Unlocked: Daily Devotions for Teens

READ: PSALMS 46; 77

Ever been wide awake at night? Maybe you were afraid of the unknown. Maybe you were overwhelmed with a never-ending to-do list. Or maybe you were heartbroken by injustice and brokenness in the world.

When I can’t sleep—which happens to me a lot—I often end up reading the Psalms. They’re like a prayer journal: the psalmists praise God in times of celebration and cry out to Him in their darkest nights. In Psalm 77, for example, Asaph is in a dark place, and he starts by talking to God honestly about how he’s feeling: “Will the Lord reject forever and never again show favor? Has his faithful love ceased forever? Is his promise at an end for all generations? Has God forgotten to be gracious? Has he in anger withheld his compassion?” (verses 7-9).

Then, the mood of the psalm changes when Asaph turns from his worries and pain and remembers all that God has done for him in the past (verses 11-12). God has been faithful, saving Asaph and his people from their enemies, leading them every step of the way (verses 15-20).

In our own lives, we can follow Asaph’s example. Whenever we’re tossing and turning at night, we can talk to God honestly about how we’re feeling. He is eager to remind us that, even when circumstances are ever-changing and our world feels like it’s falling apart, He does not change. He remains constant and faithful—the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow (Hebrews 13:8). Because God made the way for us to be with Him through Jesus’s death and resurrection, we can know that our future is secure in Him. And even now, as Christians, Jesus’s Holy Spirit lives in us, helping us remember God’s never-ending love for us. So when worries keep us awake, we can think about how Jesus has been with us through similar times in the past. The truth is, we have unshakeable hope no matter what the day ahead may bring. • Abby Ciona

• Can you think of a time you noticed Jesus’s presence with you during a tough season? Hebrews 4:14-16 tells us that Jesus empathizes with us in our struggles and He invites us to come to Him with all our needs so that we can “receive mercy and find grace to help us.” Consider taking some time to tell Him about whatever has been weighing on you lately.

• Sleep is an important part of our physical and emotional health. Sometimes we need help to give our bodies the sleep we need, and that’s okay. If you’ve been having difficulty sleeping, who is a trusted adult you can talk to, such as a parent, counselor, or doctor?

I will both lie down and sleep in peace, for you alone, LORD, make me live in safety. Psalm 4:8 (CSB)

READ: ROMANS 12:1-21; 1 CORINTHIANS 12:4-11; 1 PETER 4:8-11

I wish I could play the piano as well as they can.

At least I’m a better swimmer than she is.

I finally got a better exam grade than he did!

At first, comparison might seem fun—like a contest—especially when you win. And humbly, honestly assessing our skills and abilities and how they’re different from other people’s isn’t inherently bad. In fact, it can help us find ways to improve! But when we start to compare in unhealthy ways, we can easily become prideful—or discouraged. We either think we’re inherently superior to other people—or we put ourselves down, feeling like who we are isn’t good enough, like we just don’t measure up.

But this isn’t how God views us. It doesn’t make any sense to rank ourselves because we’re all in the same boat. We all desperately need Jesus, and in His great love, He has rescued us and made us one through His death and resurrection. Now, as believers, we all have His same Holy Spirit. In the Kingdom of God, status doesn’t matter. Unity does.

Trying to be someone else will never help you. Why? Because you aren’t someone else. God has made you unique, with a combination of talents and passions that no other person in history has ever had, and He has empowered you to use those gifts to serve in a way no one else can. You are one of a kind, so why try to be the same as others?

When you’re tempted to compare your identity to somebody else’s, you can come back to who God says you are. In Jesus, you are God’s beloved child, an irreplaceable part of His global family. He calls you to do your best with what He’s given you. Not for the approval of others or to be the best in the world or to show that you deserve to be in His family. But because God—the one who loves you more than any other—made you this way. • Abby Ciona

• How can unhealthy comparison get in the way of following Jesus, enjoying the ways He made us all different, and taking part in the good work He calls us to do together? (Matthew 28:16-20; Ephesians 2:10)

• In what ways do you tend to compare yourself to others? Consider taking a moment to talk to Jesus about this, thanking Him for making you—and the people you’re tempted to measure yourself against—and asking Him to help you see yourself and others as He sees you.

Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves. Romans 12:10 (NIV)

READ: DEUTERONOMY 7:9; PSALMS 66:5; 136:12-16; EPHESIANS 1:5

I love that, when kids are adopted, they receive a new or expanded family history. It takes time for them to learn about their new family, but it’s so worth it.

As children adopted into God’s family, the same is true for us. The history of the Old Testament of the Bible is now our family history. The story of the Israelites is now ours. This is a huge truth to grasp, and it has a profound impact on our present. As we read the Old Testament, we see God’s acts of faithfulness to our now-family…again and again and again.

Looking back on our family history shows us that we always have a reason to worship the God who chose us and made us His people. Reflecting on what God has done in our history reminds us of who He is. He is the God who rescues us, draws us near, and calls us to be part of the good things He’s doing. When the writers of the Old Testament describe God’s character, they always go back to the steadfast, faithful love of God. And yet, the more we read these ancient stories, the more we see that the people of Israel often forgot the faithfulness of God. They forgot their history.

When we don’t remember what God has done, it’s easy to forget who God is. Thankfully, He has provided us with generations worth of examples of His faithfulness in the Old Testament—sustaining His people in famine, parting the Red Sea to deliver them from slavery, guiding them through the wilderness, bringing them to a land of plenty, saving them from their attackers, and more. God calls us to dig into these texts because He knows that, when we ignore His faithfulness in this vital part of our history, it’s easy to doubt His faithfulness in our present.

For example, in Psalm 66 the writer worships God for what He has done, first in Israel’s history and then in the writer’s own life. As Christians, we can worship God in the same way. God’s faithfulness in the past points to Jesus’s covenant to be faithful to us today and always, giving us hope to live from that promise right now. • Sarah Rexford

• Once you’ve put your trust in Jesus, the accounts in the Bible are your family history! Many people have favorite family stories. Are there any Bible stories that resonate with you?

• How could seeing God’s faithfulness throughout the generations give us confidence that He will still be faithful to us today?

And now that you belong to Christ, you are the true children of Abraham. You are his heirs, and God’s promise to Abraham belongs to you. Galatians 3:29 (NLT)

READ: PSALMS 46:1-11; 121:1-2; 146:3-7

Should I look to the mountains, hills?
Where should I look, to the valleys?
To the secret places?
For I need help.

Look to the powerful?
They can’t control their next breath.
To the mighty?
Yet, the mighty also grow weary,
They also cry, pain comes their way.
They come to their end,
Death swallows them.

But He is above mountains,
He lived in eternity,
Long before mountains,
Long before valleys and hills;
He created them.
He holds the breath of the mighty,
Yes, everyone’s.
I will look to Him,
My Helper, Creator.
I run to Him, my Shelter. • Charity M. Kiregyera

• Today’s poem is written in the style of a psalm, and it’s especially inspired by Psalms 46 and 112. When you have questions or need help, where do you turn? It can be tempting to put our trust in successful-looking people, whether we know them personally or not. And God certainly does sometimes provide valuable wisdom and help through these people. But God wants us to put our ultimate trust in Him because He loves us more than anyone else possibly could. He even suffered the cross for us in Jesus! He also has more wisdom and power than anybody else, so He is far more capable of doing something to help us (Colossians 1:15). What questions do you have for Jesus today? What help do you need? Consider spending some time with Him in prayer, laying down all these things at His feet.

God is our refuge and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble. Psalm 46:1 (NLT)

READ: EXODUS 33:14; PSALMS 23:1-6; 62:1-2; MATTHEW 11:28-30

Life can feel exhausting. Between responsibilities, worries, and the fast pace of everyday life, many of us carry heavy burdens. Jesus’s invitation in Matthew 11 is simple yet profound: “Come to me…and I will give you rest.”

This rest is more than physical—it’s emotional, and even spiritual. It’s the peace that comes from knowing we don’t have to carry everything on our own. Jesus offers us His yoke, which is easy, and His burden, which is light. When we walk with Him, He shoulders the load.

Psalm 62 reminds us that our souls find rest in God alone. True rest doesn’t come from vacations, success, or distractions—it comes from trusting Him. Exodus 33:14 adds God’s promise: “My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.” His presence is the source of renewal. And, because He loves us so much, He has welcomed us into His presence through the cross.

I remember a season when I felt completely drained. No amount of sleep or time off seemed to help. But when I turned to God in prayer, I experienced a deep peace that refreshed me in ways nothing else could. His rest reached my soul.

Rest in God doesn’t mean we avoid responsibilities—it means we face them with His strength and peace. When we pause to be with Him, we discover that He restores us, renews us, and carries us through. • Martha Karas

• What burdens have you been carrying? What has been making you feel weary? Consider taking some time to come to Jesus in prayer, honestly telling Him about whatever is weighing on you and asking Him to help you notice His invitations to rest in Him and follow His gentle leadership.

• Things like vacations, hobbies, naps, good food, and spending time with friends and family are wonderful gifts from God, and He wants to refresh us through them. But only He can give us full rest, the kind that reaches our very souls. How could you set aside time to pause and rest in God’s presence this week? Consider choosing a time of day and physical location, then see if it works well for you. If not, keep experimenting!

[Jesus said,] “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” Matthew 11:28 (NIV)