Read: Matthew 7:7-11

Snow was starting to fall from the sky as Nick looked out his bedroom window, and he let out a sigh of frustration. His cousins were supposed to come that weekend, but if the roads were snowy and slippery, they wouldn’t be able to make it.

Nick missed his cousins and looked forward to their visits a few times each year. He had all kinds of plans for when they arrived, and he even had their sleeping bags already set up in his room.

Nick turned from the window and went downstairs, where his parents had the TV on. “Is it going to be a bad storm?” he asked as the weatherman talked away on the screen.

“We’re not sure yet.” Dad got up. “Help me make some hot chocolate?”

Nick wasn’t really in the mood for hot chocolate even though it was one of his favorite treats, but he followed his dad to the kitchen.

“Hey, don’t look so down,” Dad said as he filled the tea kettle with water. “The roads might be clear enough by morning. We can pray that they will be.”

Nick pulled his favorite mug from the cupboard. “Do you think God cares about this?”

Dad set the tea kettle on the stove and turned to him with raised brows. “Do I think so? I know so. The Bible tells us over and over again how much God cares about us. He loves us so much that He sent Jesus to save us so we could start a new life with Him, and that means He cares about every worry or problem we have.”

“So He doesn’t think it’s weird if we ask for the roads to be clear?” Nick asked.

“Not at all,” Dad said. “The Bible says God knows what you need even before you ask Him. He always knows what’s on your heart and mind and wants to help you.”

Dad tossed Nick a bag of marshmallows. “That doesn’t mean the roads will for sure be clear tomorrow. Sometimes He doesn’t answer our prayers the way we ask or expect. But we can always talk to Him about anything that’s on our minds and ask for His help.”

“Okay.” Nick set the marshmallows down and folded his hands. “I’m going to ask right now.”

–Bethany Acker

How about you? When you start to worry about things, do you think to pray? God cares about everything that’s happening in your life—even the “small” things. He knows what you need even before you ask Him for help. He may not always answer your prayers the way you want, but He promises to be with you and help you. Tell Him what’s on your mind, no matter how small it seems.

Today's Key Verse: Your Father knows what you need before you ask him. Matthew 6:8 (NIV)

Today's Key Thought: Pray about anything on your mind

Read: Psalm 139:1-12; John 10:11-15

“I shouldn’t have let you see my test paper,” Teo said as he and his friend Joel rode the bus home after school. “I think I should tell Mr. Grant I cheated.”

“Why would you do that?” asked Joel. “You didn’t cheat. I did.”

“But I helped you,” said Teo, “so I cheated too.”

“We’ll never do it again, so nobody will know,” said Joel. “Nobody saw us.”

“God did,” said Teo. “He sees everything.”

“You mean God spies on us?” Joel asked.

“No, but He sees what we do. It’s more like, well…” Teo sighed, not sure how to explain what he meant.

That evening Joel went with Teo’s family to a basketball game in another town. On the way home, they met a car on a two-lane country road. Teo’s dad squinted. “That guy should dim his lights,” he said. “They’re blinding me!”

“Look out!” Mom exclaimed. “There’s a—”

The brakes squealed and the car swerved, then stopped with a thud. A sheep had wandered into the road through a broken fence, but nobody was hurt—not even the sheep. The car had hit a fencepost but wasn’t badly damaged.

“Well, that was exciting,” Joel said when they dropped him off a couple hours later. “It’s lucky nobody got hurt.”

“It was more than luck,” Teo’s mom said. “God was watching over us.”

“That’s it!” said Teo. “That’s what I meant earlier today. God watches us to protect us, not just to catch us doing something bad.”

Dad nodded. “The Bible says Jesus watches those who trust in Him like a Shepherd watching over His sheep. He takes care of us, and when we wander away from Him and do things that are wrong, He offers us forgiveness.”

Joel found Teo at school the next morning. “I’ve been thinking,” he said, “and, well, if you still want to tell Mr. Grant about the test, I’ll go with you.” He sighed. “Do you think God will see us do that too?”

“He sure will!” said Teo. “And if we tell Him we’re sorry for cheating, He’ll forgive us.”

–Barbara J. Westberg

How about you? Did you know that God always sees you? Nothing you do—good or bad—is hidden from Him. He knows we all sin by doing things that are wrong. That’s why Jesus died for our sins—so we could be forgiven. If you’ve done something wrong, confess it to Him and accept His forgiveness. Then trust Him to watch over you as your Good Shepherd.

Today's Key Verse: The eyes of the Lord are everywhere, keeping watch on the wicked and the good. Proverbs 15:3 (NIV)

Today's Key Thought: God sees everything

Read: Revelation 21:1-5

Luke peered out the van’s window as his dad drove down the cemetery’s narrow path past rows and rows of small gray tombstones. Snow and ice covered the ground from the last winter storm. When they reached the last row of tombstones, Dad pulled to the side of the road and turned off the engine. They all got out of the van, and Mom opened the back door and pulled out a colorful cross made of purple flowers. Purple had been Luke’s grandma’s favorite color.

Luke pulled his hood tightly around his head as he and his parents walked slowly down the row of graves. He counted the tombstones as they passed each one. He knew his grandma’s grave was the seventh in the row. When they reached it, the family stopped and read the inscription once again: Beloved wife, mother, and grandmother.

They stood silently for a moment as a bitter wind pierced the air. Then Luke spoke up. “It’s so sad and depressing coming out here.” He looked around the cemetery and shivered. “Just thinking about how many dead people are buried in these graves gives me chills.”

Dad put his arm around Luke. “I know, buddy. But we know the grave’s not the end. We have hope for eternal life. Jesus said He is the resurrection and the life and that anyone who believes in Him will live forever.”

Mom nodded. “Grandma trusted Jesus as her Savior, so she is with Him now. Even though our physical bodies die, Jesus promises to always be with those who trust in Him—even in death. After we die, we go to be with Him, and one day He will give us new bodies that will never die.”

Dad gave Luke a pat on the shoulder. “Nothing beats that hope.”

“Do you want to put the flowers on Grandma’s grave?” Mom asked, holding out the flowered cross.

Luke took the cross and stooped down beside his grandmother’s tombstone. He pushed the stake down firmly into the ground. As he started to stand up, he noticed something green behind the grave. A few blades of grass were poking up out of the snow. There in the cemetery, out of the deadness of winter, the new life of spring was on its way.

–Vanessa Small

How about you? Do you know someone who has died? Are you afraid of dying yourself? Death can be a difficult reality to face, but those who trust in Jesus have hope beyond the grave. If you don’t know Jesus as your Savior, you can trust in Him today. (To learn more, go to Have You Heard the Good News?) If you do know Him, share the hope you have with others so they can have eternal life with Jesus too.

Today's Key Verse: Jesus told her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Anyone who believes in me will live, even after dying.” John 11:25 (NLT)

Today's Key Thought: Christians have hope for eternal life