55.Pre – Devotion

Have you ever had a very bad day? Maybe nothing went your way. Maybe you got into a big fight with a friend. After that, maybe you got in trouble for something you didn’t do. And then everyone turned his or her back on you, and you got bullied by a big group.

Jesus had a day like that—but it was even worse. He was sad and needed His friends, but they fell asleep. Then, a big group of soldiers and leaders found Him and bullied Him. He was arrested, even though He’d done nothing wrong. He was put on trial, and everything was unfair. His closest friends ran away or denied that they even knew Him.

Can you imagine? What a very bad day! But it gets even worse. In the next lesson, you’ll learn that Jesus even died. So why, then, do we call it Good Friday? Jesus was having a very bad day, but EVERYTHING was going His way. This was the plan. Jesus knew what would happen to Him, and He willingly went through all of it so we wouldn’t have to.

Our sin separates us from God. Because of sin, we deserve a terrible death with no hope. But since Jesus died in our place, we don’t have to be afraid of death. Jesus promises that all who believe in Him will live forever, even after death! All of our sins are paid for because Jesus was willing to suffer and let all those bad things happen to Him. Someday, Jesus will come again and make all things new. Then, we will never have another bad day again!

  1. Think about a bad day you’ve had. What made it better?
  2. Why was Jesus willing to have such bad days for us?
  3. Knowing that Jesus conquered all bad things, including death, what does that mean for your days ahead?

Let’s pray:

Dear Jesus, thank You for loving me so much that You were willing to suffer and die for me. Thank You for rising from the dead and for promising to make everything perfect again someday. Remind me that even on my bad days, You are with me, and You love me. In Your name I pray. Amen.