I can do all this by the power of Christ. He gives me strength

– Philippians 4:13 (NIrV)

Have you ever carried a backpack to school? Depending on how much stuff was inside, you were probably glad to set it down. But imagine if you had to carry it around all day, everywhere you went. What if you even had to sleep with it?

Now you know how a camel must feel. They carry a backpack with them everywhere they go. It’s called a hump. In fact, some camels have two! 

However, camels don’t seem to mind toting that hump around because what’s inside it is what helps them survive when things get rough.  

You see, when camels eat, they store fat in their humps. Then, when they are traveling in the desert, where there’s not much to eat or drink, their bodies turn that fat into the food and water they need.

What’s inside them gives them the strength to keep going no matter what. 

The same thing is true for friends of God. We don’t have a hump full of food, though. We have something even better. A heart filled with the Holy Spirit!

The Holy Spirit is God who comes to live inside us when we begin following Jesus. He can help us to be content and keep praising and serving God even on our worst days.  

Throughout this school year you’ll face plenty of ups and downs. Some days you may ace a test, laugh with friends, get along with your teacher and be on the winning team. Other days you may flunk a test, fight with friends, get in trouble in class and lose the big game.

Those hard days may feel like you’re in a desert, but if we trust in Jesus, He will give us what we need to not just survive but thrive!  

A friend of Jesus named Paul said,” I have learned the secret of being content no matter what happens” (Philippians 4:12, NIrV). What was Paul’s secret of being content? 

“I can do all this by the power of Christ. He gives me strength” ( Philippians 4:13, NIrV). Jesus will give you strength too if you turn to Him, ask for His help and learn to trust Him no matter what.

Prayer:

God, thank You for helping me on my best days and on my worst. Please help me to be content and keep following You even when life is tough. Amen.

Talk About It:

1. What are you excited about for this next school year? Is there anything you’re worried about or something that makes you nervous or afraid? Can you think of some hard days when God has helped with in the past?  Do you think we can trust the same God with our future?
2. What are some things we can do to stay close to Jesus and learn to trust Him on good days and bad days? (Read the Bible, worship, pray, spend time with other friends of Jesus, write down or a draw a picture of some of the times God has helped you in the past).

This is part one of a four-part series of back-to-school devotions. Sign up for Jason’s True Tale Trail newsletter to catch the rest of the series.

Check out another back-to-school devotion, Keep Your Eyes on Jesus.

Download the coloring sheet here.

Bible Verse: Let us keep looking to Jesus. – Hebrews 12:2a (NIrV)

It’s hard to believe, but back-to-school season is here!  Whether you go to public school, private school, home school or whatever school, school is a big deal because we spend so much time doing it. How do you feel about school this fall? Are you excited? Nervous?  Worried? Scared? Happy? Sad? Or maybe you’re somewhere in between all of those!  

Whatever you’re feeling about school this year, God wants you to remember that you’re not in it alone. He is with you and wants you to keep your eyes on Him no matter what happens.  

It’s kind of like the time Jesus’ friends ended up on a lake on a windy night. The Bible says the boat was, “being pounded by the waves because the wind was blowing against it” (Matthew 14:24 NIrV).  That had to be pretty scary.  But then, things got even scarier. Just before dawn, the disciples looked up and saw someone walking near them on top of the water!

“‘It’s a ghost!’ they said. And they cried out in fear” (verse 26).

But it wasn’t a ghost. It was Jesus!  When Jesus’ friend Peter saw him, he said, “Lord is it you? If it is, tell me to come to you on the water” (verse 28). Then Jesus gave Peter the ability to walk on the water too. How cool is that?  

However, once Peter got out of the boat, he saw the wind and waves and panicked. He took his eyes off of Jesus, and that’s when he began to sink. Jesus rushed in and saved him and when they got in the boat, the wind stopped! Everyone in the boat was amazed. They worshiped Jesus and said, “You really are the Son of God!” (verse 33).

As you go into your school year, you’ll probably face some wind and waves. Maybe it will be some tough schoolwork, a hard friend situation or something going on in your family life. We can’t control those things.  

But the good news is there is something we can control. We can choose to look at the waves or we can choose to keep our eyes on Jesus. We can choose worry or we can choose worship. When we choose to worship, it won’t make all of our worries go away but it will remind us that God is big enough to help us through any challenge we face.

When we keep our eyes on Jesus, He can do amazing things in our lives even in the middle of a storm. He did it for His friend Peter and He can do it for you!

Prayer: Jesus, thank You for being with me no matter what. Help me to have a great school year following You. When I’m tempted to worry, help me to worship You instead. I love You. Amen.

More Devotions

Sign up for Jason’s True Tale Trail newsletter for more family devotions, Bible podcast episodes, activity pages and more to help kids follow Jesus every day.

Check out these fun animal-themed back-to-school devotions:

Content as a Camel

Prepared as a Squirrel