heat at high noon for long. Our bodies weren’t designed for it. God has made us lovers of shade.



As part of God’s great care and provision for His people, He provides the shelter we need in every kind of suffering. He provides Himself. He Himself is the One standing so close by that His shadow is our hiding place (Psalm 32:7). Even better than a house!



God’s comfort is always available as we abide in Jesus. “For just as we share abundantly in the sufferings of Christ, so also our comfort abounds through Christ” (2 Corinthians 1:5). From the comfort of His shade, we respond like the psalmist did, with great thanksgiving: “I will say of the Lord, ‘He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust’” (Psalm 91:2).



Come and dwell in the shadow of the Almighty today. Allow His presence to be your comfort, to shield you from the harshness of the hot sun. How? When we pray, sing to Him, and read His Word, we choose to abide in the shadow of the Almighty. We can also talk with trusted friends and mentors who can pray with us and lead us into a deeper relationship with Christ.



Have you endured blazing trials, and found your shelter in God’s shade? Perhaps you are the loving presence that offers a cool refreshing cup of water to the weary one in your life (Matthew 10:42). May God equip you to lead your friend into the shade. • Kristen Merrill



• Have you experienced blazing hot sun and searched for any bit of shade to provide relief? Have you experienced the relief the love of God brings to us in our suffering? What was that like?



• How could you offer that shade to someone you know? (2 Corinthians 1:3-5)



• If you want to dig deeper: In John 4, Jesus sat down by a well in the heat of the day and asked a Samaritan woman for a drink of water. Then Jesus said, “the water I give…will become…a spring of water welling up to eternal life” (see John 4:1-42; 7:37-39). To find out more about Jesus being our shade, read Psalms 17:8; 36:7; 57:1; 63:7; 121:5; Matthew 23:37; Luke 13:34.



Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. Psalm 91:1 (NIV) 

READ: PSALMS 23; 46; MATTHEW 10:29-31; EPHESIANS 1:3
Though I walk through darkest valleys In the shadows of my fear I can hold my head up high because I know You’re here The sparrows do not worry They’re not afraid, they do not stress Because the Lord cares for them So, His children are certainly blessed When mountains fall and earth gives way We can have peace of mind We have a fortress and refuge As strong as any can find We don’t need to wander Our Shepherd won’t let us fall We are secure, we have a home His arms open to us all • Elizabeth Blanton
• Because the world has been broken by sin, we all feel afraid and anxious sometimes. Jesus Himself experienced deep distress before going to the cross (Matthew 26:36-46). But Jesus died and rose again to defeat sin and all its effects—including fear, worry, and anxiety. He will return one day to restore creation and raise us from the dead, establishing His rule and reign of perfect peace. In the meantime, He promises to always be with us, feeling our hurts with us and giving us His peace and strength even in the midst of difficulty (Matthew 1:23; 28:20). Once we’ve put our trust in Jesus, we can know that we are never alone, because He is the God who’s here.
• When you feel worried or afraid, who are trusted Christians in your life who can remind you of Jesus’s presence with you?
For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:38-39 (NIV) 

READ: PSALM 119:105; PROVERBS 3:5-6; ROMANS 12:1-21



Umar and Krish waited in anticipation. Today was the day they would go through the Maze, an important final test in their training. After this, they and all the others in their year would disperse to their various apprenticeships. As they gathered at the entrance to the Maze, their Guide showed them the map, carved onto an elaborate but weathered sign. “Now, when you get inside the Maze, it can be easy to lose your way. But you can always find the tower there in the middle, climb up, and see where you are and where you need to go,” the Guide explained, pointing to the wooden tower in the middle of the Maze.



Umar and Krish nodded, and when the Guide gave the signal to begin, they dashed side by side into the Maze. But as the two friends got further into the journey, they got more and more confused. As the sun began to set, Krish groaned. “We should be able to make a turn here, but we can’t. We should be near the end, but I don’t see it.”



Umar looked up. “Well then, to the tower it is!”



Once they climbed the wooden structure, they immediately saw where they had started making wrong turns. They could also see the end of the Maze and which way they could take to get there. When they finally made it out, the Guide and the others cheered.



“Well done!” the Guide intoned. “But, you know, many of you waited a long time to go to the tower. What you learned in the Maze today is a good lesson to remember in all of life. When we try to make it through life on our own, we’ll only end up getting lost and confused. We need the perspective of the Creator. He is eager to help us, and He invites us to come to Him for wisdom in every situation. He doesn’t expect us to know the way without Him. As you journey into your lives as young apprentices, may you never think that you walk alone.” • A. W. Smith



• When have you felt lost and confused in life? When we know Jesus as our Savior, He promises to always be with us and guide us in His good ways. Through His Spirit, His Word, and His people, He helps us see things from His perspective, and He empowers us to make decisions that are rooted in love for God and our neighbors. We’re never lost with Him by our side.



• Are there any Christians in your life who love spending time in the Bible and prayer and who you trust for wisdom and perspective? How could you be intentional about spending time with them? If no one comes to mind, you can ask God to help you identify someone in the future.



In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight. Proverbs 3:6 (WEB) 

READ: PSALMS 32:6-11; 91:15; 94:17-19; 2 CORINTHIANS 1:3-5



Help! Someone help! You’re falling and there is nothing to grab onto to catch yourself. You awake with a start, your heart pumping hard. It was only a dream. You try to catch your breath.



The dreams where we are falling, where something gives out from under us and we have no way of saving ourselves, can be really scary. When things happen in our real lives that make us feel that same way, like there is nothing to grab onto and no way we can save ourselves, it can be even scarier.



Bad stuff happens in our lives. People harm us. We mess up. We find ourselves in situations we never wanted to get into. Through it all, God is just a call away. When we are slipping, He can catch us. When we are falling and we have nothing to grab onto, He will be there for us.



As life gets difficult, anxiety eats at us. We start to worry about the future and how we are going to make it. We wonder what we are going to do, who we can trust, how we are going to continue on with our lives. But God offers comfort when we are anxious. He is there to ease our fears.



When you are falling in a dream, you have no one to reach out to, no one to help you. But when you start to slip in real life, you’re not alone. Seek out God, and find rest in the help He so generously gives. He is close beside you, eager to be found by you (Jeremiah 29:13; Acts 17:27). Know that He will respond to your cries and give you comfort. • Emily Acker



• What scares you the most in life? What causes you to feel like you are falling and no one is going to catch you? Remember, Jesus is Immanuel, which means “God with us” (Matthew 1:23). He came to save us by dying on the cross and rising from the grave, so now everyone who puts their trust in Jesus is brought near to God. He invites us to turn to Him with everything that’s troubling us, big or small. He has such compassion on us, and He longs to soothe our fears with His love. Consider taking a moment to talk to Him about whatever is on your mind.



• Jesus reminds us of His presence with us through His Spirit, His Word (the Bible), and His people (the church). When you feel that sinking feeling of dread or unease, who is a trusted Christian in your life you can reach out to? How could you pray with each other and remind each other of the hope Jesus has given us, pointing each other to His Word?



If I say, “My foot is slipping,” your faithful love will support me, Lord. Psalm 94:18 (CSB) 

READ: PSALM 115:1-13; MATTHEW 6:7-8, 19-34; 1 CORINTHIANS 8:4-6



There is no one like God. There is nothing that could replace Him. Yet, all throughout history, people have been trying to make other gods. Even the Israelites, God’s chosen people, made idols for themselves to worship. We have tried to replace God. But nothing we make could ever compare to Him. In Psalm 115, we read that idols can’t talk or hear or see. Other gods are fake and worthless. They don’t offer any help or guidance. They are not worthy of worship.



Many of us already know that about false gods. And we tend to think we could never get tricked into worshipping one, that we know who God is and would never abandon Him. Yet, it’s easy to forget that idols come in many forms. Yes, some idols are statues made of wood or metal. But in Matthew 6, Jesus warns us about having money as our god. He says, “Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be…No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and be enslaved to money” (verse 21, 24).



As we go through life, there are times we might feel dependent on money. We might fall in love with it because of all it can do for us. How easy it is to make money our god.



But there is no one like the one true God. In Matthew 6, Jesus says that He takes care of us. He loves us. He guides us. He is there all the time. He hears every prayer and listens to every thought. He knows us better than anyone and can anticipate what we need before we even ask.



There are countless false gods we could fall for, but there is only one real God. There is only one worthy of our love. • Bethany Acker



• Whenever we find ourselves chasing after an idol—whether it be money or any other created thing “instead of the Creator himself” (Romans 1:25)—God calls us to repent. We can confess our idolatry to Him, and we can rest in His sure forgiveness, because Jesus already took all our sins upon Himself on the cross, and His Spirit empowers us to turn away from sin. Because of His great love for us, we can love Him instead of loving money (1 Peter 2:24; 1 John 4:19).



• In our broken world, dealing with money is not easy. How does God call us to view money? How does His love free us from the love of money? (1 Timothy 6:5-19; Hebrews 13:5)



There is one God, the Father, by whom all things were created, and for whom we live. And there is one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things were created, and through whom we live. 1 Corinthians 8:6b (NLT)