Lost and Found

Unlocked: Daily Devotions for Teens

READ: PSALMS 32:8; 91:15; 119:105; PHILIPPIANS 4:6-7

Imagine for a moment you’re in a car, driving. On and on you go, but soon you realize you’re absolutely, hopelessly lost. The narrow, dead-straight country road stretches out before you with no chance to turn to the left or the right. Should you turn around and go back? You pull over and haul out your phone to use the GPS. It doesn’t work. What should you do? You’re in the middle of nowhere, and you have no idea which way to go. Is this the right way? How far can you go before you run out of fuel? There’s nothing to do but go on. Surely if you keep going you’ll eventually get somewhere.

So you continue, trying to stay calm. The sun begins to sink lower and lower in front of you until it’s dark. Pitch dark. You can’t even make out the shapes of the trees as you pass them anymore, can’t even see the lines on the road in front of you. You moisten your dry lips and try to swallow the growing lump of panic rising in your throat. What if you never get home again? The silence grows oppressive. If only there was a light somewhere, if only you had someone with you! And yet, it’s dark, and you’re completely alone.

But wait, aren’t you forgetting something? Why don’t you switch on the headlights? With a sigh of relief, you turn on the lights. Now you can see where you are! A thought suddenly strikes you—you may not be able to use your phone for a map, but you might have enough service to call your dad! You pull over to the side of the road, whip out your phone again, and call him. Before long, with help from your dad and those headlights, you manage to get home.

Driving alone without lights on a dark road sounds pretty terrifying, right? Yet so often that’s what we try to do with our lives. Psalm 119:105 tells us that the Word of God is a lamp to our feet and a light to our path. God wants to light our way! Jesus is the Light of the World, and whoever puts their trust in Him becomes God’s child (John 1:1-14; 8:12). We can always call upon the Lord, our Father, and He will answer us and guide us safely home. • Renata Hornshaw

• Life in our broken world can be difficult and confusing, but we never have to navigate it alone. God is with us, and He is eager to help us and guide us through His Spirit, His Word (the Bible), and His people (the church). In what ways do you need God’s help and guidance today?

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)