Keys for Kids - daily devotions and Bible stories for kids and families

Read: Psalm 19:1-6; Ephesians 2:8-10

“Come here, Mr. Wiggle Worm,” Peter said as he put an earthworm in a can. “Hey, Dad, are worms good for anything besides bird food and fish bait?”

“Yes,” said Dad. “They help the earth breathe.”

Peter laughed. “Like lungs?”

“Not exactly, but as worms burrow through the ground, they let fresh air through the soil. The more they eat and digest the soil, the better it is for growing things. God has a purpose for everything.”

“Well, I’m glad one purpose for worms is to make bait,” said Peter. “We’ll catch more fish that way! This will be enough, won’t it?” Dad nodded, and they headed to the lake.

That evening the family enjoyed fish for supper. “Yum!” Peter said as he took a bite. “Fishing was so much fun! I wish I could skip school and go fishing every day.”

Mom laughed. “Now that would be overdoing it a little.”

“Besides, you like school,” said Peter’s sister, Ann.

“Yeah, except science,” Peter said. “I don’t agree with some of the things Mrs. Moore says. She thinks the universe came about on its own, but the Bible says God created everything, right?”

“That’s right,” said Mom. “The Bible tells us that the beauty and complexity of nature points to God, who planned everything and makes it all work together.”

Dad nodded. “Even though sin has affected creation in deep ways, we can see the goodness of God in everything He made.”

“Like worms and how they help things grow?” Peter asked.

“Right,” said Dad. “The sun is another example of God’s goodness. It’s just the right distance away so we can live comfortably. And seasons follow one another in perfect order. Only God could have planned everything so well.”

“And He has a special plan for people too, right?” asked Ann.

“Yes, He does!” Mom replied. “Jesus came and died for the whole world, and one day He’ll return and make all creation new so it’s no longer affected by sin. And He has a purpose for everyone who trusts in Him—a plan for how He wants each one of us to be part of His kingdom on earth.”

Dad nodded. “Because of Jesus, all of creation—down to the smallest earthworm—has a purpose in the kingdom of God.”

–Harry C. Trover

How about you? Did you know that God is in charge of everything? He’s the one who created the whole universe and makes it all work together. Though the sin we brought into the world causes a lot of problems, it won’t be around forever. Jesus died and rose again to save the world from sin, and He has a purpose for everything—including you! Trust Him and His plan for your life. (To learn more, go to Have You Heard the Good News?)

Today’s key verse: For by [Jesus] all things were created…All things were created through Him and for Him. Colossians 1:16 (NKJV)

Today’s key thought: God created everything with a purpose

Read: Psalm 126:1-6

“I met a new friend today, Daddy. She gave me her peach!” Charity reported gleefully. She grabbed her dad’s hand as they walked to their new apartment from her bus stop.

“Your first day at a new school, and already a new friend? Awesome!” Daddy answered. “Tell me about your friend—and this peach.”

Charity skipped to keep up with Daddy’s long legs. “Slow down, Daddy, and I’ll tell you!” Immediately Daddy shortened his stride. “Her name’s Esther. She gets free lunch in the cafeteria like me! But Esther doesn’t like peaches. When I asked for the one on her tray, she gave it to me. I couldn’t let it go to waste!”

They climbed the steps to their apartment.

Daddy laughed. “I know you like canned peaches. We have a couple of cans from the food bank. That can be today’s snack.” Daddy opened the apartment door. “God answered two prayers for you today, Charity—for a good day at a new school, and for a friend.”

Charity took off her school shoes and exchanged them for soft slippers. “You told me when I gave my life to Jesus last year that I could talk to Him anytime, about anything. He heard me, Daddy!”

Daddy pulled out a can opener. “He also showed us something important with Esther’s peach.”

“He did?”

“Yep. Even though Esther doesn’t like peaches, you didn’t want good food to be wasted. Sometimes we go through hard times, and even though we don’t like those struggles, God isn’t willing to let them go to waste.”

“God wants us to struggle?” Charity sounded confused.

“No, but He brings good out of difficult times. Jesus went through the most difficult thing of all when He died on the cross, and He did that to do the best thing we could ever imagine—save us from sin and make us God’s children. And He promises to use hard things in our lives for good.”

“Like having to say goodbye to old friends and leaving our old neighborhood?” Charity asked.

Daddy nodded. “God understands how hard that is, and we can trust Him to bring something good out of it. Like today when He brought you a new friend.”

Charity smiled. “And something else!”

“What?” Daddy placed a bowl of juicy peaches on the table.

“More peaches!”

–Allison Wilson Lee

How about you? Have you ever gone through tough times and wondered why God let it happen? We don’t always get answers to our “why” questions, but we can trust God in hard situations. God loves His children, and He’s good to us. He won’t let our struggles go to waste. He’ll bring something good out of sad circumstances as we grow in trusting Him.

Today’s key verse: Those who sow with tears will reap with songs of joy. Psalm 126:5 (NIV)

Today’s key thought: God brings good from hard times

Read: Psalm 33:13-22

Devin looked at the house plan his mom was studying. “I still think you could remove the mudroom and make my bedroom bigger,” he said.

Mom smiled. “I think we’ll trust the designer’s plan. We’ll find something to do with that space.”

That afternoon, Devin’s shoulders slumped as he walked into the house. “I can’t believe my best friend moved. School’s not the same without Trav.”

Mom put down the flooring samples she was holding and gave Devin a hug. “I know it’s hard, Dev. Jesus knows it too, and He loves you and promises to be with you. We just have to trust that God has a plan and will use hard things in our lives for good.”

Devin didn’t see how any of this could be God’s plan.

At school the next day, Devin was trying to choose a spot to have lunch when he saw a table with just one kid at it. He walked to the table and looked at the girl who sat alone. He didn’t remember seeing her before. “Can I sit here?”

The girl looked up and smiled. “Sure. No one else wants to sit by the new kid.” Her smile went away. “No one even talks to me. It’s like no one sees me.”

Devin grabbed a chair. “I could use a friend too.”

At home, Devin was excited to tell his mom about Ashley. “If Trav was there, we wouldn’t have sat by a girl,” he said. “But she needed a friend. Maybe that was God’s plan, like you said. Maybe Trav had to go away so that Ashley wouldn’t feel lonely.”

Devin looked at the papers his mom was holding. She seemed to be making another tough decision between multiple options for the new house, but what were they?

Mom held up the papers. “Which crate do we want?”

“Crate?” Devin asked.

Mom nodded. “The mudroom in the floor plan got me thinking…what if we finally got that dog you’ve been wanting?”

“For real?” Devin jumped up and down.

“For real.” Mom put her arms around him. “And I’m proud of you for being a friend to Ashley. Once this plan is complete, maybe she can come meet your new pet.”

Devin grinned. Maybe he could trust both floor plans and God’s plans.

–Emily Acker

How about you? Have you ever had something happen in your life that made you wonder if God really cares about you? We all go through difficult things in life, but God can use them to work out His good plan in ways we couldn’t imagine. When life is hard, remember that Jesus understands what you’re going through and promises to be with you. Then trust Him to work out the plan He has for your life.

Today’s key verse: Those who know your name trust in you, for you, Lord, have never forsaken those who seek you. Psalm 9:10 (NIV)

Today’s key thought: You can always trust God’s plan

Read: Matthew 4:1-11

“I’ll probably fail our math test today,” Carter told Lucy as they walked to school. “I’m really bad at multiplication.”

“Yeah, me too,” said Lucy. “But I’m not going to fail. Want to know why?” She slid a card from under the cuff of her sleeve. “See? The multiplication tables are all right here!” She grinned. “I’ve got an extra card. Want it?” She pulled a card from her pocket and offered it to Carter.

“That’s cheating,” Carter said.

“What’s worse, cheating or failing?” asked Lucy.

Carter took the card and looked at it. It would be so easy to cheat! he thought. My desk is near the back of the room, and Mr. Collins hardly ever walks around when we have a test. But… “I’m not going to do it,” he said, handing the card back to Lucy. “I don’t think you should either. It’s not right.”

Lucy rolled her eyes. “You are dumb,” she replied, “and not just in math!”

At the end of the day, Carter hurried home. “How was school today?” his mother asked.

“Okay,” Carter replied. “But I don’t know if I passed my math test. I hope so!”

“Well, if you studied and did your best, don’t worry about it,” said Mom. “Did anything good happen today?”

“Well…” Carter hesitated. “This is gonna sound weird, but I actually felt good about taking the test. I had a chance to cheat, but I didn’t. I knew it’d be wrong and that Jesus wouldn’t want me to do it. So I decided to trust Him with my test and do the right thing.”

“Good for you!” Mom said. “No matter what grade you get on your math test, you definitely passed one test today. You were tempted to do something wrong, but you didn’t. That kind of test is really hard to pass sometimes. Jesus faced tests like that when He was on earth, and He passed every single one in order to save us. We can pass them too when we depend on Him to help us resist temptation—and even when we do give in, He’ll always forgive us since He paid for all our sins on the cross.”

Carter grinned. “I’ll remember that tomorrow when I take my history test!”

–Douglas G. DeVries

How about you? Do people sometimes encourage you to do things that are wrong? It can be hard to resist, especially when others make fun of you for it. But you don’t have to give in. Jesus always passed tests of temptation, and He’ll help you pass them too. And when you do give in, you can always go to Him for forgiveness. Trust Him to give you the wisdom and courage to do what is right.

Today’s key verse: God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. 1 Corinthians 10:13 (NIV)

Today’s key thought: Resist temptation

Read: Romans 12:9-15

“What’s wrong, Elijah?” Mom asked as Elijah got in the car.

Elijah sighed. “Mrs. Lewis told our class that Henry won’t be in school for a few days. His dad had a heart attack and died early this morning.”

Mom gasped. “Oh no! That’s awful.”

Elijah nodded. “Principal Brown came and told us he went to Henry’s house this morning. He said Henry and his mom and little brother are very sad. Then he and Mrs. Lewis let us ask questions and talk for a while.” Elijah paused. “Mom, why did this happen? What are they going to do?”

Mom shook her head. “I don’t know. Is there something you want to do for them now?”

“I want to see Henry. He’s my best friend. Can we go to their house?”

“Okay, but first let’s make a meal for them,” Mom said.

Elijah and his mom made a pot of sloppy joes and put the whole meal in a basket. In the car, Elijah said, “Mom, let’s pray for Henry and his family.” Mom stopped the car at the end of the driveway, and they prayed for God to help the family. Elijah also asked Jesus to give him words to comfort his friend.

Henry greeted them at the door.

“We brought you dinner,” Elijah said, and he carried the basket to the kitchen.

Elijah and Henry slipped out to the porch while their moms talked in the house.

“Henry, I’m so sorry. What can I do?”

“I don’t even know. I miss Dad so much already.” Henry covered his face, wiping away tears. “When Mom said something was wrong this morning, I prayed Dad would be okay. Now I don’t know what’s going to happen to us.”

“I don’t know what’s going to happen either, but I do know that Jesus loves you and will be with you through all of this. He understands how hard it is, and you always have hope in Him.” Elijah put a hand on his friend’s shaking shoulder. “I’ll be here for you too. Let me know if there’s anything I can do. I’ll be praying for you and your family.”

Henry closed his eyes and took a deep breath. “Thanks, Elijah.”

–Lynda Boucher

How about you? Do you have a friend who is hurting? Perhaps someone they love has died or they’re facing a difficult situation. Things like that can really hurt a person’s heart, and they need the love and support of their friends. Help them in whatever ways you can, and let them know you’re praying for them. Even though you won’t have all the answers, you can remind them of the hope they have in Jesus.

Today’s key verse: Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. Galatians 6:2 (NKJV)

Today’s key thought: Help friends who are hurting