Unlocked: Daily Devotions for Teens

God Was There the Whole Time

READ: NUMBERS 33:1-10; PSALM 139:1-12; HEBREWS 13:5 [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=NUMBERS%2033%3A1-10%3B%20PSALM%20139%3A1-12%3B%20HEBREWS%2013%3A5&version=NIV] I have to admit, when I’m reading certain parts of the Bible, I sometimes hurry through what I’m reading without really paying attention. The book of Numbers is one of those books that I just try to get through when I’m completing a Bible reading plan. Last night, though, as I was reading a chapter from Numbers, I found myself slowing down. In Numbers 33, we’re given a list of all the places the Israelites camped after they left Egypt. They had many stops on their journey. And as I was reading through this list, I started thinking about the fact that God was with the Israelites at each camp. He was with them in each part of their journey. He saw them through their many stops. He paid attention to it all. Dealing with changes in our lives can be hard. Things like moving can be uncomfortable and even scary. Through it all, though, God sees what we’re facing. Like He saw the Israelites through each of their stops, He sees us through everything. You cannot move somewhere He will not go with you. You cannot hide from His loving gaze. You cannot experience so much change or hard stuff in your life that He will leave you. God is always there. How can we know? Because Jesus came to earth to die and rise again for us, not only to save us from sin and give us eternal life, but also to make the way for us to have a daily relationship with God. Once we’ve put our trust in Jesus, we can know His presence is always with us, and I’m grateful He used Numbers 33 to remind me of that. • Emily Acker • Can you think of a time you felt like God was distant or maybe didn’t see you anymore? Consider taking a moment to talk to Jesus about this, telling Him how you felt and asking Him to help you see how He was present with you in that difficult time. [Jesus said,] “And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Matthew 28:20 (NIV)

Jesus: Brother and Friend

READ: JOHN 15:13-15; ROMANS 8:28-39; HEBREWS 2:11 [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=JOHN%2015%3A13-15%3B%20ROMANS%208%3A28-39%3B%20HEBREWS%202%3A11&version=WEB] A true friend will be by your side through anything, good or bad. They won’t abandon you or just tell you what to do and then leave. They’ll be with you no matter what. Jesus is our truest friend. He promises, “I will in no way leave you, neither will I in any way forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5). Jesus will never leave us in the dust. He loves us so much that He laid down His life for us. He took our sins upon Himself, even though He was sinless. He’d rather suffer and die on a cross than let us suffer an eternity without God—who is the Creator of the universe, the definition of good, and the source of life. Jesus not only laid down His life for us, He took it up again. Through dying on the cross and rising from the grave, He defeated sin—the very thing that separates us from Him. Because of His mercy and grace, everyone who puts their trust in Jesus is a friend of God. Jesus is the truest and most extraordinary friend anyone could have. And, He is also our Brother. Jesus is God the Son, and He has made the way for us to become children of God the Father (John 1:12). Even though Jesus is fully God, He is not ashamed to call us brothers and sisters, because He has cleansed us of sin (Hebrews 2:11). Since He has done all this for us, we can lean on Him, no matter what comes. • Aidan Mencer • Does anything surprise you in today’s devotion? • What questions do you have about Jesus being our Brother and Friend? Who are trusted Christians in your life who could help you dig into Scripture and search for answers? (If you’re looking for a place to start, read Deuteronomy 31:8; Matthew 28:20; Luke 15:1-10; John 10:11-17; 14:18; Romans 5:1-11; Colossians 1:15-22) • If you want to know more about what it means to belong to Jesus, see our "Know Jesus [https://unlocked.org/knowjesus/]" page. A friend loves at all times; and a brother is born for adversity. Proverbs 17:17 (WEB)

Peace Before You Know

READ: PROVERBS 3:5-6; PHILIPPIANS 4:4-8; 1 PETER 5:7 [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=PROVERBS%203%3A5-6%3B%20PHILIPPIANS%204%3A4-8%3B%201%20PETER%205%3A7&version=CSB] Can you remember a time when you had to wait for news that really mattered? Like when the results could mean you made the cut for the team. Or that you got into your favorite college. Or they could mean another surgery. Or cancer. How do you find peace in the waiting? That’s hard for just about everybody! You often hear people say, while awaiting their (potentially) difficult news, “I think I can handle what the news is. It’s just the waiting that is so hard!” One time, after undergoing many of these “waiting trials,” I had another wait in front of me. Friends were asking me, “Have you heard the results yet?” They were echoing my own questioning mind…which way would this go? Then I did something different than all the other times. I prayed a different prayer. I asked for “pre-peace.” I asked God for His peace before I knew the outcome. I prayed, Lord, you know all those times I endure those long days of waiting, until the answer finally arrives? Then, when I know the outcome, I give it over to You, and I have peace. But Your Word says that as I rejoice in You and commit my requests to You with thanksgiving, I will have peace. Can we just fast-forward this part? My request is known to You. Will You give me this peace, now, even before I know how this turns out? I focused on His presence, goodness, and love. And do you know what happened? His peace flooded my heart. My mind stopped whirling with all of the “what-ifs.” Just like it says in Philippians 4, His peace was beyond understanding. I still didn’t know the results. Yet I was super joyful and full of peace! His peace guarded my mind and heart. This is such a joyful way to face the waiting times. I hope you can enjoy God’s perfect peace, even before you know the answer. • Kristen Merrill • Have you ever experienced God’s peace in a season of waiting? Even if we don’t feel Jesus’s peace all the time, He is always with us through the Holy Spirit. He loves us, and He sits with us in the anxious waiting, inviting us to bring our struggles to Him in prayer. Where do you need to experience God’s peace today? Don’t worry about anything, but in everything, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:6-7 (CSB)

Blessed Memories

READ: DEUTERONOMY 4:9; PSALM 78:1-16 [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=DEUTERONOMY%204%3A9%3B%20PSALM%2078%3A1-16&version=NIV] I was in middle school when I first took an interest in the Civil War, particularly the role that my third great grandfather, Michael Sallander, played in it. He was only a teen and a recent immigrant when war broke out, yet he still enlisted in his home state of Wisconsin, lying about his age to do so. All four of his brothers enlisted as well. One died—the younger brother who enlisted with him and fought beside him. Two or three of the Sallander brothers were prisoners of war, including my grandfather, and another one was so debilitated by disease that he never returned to the farm. Despite the horrors of war and its long-lasting impact on his family, Michael served alongside a number of Methodist ministers who profoundly impacted his life—to such an extent that he was ever after described as a happy man of faith in my great-grandmother’s stories. Every Memorial Day, a holiday initially created to remember Civil War veterans, I think of Michael and thank God for his life, his faith, and his sacrifice. There is a blessing in remembering the faithful who have gone before us, and I believe we have a responsibility to remember the ways our ancestors and spiritual role models lived and died in faith. After all, God can use their examples to inspire us and the generations after us—to reassure us of prayers that did not die with the faithful, but continue to surround us now (Hebrews 11:13-16; 11:39–12:3; Revelation 5:8). This Memorial Day, consider taking a moment to remember the people strong in the faith who came before you. You might ask Christian family members or church members in your life for stories about their faith, about the ways they have seen God move in their lives, and about the people who inspired them to know God better. Perhaps Memorial Day can become a holiday of grateful remembrance for us all. • Abigail Aswegen • Jesus loves us, and His death and resurrection made the way for us to be united with Him and other believers through the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 12:13). If we’ve put our trust in Jesus, we have become part of His family, the church—which includes all believers around the world and throughout history. Our faith has been passed down from generation to generation for thousands of years. How can it be helpful to hear the stories of those who walked with Jesus before us? What stories of His faithfulness in your life do you want to pass on to the next generation? “Remember the former things, those of long ago; I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me.” Isaiah 46:9 (NIV)

Redeeming Language

READ: GENESIS 11:1-9; ACTS 2 [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=GENESIS%2011%3A1-9%3B%20ACTS%202&version=NLT] Diversity in language is an important part of God’s creation! In fact, language is one of the many ways God shows how creative He is—and how He is redeeming all that He has made. The creation of different languages happened at Babel. The people were guilty of being prideful and wanting to make a lasting name for themselves because of their own work. Their sin was deserving of judgment, and it was keeping them from fulfilling God’s very first calling to humanity: “Be fruitful and multiply. Fill the earth and govern it” (Genesis 1:28). God could have struck down the people of Babel, but instead He showed them mercy and scattered them, suddenly causing them to speak different languages from each other. This separation interrupted their wickedness and allowed them to explore and live in different parts of God’s creation instead of simply remaining in one place. Fast forward to Pentecost, when God gives us a glimpse of the new creation. After Jesus died for our sins on the cross, rose from the grave, and ascended into heaven, the day of Pentecost came. The Holy Spirit was poured out, and each listener was able to hear the Apostle Peter preach in their own language. Because of this miraculous event, many people heard the gospel (or good news) and put their trust in Jesus. So, at Pentecost, God used the power of language to unite His people. Instead of the judgment, confusion, and division of Babel, God used the diversity of language to bring unity around salvation in Jesus. In other words, our salvation in Jesus Christ and our belief in Him is what unites us. In God’s kingdom, people from all different lands, cultures, and languages will unite in praise to Him. The stories of Babel and Pentecost demonstrate how God takes all things and works them for good and for His renewed kingdom (Romans 8:28-30). • Naomi Zylstra • Have you ever experienced a communication barrier due to language? What was that like? Have you ever imagined what it will be like when Jesus returns, and all God’s people will be able to understand each other effortlessly? • God delights in the great variety of languages and cultures in His creation—it’s a beautiful thing! What are some practical ways we can honor and enjoy our differences, especially within the body of Christ? (1 Corinthians 12:12-27) After this I saw a vast crowd, too great to count, from every nation and tribe and people and language, standing in front of the throne and before the Lamb...shouting with a great roar, “Salvation comes from our God who sits on the throne and from the Lamb!” Revelation 7:9-10 (NLT)