3 Devotionals for Teens (or Families with Teens)

High school students are busy people! How much more important to encourage these young people during such a busy season to keep up the habit of regularly seeking the Lord. These devotionals for teens are not all specifically for “teens,” but all are accessible to teens, all are grounded in God’s Word, and all have merit. Bonus: all are short, but meaty.

*New Morning Mercies for Teens: A Daily Gospel Devotional by Paul David Tripp. Crossway, 2024, 416 pages.

Reading Level: Teens, ages 12 and up

Recommended for: Teens, ages 12 and up

Tripp’s New Morning Mercies was fabulous, and he’s back with a version just for teens. Like his book for adults, New Morning Mercies for Teens begins with the date at the top, followed by a short saying summing up the devotional’s theme, and then several paragraphs of devotional content. Each day ends with a reflection question (but there is no journal space). Devotionals center around a primary Scripture passage, and, as is typical with Tripp, are thoroughly gospel-centered. Tripp doesn’t talk down to his audience, but his examples and exhortations are specifically relevant for teens. A Q&A section at the end of the book covers everything from Bible reading to gender identity to sex and marriage to phone usage. Devotionals tend to be less specific and focus on discouragement, faith, worship, and similar topics. Highly recommended.

*In the Lord I Take Refuge: 150 Daily Devotions Through the Psalms by Dane Ortlund. Crossway, 2021. 416 pages.

Reading Level: Teens, ages 12 and up

Recommended for: Teens, ages 12 and up

The Psalms are perennial sources of devotional content for God’s people. A typical school year is 180 days. Allowing for a few days off here and there for sickness or vacation or just a busy day, this volume contains enough devotions to work for an entire school year. Since the Psalms contain such a wealth of human experience and emotion, they are perfect for teenagers who are also experiencing a wealth of experiences and emotion. And, in a world fraught with bad news everywhere, a tense election year, and ever present, anxiety-inducing social media, what better book of the Bible to meditate on than the Psalms? Over and over again, the psalmists remind God’s people to look to Him and not their circumstances. To look to God for strength, refuge, and sustenance.

Each day’s reading includes an entire Psalm followed by a few paragraphs of devotional content related to the Psalm. For those familiar with Ryken’s Soul in Paraphrase, the format is quite similar. Additionally, this book is beautiful physically, with quality binding and paper feel (this can help us take a volume like this a little more seriously!).

*Be Thou My Vision: A Liturgy for Daily Worship by Jonathan Gibson. Crossway, 2021. 352 pages.

Reading Level: Teens, ages 12 and up

Recommended for: Teens, ages 12 and up

The advice to pray regularly and often can feel easier said than done, especially for busy teens. And a book that includes more to pray than they might be used to might feel like an added burden. However, this lovely volume (and the physical copy is indeed lovely) is an excellent aid to praying more regularly precisely because it does provide suggestions for prayer and even specific prayers to pray.

Gibson’s book is designed to aid believers in their individual or family worship time: to help them move past basic supplication prayers and into adoration, confession, and thanksgiving. A month of liturgies is included with appendices in the back for daily Bible reading and readings from Reformed catechisms. Some content is repeated once/week; some is repeated once/month; and some is different every day (such as the Bible reading). I appreciate that the source of the creeds, prayers, and other liturgical elements is included. It’s helpful to know that a certain portion came from a book of the Bible, or perhaps a figure from church history such as Anselm.

This book isn’t directed to teens, but it could certainly work for older teens who are anxious to deepen their devotional habits. It’s an excellent resource for families with teens who want to enrich (or start) a family worship time.

*indicates starred reviews

Also at Redeemed Reader:

• Review: Brave and Bold by Marty Machowski: draws on Machowski’s knowledge of Scripture and experience in the Army to firmly call young men to integrity and excellence.
• Review: Get Your Story Straight by Kristen Hatton: a straightforward devotional guide that invites teens to study the story of Scripture, focusing the real hero of the story. Hint: it’s not them.
• Review: The Sweet Taste of Providence by Christine Farenhorst: This unique devotional book uses Christian history as a springboard for relevant perspectives on the Christian life.

We are participants in the Amazon LLC affiliate program; purchases you make through affiliate links like the one below may earn us a commission. Read more here.

Purchase New Morning Mercies from Amazon.

Purchase In the Lord I Take Refuge from Amazon.

Purchase Be Thou My Vision from Amazon.