Always There

Bible Reading: Psalm 34:14-17

Editor’s note: This story may not be suitable for young children.

“Dathan!” whispered Miles. “Put this in your pocket. Quick!” He held out a small bottle.

Dathan looked at the bottle, then at his older cousin. “This is alcohol! We can’t buy this.”

“We’re not gonna buy it,” Miles replied. “Come on, hurry up—nobody’s watching.”

Dathan hesitated. “God is,” he replied.

“Don’t start preaching,” said Miles. “Now put this in your pocket before you make me mad!”

Dathan didn’t know his cousin very well, but he wouldn’t put it past Miles to hurt him if he didn’t do as he was told. He took a deep breath. “No!” he said as he backed farther down the aisle. “Dear Jesus, please help me,” he murmured, unaware that Miles could hear him.

Miles got angry. “Don’t start praying either. It won’t do you any good.” He glared at Dathan and grabbed for him, but Dathan dodged, knocking over a stack of paper towels. “Let’s get out of here!” Miles said as towels rolled everywhere. He put the bottle on a nearby shelf and turned to leave.

Just then Dathan heard a familiar voice. “Hey there,” said Dad. “Mom forgot to put bread on your list, so she sent me to get it.” He grinned. “Come on. You can ride home with me.”

Later that night, Dathan told his dad what had happened. Dad sighed and gave him a hug. “I’m so sorry you had to go through that, buddy. Your mom and I would never have intentionally put you in a situation like that. Miles is having a lot of problems right now, which is why his parents thought it’d be good for him to live with us for a while, but I didn’t realize how bad things were. We’re going to have to look into getting him some help.”

Dathan nodded. “It was scary—I thought he was going to hurt me. But I talked to Jesus the whole time, and I knew He was with me.”

“He’s with you even when things don’t go as well,” Dad said. “We won’t send you anywhere alone with Miles from now on, and if anything like that ever happens again, find an adult as soon as you can. But I’m so proud of the way you turned to God in the midst of a scary situation.” – A. W. Smith

How About You?

Has someone ever tried to force you to do something wrong? Even if there’s nobody else around, Jesus is always there. Call out to Him when you’re afraid, and trust Him to give you courage even in the hardest situation. If someone tries to get you to sin or threatens to hurt you, tell a trusted adult right away, and remember that Jesus is always with you, no matter what happens.

Today’s Key Verse: Psalm 34:15 The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and His ears are open to their cry.

Today’s Key Thought:

Jesus is always with you