Unlocked: Daily Devotions for Teens

READ: PSALM 139

Have you ever wondered why your life has taken the twists and turns it has? Sometimes our circumstances and disappointments leave us feeling frustrated, and it can feel like the people around us don’t really get what we’re going through.

Feeling misunderstood, lost, and alone are all terrible parts of living in a broken world—but, as Christians, we are not without hope! Even though we may feel isolated in our struggles, we have an incredibly caring God who knows every detail of our lives, and He understands how we feel.

In Psalm 139, David describes God’s intimate knowledge of our lives—and His tender care for us. This passage goes into great detail about how we can never escape God’s loving presence (verses 7-12). It tells us God knows our thoughts before we have them and our words before we speak them (verses 2, 4). That’s both comforting and convicting. Convicting because we can’t lie to God or trick Him when we sin, but comforting because God understands us completely and loves us fully.

How powerful to know God understands our weaknesses and our struggles! More than that, Paul tells us in Romans 8:26-27 that God searches our hearts and His Holy Spirit prays for us when we don’t know what to pray for ourselves. And in Hebrews 4:14-16, we find that Jesus doesn’t just understand us, He even empathizes with us in our weaknesses because He is God in flesh, and He knows firsthand what it’s like to suffer as a human in a broken world.

What’s more, it’s because Jesus suffered for us that we can have hope in any circumstance. Through His death and resurrection, He made the way for our sins to be forgiven so we could be with God—forever!

So whenever we feel alone, misunderstood, or anxious about what’s happening in our lives, we can look to Jesus, our Lord who knows us completely and loves us fully. • Phil Cox

• Can you think of a time you felt misunderstood? Jesus sees your pain, and He cares. Consider taking a moment to talk to Him about whatever hard things you’ve been going through and receive His tender compassion.

• Consider reading Psalm 139 slowly, one verse at a time, savoring the words. What catches your attention? If you were to choose one verse to memorize from this psalm, which one would it be?

You have searched me, LORD, and you know me. Psalm 139:1 (NIV)

READ: EPHESIANS 1:3-14

We see the word blessed thrown around on the internet and t-shirts, but what does it really mean to be blessed?

By definition, bless is a verb. It’s an action someone takes to give something to someone else. I could just brag about my awesome family, my best friends, or my new shoes, but saying I’m “blessed” implies that someone, somehow, has given me these things.

So what do I expect to be true if I’m “blessed” by God? He has all the power in the universe, and He’s the true Owner of everything. As His kid, I know that He cares for me. Does that mean I’ll have wealth? Health? Loads of amazing friends? Success in my grades and test scores? Early acceptance into my dream school?

Not necessarily.

In Ephesians 1, Paul tells us that everyone who knows Jesus has been blessed beyond measure! But Paul also describes that these blessings are spiritual— and as it turns out, these are the best kinds of blessings (verse 3). Our heavenly Father loves us so much that He has made it possible for us to be united with Him through Jesus’s death on the cross; it gave Him great pleasure to purchase our freedom and adopt us into His family, pouring out His grace, kindness, wisdom, and understanding on us in abundance (verse 5-7).

And God has promised that—no matter what we face in life and no matter what happens in this world—a time will come when “he will bring everything together under the authority of Christ” (verse 10). And even now, He has blessed us with the Holy Spirit—His very own presence living inside us and guaranteeing His promise: that we will be resurrected, just like Jesus was, and we will live with Him forever in renewed creation (verses 13-14).

In the meantime, because I’m surrounded by ads and influencers, each promising me their own version of the American dream, it’s hard to see that what I already have in Jesus surpasses it all. But Jesus is eager to remind me of His goodness and turn my attention to the blessings I already have in Him— especially the greatest blessing, Himself. • Mandy Desilets

• Can you think of a time you felt like other people were more blessed than you? It’s easy to begin comparing our blessings to other people’s. Consider taking a moment to bring these feelings to Jesus, asking Him to remind you of the blessings He has given you.

All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ. Ephesians 1:3 (NLT)

READ: MATTHEW 5:43-48; LUKE 6:27-28; ROMANS 12:9-21

Ordinary students—like me—kept to themselves in order to avoid fists or knives. Paralyzed by fear, teachers ignored bullying because it was dangerous to interfere. Only blood and severe violence forced school administrators to act.

Why was I singled out? I didn’t know. For some reason, the gang leader hated me, and her minions made my life miserable. At first, I ignored the elbow in the ribs in the hallway or a basketball slammed against the back of my head in the gym. The badgering escalated because silence conveyed weakness.

My parents had their own problems. I couldn’t share mine. I wasn’t a fighter, and neither were my friends. I had no backup.

At church, the youth pastor challenged us to read the Bible and trust God. Unconvinced that God was more than a distant-energy-cosmic-thing, I didn’t think much of Him. However, I started to read Matthew, and when I read Jesus’s words to love your enemies, I laughed. Love your enemies? Pray for those who persecute you?

But I couldn’t shake off the idea, so I decided to try it. I bought a glittery card with a poem about friendship. My stomach churned so hard I thought I’d vomit when I handed the card to the gang leader and ran away.

She never said one word to me. In fact, I barely saw her the rest of the semester, but the threats stopped. I was no longer pushed, shoved, or spit on. She called off the gang.

It was the first time I saw God working in my life, the first time I saw the power of His Word. It was a miracle. • Gretchen Carlson

• Today’s devotion is a true story of God doing a miracle in the author’s life. But every bullying situation is different, so if you’re being bullied or seeing bullying happen, don’t go it alone. In addition to talking to God, tell a trusted adult so they can help you figure out what steps to take.

• Jesus loved us even while we were still His enemies (Romans 5:6-11). If you know Him, He lives in you and empowers you to love others with that same love. How can Jesus’s love affect the way we view people who hurt us? After talking with a trusted adult about your situation and discerning next steps, consider talking about ways you can love your enemies in your situation.

[Jesus said,] “But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you!” Matthew 5:44 (NLT)

READ: PSALM 32:8; PROVERBS 3:5-6; ISAIAH 30:21

Life is full of choices—big and small. Sometimes we feel confident about what to do, but other times we’re unsure which path to take. Thankfully, God invites us to trust Him for guidance. All throughout the Bible, we find His invitations. Let’s take a look at a few examples.

Proverbs 3:5-6 reminds us not to lean on our own understanding. Our perspective is limited, but God sees the bigger picture. When we submit our ways to Him, He promises to make our paths straight. That doesn’t mean life will be easy, but it does mean He will lead us in the right direction.

Psalm 32:8 gives us another assurance: “I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my loving eye on you.” God’s guidance is not cold or distant—it comes from His love and care for us. The truth is, God loves us so much that He came and lived among us in Jesus. Through His death and resurrection, He made the way for us to be in closest relationship with Him. And one of the blessings of that relationship is His guidance.

Isaiah 30:21 says we will hear a voice behind us saying, “This is the way; walk in it.” God’s Spirit gently directs us when we listen. His guidance may come through prayer, Scripture, wise counsel, or circumstances—but it always points us closer to Him.

I remember facing a decision that felt overwhelming. I prayed, searched Scripture, and asked God to show me the way. Over time, He gave me peace about the choice I needed to make. Looking back, I can see how His guidance protected me and opened doors I never expected.

When we lean in to God’s guidance, we discover that He is faithful. Jesus doesn’t just show us the path—He walks with us every step of the way. • Martha Karas

• Can you think of any ways God has guided you in the past? Consider taking a moment to thank Him for this.

• What decisions or situations are weighing on you today? Consider bringing these to Jesus in prayer, asking Him to help you notice how He is leading you.

• Who are trusted Christians in your life who can help you grow in discerning God’s guidance?

Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight. Proverbs 3:5-6 (NIV)

READ: JONAH 1–4

When you think of the prophet Jonah, what comes to mind? Getting swallowed by a huge fish? Running from God? A certain movie with talking vegetables? What you might not know is how the story of Jonah points us toward the gospel. Although Jonah is known for his reluctance to preach to the people in Nineveh, his story still shows God’s mercy and foreshadows the Messiah—the promised rescuer who was to come. And we now know that Messiah is Jesus.

First, both Jesus and Jonah sacrificed themselves to save others. Jonah chose to be thrown off a ship in the midst of a storm to save the other sailors— because he knew that his sin had caused the storm. Jesus chose to sacrifice Himself on the cross—because He knew that He was without sin, so He could save us sinners (Romans 5:8; Hebrews 4:15).

Second, both Jonah and Jesus also found themselves in the depths for three days. For Jonah, this meant being in the belly of a big fish. Jesus spent three days in the tomb after His death on the cross. Then, both returned from the depths after three days. Jonah was vomited by the fish on to shore, and he went on to (reluctantly) share God’s message of repentance with the people of Ninevah, which ultimately led to Gentiles repenting and being saved. Jesus rose from the grave, defeating sin and death forever and saving all who put their trust in Him—both Jews and Gentiles!

These similarities and connections are no accident, and they’re just the beginning of the ways the book of Jonah points to the gospel. The whole book intentionally points toward Jesus’s life, death, and resurrection. God the Father sent both Jonah and Jesus out of His great love for us. But Jesus is better than Jonah (Matthew 12:41). Jonah was only human, but Jesus is both fully human and fully God. While Jonah was a reluctant prophet who did not have much love for the people he preached to, God the Son willingly came and dwelled among us, sacrificing His own life on the cross so that we could be saved from sin and live with Him forever. • Naomi Zylstra

• Did anything about today’s devotion surprise you? If so, what?

• While reading the book of Jonah, did you notice any other connections between the story of Jonah and the story of Jesus?

• For more about the gospel, the good news of Jesus, see our "Know Jesus" page.

[Jesus said,] “For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.” Matthew 12:40 (NIV)