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

Read: Matthew 14:25-31

Jonah climbed up the playset at the park close to his family’s apartment. Sirens wailed as he settled at the top and looked at the city around him.

“Come on, Lydia.” Jonah offered his hand to his little sister. “It’s really cool once you get all the way up here.”

“It’s scary.” Lydia shook her head and started to go backwards down the ladder. “I’m going to stay on the ground by Nana.”

Jonah looked to where their grandma sat on a bench, taking a work call on her phone. She was busy, and he knew Lydia wouldn’t have any fun if she chose to sit by her instead of playing with him.

“I won’t let you fall,” Jonah said. “I’ll make sure you’re safe.”

“Okay.” Lydia started to climb up again.

A gust of wind blew across the park, and Lydia’s eyes grew wide. “It’s windy. I’m scared.” She went back down to the ground and hugged herself tight. “You should come down too.”

Jonah moved to the slide and slid down, then walked over to his sister and put his arms around her. “Do you remember the story of Peter in the Bible?”

“He walked on water,” Lydia said.

Jonah nodded. “But as soon as the wind blew, he got scared. He began to sink, and Jesus caught him. I’m not Jesus, but I’ll look out for you, Lydia. That wind isn’t going to blow you down. We’ll be safe.”

“We can all be like Peter sometimes,” Grandma said, coming up beside them. “I trust God to take care of you two and your mom, but as soon as I hear about anything bad happening here in the city, I worry about the three of you living alone. The wind and other scary things can make all of us doubt. But Jesus is still with us in those times. He died to give us eternal life with Him, and we can trust Him to be with us no matter what.”

Grandma put a hand on Lydia’s shoulder. “I bet you can see pretty far from the top. Why don’t you climb up with Jonah and try it out?”

Jonah hurried to move up the ladder. “Come on, Peter,” he said. “If you get scared, I’ll reach out and hold your hand, just like Jesus did.”

–Emily Acker

How about you? Do you trust God even when things start to get a little scary? Or do you start to have doubts? Bad things happen sometimes, but Jesus promises to be with you when they do. Even when your faith falters, He is there to catch you and hold you up. He gave His life to save you, and He won’t ever abandon you. When you feel scared because of what’s going on around you, trust Him.

Today’s key verse: Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. “You of little faith,” he said, “why did you doubt?” Matthew 14:31 (NIV)

Today’s key thought: Trust God when you’re scared

Read: Matthew 5:14-16; John 8:12; 15:7-8

Jayce and Caleb grabbed their flashlights and headed outside for a game of flashlight freeze tag.

Caleb moved among the shadows, silently sneaking up on friends and tapping them, freezing them in their spots. “Rats,” Chloe said. “I didn’t see or hear you, Caleb.” Chloe waited for a flashlight beacon to find her, unfreezing her to move again.

Caleb had gone off to tag others. Then his flashlight quit. He flicked it off and on, off and on. Nothing happened. That’s when Chloe tapped him on the back. “Gotcha, Caleb. You’re frozen.”

After Chloe ran off, Caleb’s voice filled the darkness. “Jayce, help! I’m frozen. My batteries are dead. And look out for Chloe!”

“Good thing I always have extras,” said his brother. He touched Caleb with a beam of light and handed him more batteries.

“Thanks, Jayce.” Unfrozen and with a flashlight that worked, Caleb quietly disappeared into the darkness.

Later, the boys recapped their night. “Hey, I just thought of something,” said Caleb. “Remember the verse we learned in church—‘Let your light shine before others’? I didn’t really understand what that meant, but I think I get it now.”

“How so?” asked Jayce.

“When we were tagged, we were frozen, stuck in the dark until someone touched us with a flashlight beam. Well, Jesus is our flashlight. His light shines on us when we trust in Him, and we’re unfrozen from all our sinfulness. We’re free to move and think in new ways. We’re not wandering around in the dark because Jesus gives us the Holy Spirit, who guides us by shining His light in our lives. And we can be a light for others.”

“I never thought about it like that, but yeah, you’re right,” said Jayce. “When your batteries died, you were stuck in the dark and couldn’t see. That’s what sin does to us. We need Jesus to unfreeze us and fill us with His light. Then we’re able to move and see clearly, and we can run to others and shine His light on them. Through our actions, they can see Him too. We’re like flashlights that shine Jesus’s light!”

“Yeah, our batteries may fail us, but Jesus never will,” said Caleb. “He’s an endless source of light.”

–Helen K. Dening

How about you? Do you feel like you’re stuck in the dark? Or like you’re in an endless game of freeze tag and you’re frozen in place? Sin keeps us in the dark, unable to move or do anything good. When we trust in Jesus, He frees us from sin and fills us with His light. (To learn more, go to Have You Heard the Good News?) Then we’re able to see and move so we can shine His light on others.

Today’s key verse: Let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven. Matthew 5:16 (NIV)

Today’s key thought: Jesus is our light

Read: Deuteronomy 31:1-8

“Incoming!” Kason ran at top speed and jumped off a stump into a pile of freshly raked leaves.

Grandpa leaned on his rake and laughed as Kason peeked at him from the center of the pile, where only the top of his head and eyes were visible. “Thanks for helping me today, kiddo! You deserve a nice jump or five!”

“Come on, Grandpa!”

Grandpa strolled over to the leaf pile and fell backward beside Kason. “Just as comfy as I remember,” Grandpa joked. Kason and Grandpa lay in the leaves facing the sky as the wind picked up. Several colorful leaves pulled free from tree branches and descended in spirals, twirls, and lazy drifts.

“I wish you didn’t have to leave,” Kason said softly.

“Me too, Kason. You know I’ll visit you as often as possible—and of course, you can visit me anytime!”

“Yeah, but it won’t be the same.” Kason sighed deeply. “Everyone leaves.”

“Sometimes it feels like that,” Grandpa agreed. “But don’t forget there is someone who never leaves.”

“Jesus?”

“You said it, kiddo! Throughout the Bible, God continually showed His people that He was near them. When Moses was nearing the end of his life, Joshua was preparing to take over leading the people of Israel into the promised land. Moses reminded Joshua twice that he didn’t have to be afraid because God would never leave him.”

“I bet Joshua was sad and maybe scared because Moses wasn’t going to be there anymore,” Kason mused.

“Maybe that’s why Moses told him twice that God wouldn’t leave him.”

Grandpa nodded. “Sometimes I have to remind myself of God’s promises over and over when I’m feeling anxious or sad too. But like Joshua, we can trust God’s promise to never leave us. Jesus died for our sins to give us eternal life with Him, and He is always with us.”

Kason reached out and caught a falling leaf, handing it to Grandpa. “I’ve got an idea, Grandpa. Let’s each write ‘Jesus Never Leaves’ on a leaf and keep it. When we start missing each other, we can look at it and remember God’s promise!”

“Jesus never leaves.” Grandpa winked, waving the leaf in Kason’s face. “Clever! Wonder who you get that from?”

–Savannah Coleman

How about you? Do you ever feel like lots of people leave you? Maybe you had to move, a friend decided to stop talking to you, your parents got a divorce, or someone you love died. People leaving us can bring sorrow and loneliness. But there’s good news: Jesus never leaves! He gave His life to save us and promises to always be with us. We can be strong and courageous, knowing God is with us wherever we go.

Today’s key verse: Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go. Joshua 1:9 (NIV)

Today’s key thought: Jesus never leaves

Read: Galatians 3:26; Ephesians 1:3-6; 1 John 3:1-2

Mai sat quietly at the dinner table, poking at her rice with her chopsticks. Usually she loved dinner—especially when her dad made his special noodle stir-fry—but tonight, nothing tasted good.

“Mai, sweetheart, you’ve barely touched your food. Is everything all right?” Mum asked.

Mai’s chest tightened. “I don’t want to do the presentation about Japan,” she blurted, tears stinging her eyes. “I don’t even like my culture!”

Her parents exchanged a worried glance. Before either could speak, Mai pushed back her chair and ran to her room.

A few minutes later, there was a soft knock on her bedroom door. “May I come in?” her mum asked gently.

Mai sniffled but nodded. Her mum sat beside her on the bed. “What’s really bothering you?” she asked.

Mai hesitated. “I don’t look like you and Dad,” she finally admitted. “Everyone will think it’s weird. You both have blonde hair and blue eyes, and I have black hair and dark eyes. I look different because I’m adopted!”

Mum smiled and tucked a strand of Mai’s hair behind her ear. “You know, Mai, we are different in some ways,” she said, “but do you know what you and your dad and I have in common?” Mai shook her head. “We’re all adopted,” her mum said.

Mai blinked in surprise. “We are?”

“When Jesus died on the cross, He made a way for us to become God’s children,” Mum explained. “No matter where we’re from, what we look like, He says, ‘You are My child, and I love you.’”

Mai frowned. “So…God adopted me too?”

“Yes. He chose you before you were born, and when you put your faith in Jesus, you became His child. And He loves you more than you could ever imagine. One day, Jesus is coming back to take all God’s children home. And you, my sweet girl, are part of that forever family.”

Mai wiped her eyes. “Mum,” she said, “can you tell me everything about Japan? I want to know where I come from.”

Mum’s face lit up. “I’d love to.” And as they sat together, sharing stories and memories, Mai felt grateful to be part of God’s big, wonderful family.

–Esther Espinoza

How about you? Did you know that God loves you so much He sent His Son, Jesus, to die for you and make you His child? If you’ve put your faith in Him, you’re part of God’s big family. No matter who you are or where you’re from, God says, “You are Mine!” He is always with you, and one day Jesus will come back and all God’s children will live with Him forever!

Today’s key verse: God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. Ephesians 1:5 (NLT)

Today’s key thought: God our Father adopted us

Read: Psalm 78:34-39; Ephesians 4:26-32

“Stop following me around, Diego!” Santos yelled at his little brother.

“But I want to be with you,” Diego said tearfully.

“I don’t care! I’m tired of you following me everywhere!” Santos said as he stormed out of the house.

Later that day, Santos went inside to get a snack. “What are you doing?” he asked when he found his dad under the kitchen sink.

Dad crawled out from under the sink and fumbled around in his toolbox. “Oh, the faucet is leaking again, and I’m trying to fix it. Ever since it started leaking, I just can’t seem to get it to stop! I may have to call in a professional.” Dad sighed, somewhat discouraged, then went back to work as Santos continued to look for something to eat.

A few minutes later, Dad gave up trying to fix the faucet and sat down at the table. “You know, we can be like that faucet sometimes,” he said.

Santos looked confused. “What do you mean?”

“When we get angry with someone and respond to them harshly, it’s a lot like water dripping from a leak. Once it gets started, it’s hard to mend. The faucet was never the same after I tried to fix it, just like our feelings toward one another are never quite the same when we try to fix them ourselves. We need to call in a professional!”

“A professional? Like who?” Santos asked.

“Jesus!” Dad answered. “We need to call on Him to fix the leak in our relationships. The only way to stop anger from leaking out of our hearts and hurting others is for Him to replace it with His love. We need to remember how much He loves us and then trust Him to help us respond to others with love and forgiveness instead of anger.”

Santos thought about how he had yelled at his little brother earlier that day. “I think I need to ask Jesus to fix a leak in my heart and then go apologize to Diego.”

Dad smiled. “I think that’s a good idea. While you do that, I’m going to call a plumber!”

–Elena Ketner

How about you? Do you have a leak in a relationship that you just can’t seem to fix? Do mean, angry words spurt out of your mouth when you get upset? You can’t fix that leak on your own—you need a professional. Jesus is the only one who can fix the angry leak in your heart. Trust Him to help you love others the way He loves you so you can respond to them with kindness and forgiveness instead of anger.

Today’s key verse: A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger. Proverbs 15:1 (NKJV)

Today’s key thought: God’s love can fix relationships