Unlocked: Daily Devotions for Teens

READ: PSALM 143:7-8; MATTHEW 14:22-33

When worry invades each hope and dream, When fretful nights keep you awake, Keep your eyes on God. When panic drowns your heart and mind, Give God each probl…

READ: JUDGES 2:16-23; 10:15; 17:6

In the book of Judges, God’s people are spinning in a sin cycle—rebellion, repentance, rescue, and restoration. They cycle twelve times, once for each of the twel…

READ: PHILIPPIANS 4:4-9; HEBREWS 12:2; 1 PETER 5:6-9

Life can be overwhelming. From a bad day at school to a betrayal by people we thought were our friends, sometimes we don’t know how to respond.

READ: JOHN 6:37-40; 10:27-30; 15:15; ROMANS 8:31-39

Willow, Madison, and Emilia had been best friends since preschool. But one day, everything changed in the concession line. Emilia said to Willow…

READ: JOHN 1:12-13; ROMANS 5:1-11; EPHESIANS 2:1-10

It’s tough being best friends with a brain. I know because that was my story. My best friend Jean was nicknamed “The Brain” in middle school, an…

READ: ROMANS 8:28-39; 2 CORINTHIANS 1:3-7; REVELATION 21:1-5

"No season is wasted.” I smiled when I read those words. My friend had handed the sticker to me, sensing that I needed it. She was righ…

READ: ISAIAH 40:11; JOHN 10:27-29; 2 CORINTHIANS 1:3-7

"It’s okay; I’ve got you.” The parent rocks their baby, holding them close. “You’re okay.”

How many times have you seen this play out? You…

READ: JOHN 16:22; 1 THESSALONIANS 4:13-14; REVELATION 21:1-5

"I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.” Through my father’s sobbing and his slurred speech, I could piece together the message: Mom had died.

It …

READ: ISAIAH 9:6-7; 26:3-4; 53; JOHN 14:27

The book of Isaiah begins with a mess. The people’s rebellion against God was serious, and the consequences of their sin brought devastation, brokenness,…

READ: GENESIS 2:7; 1 KINGS 19:11-13; JOHN 3:8; ACTS 2:1-4

The Wind is a song that echoes free Bringing my Savior close to me. In my soul I hear Him say, “I AM here, not far away.” The Wind is a s…

READ: JONAH 1-3; LUKE 15:1-7

Picture this: God asks me to go to a new school. You know, the one all the way across town. I’ve never visited. I have no friends there. A new kid, let alone a quiet k…

READ: EXODUS 3:1-15; 4:10-17; GALATIANS 5:22-23

Inadequate. Unworthy. Unequipped. As I spent my first few days counseling at a local Christian camp, these words were never far from the edge of my …

READ: MATTHEW 6:25-34; PHILIPPIANS 4:6-13

As we approach the first day of school, there can be lots of anxiety. You might have been bullied last year, and you’re scared to have to go back to your …

READ: PSALM 147; ISAIAH 40:10-12, 25-31; MATTHEW 10:26-31

Stargazing is one of my favorite things to do with my sister. We try to identify the planets and look for the Big Dipper and the Little Di…

READ: PHILIPPIANS 2:1-11

Today’s poem is rooted in some of the names of God we find in Scripture. These names point to both His eternal greatness and His servant-like humility. I just can’t get ov…

READ: EPHESIANS 4:25-32; HEBREWS 12:14-15

Apart from watching my brothers play baseball and basketball, I wasn’t much of a sports fan as a kid. Then at 19, I decided to try something new. I applie…

READ: JOHN 3:16; 15:13; ROMANS 5:6-11; 10:9-10

Have you ever known somebody who was really sick and needed a new kidney? We are born with two kidneys, like how we’re born with two lungs, but if we…

READ: PSALM 56:8; ISAIAH 25:8-9; 2 CORINTHIANS 1:3-5

A single tear falls with a splat onto the hard floor. You think it’s insignificant—until you remember that He cares.

God sees each tear that…

READ: ISAIAH 9:2; 42:6, 16; 2 CORINTHIANS 4

In Israel in 1947, a young Bedouin shepherd was bored while tending his goats. To amuse himself he picked up a stone and threw it into a cave. To his am…

READ: 2 CHRONICLES 20:1-30; PSALM 149

Sweat stung my eyes as I practiced the intricate steps of my deadly dance. For the final step, I had always had trouble remembering not to hold my breath, so …