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Wings Like Eagles

A log that can’t save anybody, a king named before he was born, and a Lord who never forgets you

  • 💧 CTR 8
  • Week 40
  • 📅 Sunday, October 4, 2026
🤔 Forehead Guess🏆 Showdown
💡 The big idea

Jesus Christ is stronger than anything in the world, He will never forget me, and He gives me strength when I trust Him.

I can trust Jesus Christ to give me strength and stay with me when I feel tired, scared, or forgotten.

Study it yourself firstRead Isaiah 40–49 in Gospel LibraryCome, Follow Me manualOpen this week (Isaiah 40–49)
Know the chapters

Isaiah 40 begins with the word “Comfort.” Until now Isaiah has mostly warned Israel. Here he writes to people who won’t be born for a long time: the Jews who would be carried off to Babylon after Jerusalem and its temple were destroyed, more than a hundred years after Isaiah’s day. Many of them would wonder if God had forgotten them (Isaiah 49:14). Isaiah’s answer, again and again, is “Fear not.” Nephi had chapters 48–49 on the brass plates and read them to his brothers (1 Nephi 19:22–23; 20–21), so these promises were written long before the captivity happened.

These chapters are full of comfort a child can hold onto. The Lord gathers the lambs in His arm like a shepherd (40:11). He never gets tired, and He gives strength to the weak, so those who wait on Him “mount up with wings as eagles” (40:28–31). He is with us when we pass through deep waters (43:2). He has engraved us on the palms of His hands (49:15–16). The Lord speaking in these chapters is Jehovah, who is Jesus Christ. Many Latter-day Saints think of 49:16 when they remember that the resurrected Savior still bears the marks of the nails in His hands (3 Nephi 11:14–15).

Isaiah also makes fun of idols. In 44:9–20 a man cuts down a tree, burns half of it to cook dinner and warm his hands, then carves the other half into a god and prays to it. In 46:1–4 Babylon’s idols have to be loaded onto tired animals and hauled away, while the Lord says He carries His people from birth to old age. Then Isaiah does something astonishing: he names Cyrus, the Persian king who would conquer Babylon and let the Jews go home to rebuild the temple (44:28; 45:1; Ezra 1:1–4). Isaiah wrote that name about 150 years before Cyrus set the captives free.

For eight-year-olds, keep it simple: only Jesus can save us (43:11), He is stronger than anything that scares us, He never forgets us, and He gives us strength when we trust Him. Many of your kids just promised at baptism to stand as witnesses of God (Mosiah 18:9), and Isaiah 43:10 calls the Lord’s people “my witnesses.” Invite them to lean on Him this week when they feel tired, scared, or left out.

Only have 5 minutes?

Read Isaiah 44:14–17 and 49:15–16. Stick a silly paper face on a stick or wooden spoon to make Larry the Log. Let Teach Mode carry the story drama, teach the eagle motions for Isaiah 40:31, and finish with Forehead Guess. Right before class, write the kids’ names on your palm for the ending. Brought nothing? Tap “I brought nothing”: a kid plays Larry, and you trace the kids’ names on your palm with a fingertip at the end.

What to bring9 items

Tick what you have. Forgot something? Every step that needs a supply has a no-supplies version in the plan below.

Before class

  1. Make Larry the Log: draw a goofy face on a sticky note and stick it to your stick or wooden spoon.
  2. Practice the dry paper towel trick at home. Crumple the paper towel and push it firmly into the bottom of the cup so it won’t fall out when you flip the cup. Turn the cup straight upside down, push it straight down into the water, count to five, and lift it straight up. The towel stays dry. If you tilt the cup, air escapes and the towel gets wet, so go straight down and straight up.
  3. Write on the scroll paper: “Go home and build the house of the Lord! —King Cyrus.” Roll it up.
  4. Right before class, write each student’s first name in small letters on the palm of your hand with the washable marker. Keep that hand closed or in your pocket until the very end.
  5. Add your kids’ names in the My Class tab so you can hand out story parts with one tap.

If your class is wild

  • Give the Idol role to your wiggliest kid and call it the hardest acting job in the room: stay frozen like wood for a whole scene. Brag about them when they pull it off.
  • Teach an attention signal in the first minute: you say “Eagles…”, they flap twice and answer “…land!” and drop into their nest (their seat). Use it all lesson.
  • The water trick only works when the cup goes straight down. Seat everyone behind the no-splash line, and let one helper hold the towel.
  • If they come in bouncing off the walls, do the Straight Highway wiggle first, then meet Larry.
  • In Freeze Dance, idols can’t talk either. Anyone who freezes without a sound gets to pick the next way to move.

The 25-minute plan25 min + bonus

Bonus steps are for when you have extra time. Steps that mention Teach Mode, the Sound Board or other class games refer to the Gospel Sparks app; on the web you can play Forehead Guess and Scripture Showdown from this page.

1. Hook

Meet Larry the Log

3 min

A silly prop gets giggles and attention, then flips into the big question: who can really help us?

  1. Set Larry the Log on the table like he’s very important. Say: “Everyone, meet Larry. Larry is a log. Long ago, some people actually prayed to wood like Larry.”
  2. SAY“Let’s test him. Larry, please help me find my lost shoe!” Wait. Silence. “Larry? Hello?”
  3. Let two or three kids who are sitting ready ask Larry for something: a sunny day, help on a spelling test, a new puppy. Pause for Larry’s silence every time.
  4. Ask: “Why can’t Larry help?” (He can’t hear, see, move, or love us.)
  5. SAY“Isaiah wrote a story about a man who prayed to a log, and it’s pretty funny. Then Isaiah told us about Someone who CAN hear us, help us, and never forget us. Let’s find out who.”
🌪️ Only kids who are sitting ready get to ask Larry a question. His silence is funnier when the room is quiet.

Class screen: 🪵 Meet Larry the Log. Can he help you? · Ask him anything! · …Larry?

No supplies? Do this instead

Instead of: A stick, a small piece of firewood, or a wooden spoon, plus a sticky note and marker to give it a silly face (this is Larry the Log)

Meet Larry the Log (Starring a Kid)

  1. Pick the stillest kid in the room. Say: “You are Larry. Larry is a log. Stand stiff as wood, arms at your sides, and no matter what, don’t move, don’t talk, don’t laugh.” Everyone draws a goofy invisible face on Larry.
  2. SAY“Everyone, meet Larry. Long ago, some people actually prayed to wood like Larry. Let’s test him. Larry, please help me find my lost shoe!” Wait. Silence. Tap the knock sound on the Sound Board. “Larry? Hello?”
  3. Let two or three kids who are sitting ready ask Larry for something: a sunny day, help on a spelling test, a new puppy. Larry stays frozen every time. Cheer for Larry’s amazing wood skills.
  4. Ask: “Why can’t Larry help?” (He’s just pretending, and a real log can’t hear, see, move, or love us.)
  5. SAY“Isaiah wrote a story about a man who prayed to a log, and it’s pretty funny. Then Isaiah told us about Someone who CAN hear us, help us, and never forget us. Let’s find out who.”

Class screen: 🪵 Meet Larry the Log. Can he help you? · Ask him anything! · …Larry?

2. Story

Story Drama: The Long Way Home from Babylon

6 min

Acting out the captivity, the silly idol, and King Cyrus lets every kid move while they learn that the Lord keeps His promises.

  1. Hand out the roles (tap Roles in Teach Mode to assign them from your class list). Everyone without a role is the Eagle Crew.
  2. Tell the Idol: “You have the hardest job in the play. You have to stay frozen like wood. Can you do it?”
  3. Read each scene aloud and pause for the action cue.
  4. At scene 5, set Larry the Log next to the Idol for extra laughs.
  5. At scene 6, open your marker hand for one second, then close it again. Say: “There’s something on my hand. I’ll show you at the end.”
🌪️ The Woodcarver’s axe is invisible and chops only in slow motion. If an actor gets too wild, give them the next sound effect so their energy has a job.

Class screen: 🎭 Story Drama time! · Everyone gets a part

No supplies? Do this instead

Instead of: A stick, a small piece of firewood, or a wooden spoon, plus a sticky note and marker to give it a silly face (this is Larry the Log), A washable marker, A sheet of paper rolled up as King Cyrus’s royal scroll

  1. Hand out the roles (tap Roles in Teach Mode to assign them from your class list). Everyone without a role is the Eagle Crew.
  2. Tell the Idol: “You have the hardest job in the play. You have to stay frozen like wood. Can you do it?”
  3. Read each scene aloud and pause for the action cue.
  4. At scene 6, hold up your closed hand. Say: “I have a secret about hands. I’ll show you at the end.”
  5. At scene 8, King Cyrus unrolls an invisible royal scroll that’s SO long it rolls across the floor. Tap the trumpet sound on the Sound Board, then Cyrus reads: “Go home and build the house of the Lord!”
3. Wiggle break

Build a Straight Highway

2 min

Isaiah 40:3–4 becomes a full-body stretch and a reminder that we help prepare the way for Jesus.

  1. SAY“Isaiah said, ‘Prepare ye the way of the LORD, make straight in the desert a highway for our God.’ Let’s build a road for the King!”
  2. “Every valley shall be exalted”: crouch down low like a valley, then rise up tall.
  3. “Every mountain and hill shall be made low”: stretch up tall like a mountain, then squash down flat.
  4. “The crooked shall be made straight”: twist into a pretzel, then snap straight like a ruler.
  5. “The rough places plain”: do bumpy jumps in place, then glide smoothly like you’re skating on ice.
  6. SAY“John the Baptist prepared the way for Jesus. We prepare the way when we choose the right and help other people come to Him.”

Class screen: 🛣️ Build a highway for the Lord! · Valley up! · Mountain down! · Crooked straight! · Bumpy smooth!

4. Object lesson

The Paper Towel That Stayed Dry

3 min

A surprising science trick shows Isaiah 43:2: the Lord doesn’t always take hard things away, but He stays with us through them.

  1. Hold up the paper towel. Say: “This is you.” Stuff it firmly into the bottom of the cup. “And this cup is the Lord, all around you.”
  2. Point to the water. Say: “This deep water is hard stuff: a scary storm, a hard test, a friend who moves away, getting sick.” Ask: “What will happen if I push you under the water?”
  3. Let kids guess. Then turn the cup straight upside down, push it straight down into the water, and count down together: 5, 4, 3, 2, 1.
  4. Lift it straight up and pull out the dry paper towel. Let a few kids feel it. (Science secret: the air trapped in the cup keeps the water out.)
  5. Read Isaiah 43:2: “When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee.” Say: “The towel still went under the water. But it didn’t get soaked, because the cup was all around it. Jesus doesn’t promise we’ll never have hard things. He promises to be with us, so they can’t sweep us away.”
  6. Do it once more, and this time let a careful helper push the cup down.
🌪️ Everyone stays behind the no-splash line. Only the helper touches the water, and the helper is whoever is sitting the stillest.

Class screen: 💧 Will the paper towel get wet? · 5… 4… 3… 2… 1…

No supplies? Do this instead

Instead of: A clear bowl, pot, or pitcher of water deeper than your cup, set on a tray, A clear plastic cup and one paper towel

The Kid Who Stayed Dry

  1. Pick a volunteer to crouch in the middle of the room. Say: “This is you.” Pick 4–6 kids to hold hands in a tight circle around them. “And this circle is the Lord, all around you.”
  2. Everyone else is the deep water. Say: “This water is hard stuff: a scary storm, a hard test, a friend who moves away, getting sick.” Ask: “What will happen when the waves crash in?”
  3. Tap the waves sound on the Sound Board. The water kids roll and crash toward the circle with wiggly fingers, calling out hard things (“A hard test!” “I’m sick!”). No touching: the waves stop at the circle, and the circle stays strong. Count down together: 5, 4, 3, 2, 1!
  4. Ask the volunteer: “Did you get soaked?” (Nope! The circle was all around me.)
  5. Read Isaiah 43:2: “When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee.” Say: “The storm still came. But it didn’t sweep you away, because the Lord was all around you. Jesus doesn’t promise we’ll never have hard things. He promises to be with us, so they can’t sweep us away.”
  6. Do it once more, and swap so the waves get to be the circle.

Class screen: 🌊 Can the waves reach the kid in the middle? · Circle stays strong! · 5… 4… 3… 2… 1…

5. Scripture

Scripture Spotlight: Isaiah 40:31

3 min

Big eagle motions help high-energy kids memorize a promise they can use every time they feel tired or weak.

  1. Show the verse on your phone or tablet and read it once slowly.
  2. Ask: “What does it mean to ‘wait upon the Lord’?” (Trust Him, pray, and keep following Him, even when help doesn’t come right away.)
  3. SAY“‘Renew’ means to fill back up, like charging a tablet when the battery is low.”
  4. Teach the motions one phrase at a time, then do the whole verse together.
  5. Say it three ways: tiny baby-eagle voice, regular voice, then mighty eagle voice.

Class screen: 🦅 They shall mount up with wings as eagles!

6. Game

Idol Freeze Dance

3 minBONUS

Kids burn off energy while they learn the difference between a frozen idol and a living God who helps us.

  1. Tap Freeze Dance. While the music plays, everyone soars around the room like eagles (arms out, no touching).
  2. When the music stops, everyone freezes like a wooden idol. No talking, no blinking!
  3. While they’re frozen, ask: “Can an idol hear your prayers?” Pause. Then call out: “But the Lord can! Come alive!” Everyone unfreezes and shouts, “The Lord!”
  4. On the next freezes, swap in new questions: “Can an idol help you when you’re scared?” “Can an idol forgive you?” “Can an idol remember your name?”
  5. End by reading Isaiah 43:11: “I, even I, am the LORD; and beside me there is no saviour.”
  6. No phone or tablet? Hum or clap a beat yourself and stop whenever you like.
🌪️ Kids who freeze without a sound pick the next way to move: hopping, tiptoeing, or slow motion.
🧊 Freeze Dance (a class game in the Gospel Sparks app)

Class screen: 🗿 Freeze like an idol… then come alive! · Fly like an eagle · Freeze like wood!

7. Game

Forehead Guess: Comfort Ye Edition

4 min

The class’s favorite Heads Up–style game reviews every person, place, and promise from today.

  1. Tap Forehead Guess. One kid holds your phone or tablet on their forehead, screen facing the class.
  2. The class gives clues without saying the word. The hint under each word helps if they get stuck.
  3. The guesser tilts your phone or tablet down for “got it,” up to pass. Each turn lasts 45 seconds.
  4. Switch to Act It Out mode for words like Eagle, Woodcarver, Fire, and Running: clue-givers can only act, no talking.
  5. No phone or tablet? Write words on sticky notes and stick one on the guesser’s forehead.
🌪️ Clue-givers raise a hand and wait. The guesser picks who gives the next clue, and they always pick someone sitting still.
▶ Play Forehead Guess on the web

Class screen: 🤔 Forehead Guess! · Give clues, don’t say the word!

8. Talk it over

Talk It Over

2 min

Connect Isaiah’s promises to the scary, tiring, lonely moments in a kid’s real week.

  1. Sit in a circle. Pass Larry the Log to whoever answers next. (Finally, Larry has a job!)
  2. Ask one question at a time, and share your own answer too.
💬 Ask the class
  • When is a time you felt scared, tired, or left out? What could Isaiah 41:10 remind you?
  • Larry couldn’t help anybody. What are some things people today trust more than Heavenly Father and Jesus?
  • The Lord said He will never forget you. How does that make you feel?
  • At baptism we promise to be witnesses of God. How could you show someone you love Jesus this week?

Class screen: 💬 Let’s talk!

No supplies? Do this instead

Instead of: A stick, a small piece of firewood, or a wooden spoon, plus a sticky note and marker to give it a silly face (this is Larry the Log)

  1. Sit in a circle. Pass an invisible Larry the Log to whoever answers next. He’s SO heavy! Everyone groans when they catch him.
  2. Ask one question at a time, and share your own answer too.
9. Testimony

Your Name on My Hand

2 min

A quiet surprise helps each child feel personally remembered by the Savior.

  1. Lower your voice. Say: “Remember my hand? I wrote something on it before class.” Slowly open your palm and show them their names.
  2. Read Isaiah 49:16: “Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands.” Say: “‘Graven’ means carved. My marker will wash off tonight, but the Lord will never forget you. When Jesus rose again, He still had the marks from the nails in His hands, and He let people feel them (3 Nephi 11:14–15). He did that for you.”
  3. Share one or two sentences about a time the Lord remembered you or gave you strength.
  4. Introduce the Palm Reminder challenge on the screen, and ask a child to say the closing prayer.

Class screen: ✋ The Lord will never forget you. · Your name is on His hands

No supplies? Do this instead

Instead of: A washable marker

  1. Lower your voice. Say: “Remember my hand? Watch.” Slowly open your palm. Go around the circle and, with one fingertip, trace each child’s name on your palm while you say it softly: “Emma… Jack… Lily…”
  2. Read Isaiah 49:16: “Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands.” Say: “‘Graven’ means carved. You can’t see the names on my hand, and I might forget one someday, but the Lord will never forget you. When Jesus rose again, He still had the marks from the nails in His hands, and He let people feel them (3 Nephi 11:14–15). He did that for you.”
  3. Everyone traces their own name on their palm with a fingertip and closes their hand.
  4. Share one or two sentences about a time the Lord remembered you or gave you strength.
  5. Introduce the Palm Reminder challenge on the screen, and ask a child to say the closing prayer.
10. Game

Scripture Showdown

5 minBONUS

A fast team quiz reviews everything they learned.

  1. Split into two teams: Team Eagle and Team Lamb. Tap Scripture Showdown to start.
  2. Read each question aloud. Teams whisper together, then point to an answer.
  3. Tap the team that got it right to give them a point.
▶ Play Scripture Showdown on the web

Class screen: 🏆 Scripture Showdown!

Story drama

The Long Way Home from Babylon

Isaiah 44:9–28; 45:1; 49:14–16; Ezra 1:1–4 ↗

Parts to hand out

  • IsaiahWrites on a pretend scroll and calls out, “Comfort ye my people!”
  • Israelite ParentSits by the river and sighs, “The Lord has forgotten us,” then hears Isaiah’s words and smiles.
  • Israelite KidKeeps asking, “Are we ever going home?” and leads the march home at the end.
  • The WoodcarverChops a tree in slow motion, warms up by the fire (“Aha, I am warm!”), and bows down to a block of wood.
  • The IdolStands frozen stiff. Can’t talk, can’t blink, can’t help anybody. (The hardest part in the play!)
  • King CyrusMarches in like royalty and reads the royal scroll: “Go home and build the house of the Lord!”
  • Eagle CrewEveryone else: river sounds, chopping, trumpets, gasps, and flapping eagle wings on the way home.

Scenes

  1. 🧔📜 Isaiah writes words of comfort

    Long, long ago, the Lord gave the prophet Isaiah a message for people who weren’t even born yet. It started with one gentle word: “Comfort.” Isaiah wrote, “Comfort ye, comfort ye my people.”

    🎬 Isaiah writes on a pretend scroll. Everyone whispers, “Comfort ye… comfort ye…”

  2. 🏰🚶 Taken far away to Babylon

    More than a hundred years later, the army of Babylon broke down the walls of Jerusalem and destroyed its beautiful temple. Many Israelite families had to walk far, far away to live in Babylon. They missed home so much.

    🎬 Everyone marches slowly in place with sad faces. Stomp… stomp… sigh.

  3. 😢🏞️ “Has the Lord forgotten us?”

    The families sat by the rivers of Babylon and cried. “The Lord has forgotten us,” they said. “We will never go home.” Isaiah had written those very words down ahead of time, because the Lord knew exactly how they would feel.

    🎬 Israelite Parent sighs, “The Lord has forgotten us.” Israelite Kid asks, “Are we ever going home?” Crew makes soft river sounds: shhhh.

  4. 🪓🔥 The silly woodcarver

    Meanwhile, a woodcarver chopped down a tree. He threw half of it on the fire, cooked his dinner, and warmed his hands. “Aha, I am warm!” he said. Then he looked at the OTHER half of the log…

    🎬 Woodcarver chops in slow motion while everyone says, “Chop! Chop!” Then he warms his hands: “Aha, I am warm!”

  5. 🗿🙇 He prays to a log!

    He carved the leftover wood into a statue and bowed down to it. “Save me! You are my god!” Isaiah thought this was so silly. The same log that cooked his dinner can’t hear, can’t see, and can’t save anybody!

    🎬 The Idol freezes stiff. The Woodcarver bows: “Save me!” Everyone else shouts, “It’s just a LOG!”

  6. ✋❤️ “yet will I not forget thee”

    But Isaiah’s scroll had good news for the sad families. The Lord said a mother might forget her baby, “yet will I not forget thee. Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands.” He carries His people like a shepherd carries a little lamb.

    🎬 Everyone looks at their palms. The Israelite Parent smiles for the first time. Crew: “Awww!”

  7. 👑🎺 A king with a famous name

    Then a new king named Cyrus conquered Babylon. Here’s the amazing part: long before Cyrus was even born, Isaiah had written down his name! The Lord said Cyrus would help rebuild Jerusalem and the temple.

    🎬 King Cyrus marches in. Crew blows pretend trumpets: “Doo-doo-DOO!” Everyone gasps: “Isaiah knew his NAME!”

  8. 📜🏛️ “Go home and build the temple!”

    King Cyrus sent a message to his whole kingdom and put it in writing. Any of the Lord’s people who wanted to could go home to Jerusalem and build the house of the Lord again!

    🎬 Cyrus unrolls the scroll and reads it loud and proud. Everyone jumps up and cheers!

  9. 🦅🏜️ Wings like eagles, all the way home

    It was a long walk across the desert. But Isaiah had promised that people who trust the Lord “shall run, and not be weary” and “mount up with wings as eagles.” The Lord never forgot His people, and He won’t forget you either.

    🎬 Israelite Kid leads everyone running in place, then walking, then flapping eagle wings and soaring back to their seats.

Key verse

Isaiah 40:31 ↗
“But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.”
In kid words: When we trust the Lord and keep following Him, He fills us back up with strength, so we can soar like eagles and keep going without giving up.
🙌 “They that wait upon the Lord” = fold arms and look up · “shall renew their strength” = make big muscles · “mount up with wings as eagles” = rise onto tiptoes flapping huge wings · “run, and not be weary” = run in place super fast · “walk, and not faint” = walk in place, wobble like you might fall, then stand strong: “Not faint!”

More verses

Isaiah 49:15–16 ↗
“yet will I not forget thee. Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands”
In kid words: The Lord says, “I will never forget you. I have carved you on the palms of My hands.”
Isaiah 41:10 ↗
“Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee”
In kid words: Don’t be afraid. I am with you. I will make you strong and help you.
Isaiah 43:2 ↗
“When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee”
In kid words: When hard things feel like deep water, the Lord will be right there with you, and they won’t sweep you away.
Isaiah 43:11 ↗
“I, even I, am the LORD; and beside me there is no saviour.”
In kid words: Jesus Christ is the only one who can save us. Not a log, not a statue, not anything else!

Forehead Guess words19 words

  • 🧔 Isaiah
  • 🦅 Eagle
  • 🧑‍🌾 Shepherd
  • 🐑 Lamb
  • 🏰 Babylon
  • 👑 King Cyrus
  • 🗿 Idol
  • 🪵 Log
  • 🪓 Woodcarver
  • 🔥 Fire
  • 🏞️ River
  • ✋ Palms
  • 📜 Scroll
  • 🏛️ Temple
  • 🏜️ Desert
  • 🛣️ Highway
  • 🙋 Witness
  • 💪 Muscles
  • 🏃 Running
Clues for each word
  • Isaiah: Prophet who wrote “Comfort ye my people”
  • Eagle: Big bird that soars high; flap your wings!
  • Shepherd: Carries the little lambs in his arms
  • Lamb: Baby sheep the Shepherd carries close
  • Babylon: Faraway city where Israel was taken captive
  • King Cyrus: Isaiah wrote his name before he was born
  • Idol: Fake god that can’t see, hear, or help
  • Log: Half cooked dinner, half became a fake god
  • Woodcarver: Chopped a tree and prayed to half of it
  • Fire: “Aha, I am warm!”
  • River: Isaiah said peace can flow like one
  • Palms: Where the Lord has written your name
  • Scroll: Rolled-up paper for writing a message
  • Temple: King Cyrus said: go home and build it again!
  • Desert: Hot, dry land they crossed to get home
  • Highway: A straight road to prepare the way of the Lord
  • Witness: Someone who tells what they know is true
  • Muscles: Flex them! The Lord renews your strength
  • Running: Isaiah said we can do it and not get weary
▶ Play Forehead GuessFull screen, 60-second timer, works on any phone.

Scripture Showdown8 questions

  1. What is the very first word of Isaiah 40?
    • A. Comfort
    • B. Hurry
    • C. Beware
    Show answer

    ✅ A. Comfort Isaiah 40:1: “Comfort ye, comfort ye my people.” The Lord wanted His people to feel better.

  2. What did the woodcarver do with half of his log?
    • A. Built a boat
    • B. Cooked dinner and warmed his hands
    • C. Gave it to his neighbor
    Show answer

    ✅ B. Cooked dinner and warmed his hands “Aha, I am warm!” Then he made a god out of the leftovers. Silly!

  3. What did he do with the other half of the log?
    • A. Made a chair
    • B. Threw it in the river
    • C. Carved an idol and prayed to it
    Show answer

    ✅ C. Carved an idol and prayed to it Isaiah 44:17. A log can’t save anybody. Only the Lord can.

  4. Which king did Isaiah name long before the king was born?
    • A. King Kong
    • B. King Cyrus
    • C. King Arthur
    Show answer

    ✅ B. King Cyrus Isaiah 44:28 and 45:1. Cyrus let the Jews go home to rebuild the temple.

  5. People who wait upon the Lord mount up with wings as…
    • A. Eagles
    • B. Bats
    • C. Butterflies
    Show answer

    ✅ A. Eagles Isaiah 40:31. They run and don’t get weary, and walk and don’t faint!

  6. Where did the Lord say He has written you?
    • A. On a sticky note
    • B. In the sand
    • C. On the palms of His hands
    Show answer

    ✅ C. On the palms of His hands Isaiah 49:16. He will never, ever forget you.

  7. What did King Cyrus tell the Lord’s people to do?
    • A. Go home and build the house of the Lord
    • B. Stay in Babylon forever
    • C. Build a giant statue of him
    Show answer

    ✅ A. Go home and build the house of the Lord Ezra 1:3. After many years away, they could finally go home!

  8. When you pass through deep waters, what did the Lord promise?
    • A. To dry up every ocean
    • B. To send you a boat
    • C. “I will be with thee”
    Show answer

    ✅ C. “I will be with thee” Isaiah 43:2. He doesn’t always take hard things away, but He is always with us.

▶ Play Scripture ShowdownTeams take turns on one screen.

Songs

  • How Firm a Foundation Hymns, no. 85

    This hymn is built on Isaiah’s promises in 41:10, 43:2, and 46:4. Read Isaiah 43:2, then sing it. Find it ↗

  • Keep the Commandments Children’s Songbook, p. 146

    Isaiah 48:18: keeping the commandments brings peace like a river. Find it ↗

  • I Feel My Savior’s Love Children’s Songbook, p. 74

    Sing it at the very end, right after you show the names on your hand. Find it ↗

This week’s challenge

Palm Reminder

Each morning this week, draw a tiny heart on your palm with a washable marker (ask a parent first). Every time you see it, remember that Jesus will never forget you, and say a quick prayer for strength whenever you feel tired, scared, or left out.

Text the parents

This week we learned from Isaiah 40–49 that the Lord is stronger than anything, that He gives strength to people who trust Him (they “mount up with wings as eagles”), and that He will never forget us. We laughed at a man in Isaiah who prayed to a log, and learned that Isaiah wrote down King Cyrus’s name long before he was born. Ask your child: where did the Lord say He has written your name?

📝 After class

What worked? Who needs a check-in this week? Jot it here on a printed copy, or in the app’s private class notes.

Got extra time?

🧽 Pour Out Blessings · 4 min

  1. Show a dry, stiff kitchen sponge. Say: “This is like dry, thirsty ground.”
  2. Read Isaiah 44:3: “For I will pour water upon him that is thirsty, and floods upon the dry ground: I will pour my spirit upon thy seed, and my blessing upon thine offspring.”
  3. Pour a little water on the sponge each time a child names a blessing the Lord has poured on them: a family, a warm bed, the Holy Ghost, a friend. Watch it soak it all up and turn soft.
  4. Ask: “What changes in us when the Lord pours His Spirit on us?”

🐑 The Shepherd Gathers the Lambs · 5 min

  1. Read Isaiah 40:11: “He shall feed his flock like a shepherd: he shall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom.”
  2. Every lamb crouches in a different spot in the room and baas softly. Choose one Shepherd and lay a blanket or rug down as the sheepfold.
  3. The Shepherd walks (no running) to a lamb, takes its hand, and leads it to the fold. That lamb becomes a helper shepherd and goes to gather another.
  4. Keep going until every lamb is home. Say: “Jesus is our Good Shepherd. He never leaves a lamb behind, and He lets us help Him gather others.”

🌊 Peace Like a River, Strong Like the Waves · 3 min

  1. Read Isaiah 48:18: “then had thy peace been as a river, and thy righteousness as the waves of the sea.”
  2. Peace like a river: everyone sways their arms slowly side to side and whispers, “Shhhh.”
  3. Righteousness like the waves: everyone rolls their arms in big crashing waves that keep coming, again and again, and never stop.
  4. Ask: “How can keeping the commandments help us feel calm like a river and keep going like the waves?” Then sing “Keep the Commandments.”

Sources

Scripture quotations are from the King James Version, the Bible used by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Tap or click a reference to open it in Gospel Library. Start with the official Come, Follow Me manual; these ideas are here to help it come alive.

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