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Fire in My Bones

Prophets with excuses, an unfinished pot that already holds something, and a prophet who tried to quit and couldn’t

  • 🧭 Youth 12–13
  • Week 43
  • 📅 Sunday, October 25, 2026
🤔 Forehead Guess🏆 Showdown
💡 The big idea

Heavenly Father knew me before I was born and has work for me right now; I don’t have to be older or braver first, because He is with me.

I can do what the Lord asks of me now, even when I feel too young or not enough, because He knows me and is with me.

Study it yourself firstRead Jeremiah 1–3; 7; 16–18; 20 in Gospel LibraryCome, Follow Me manualOpen this week (Jeremiah 1–3; 7; 16–18; 20)
Know the chapters

Jeremiah was called as a young man, during the reign of good King Josiah (Jeremiah 1:2), and he kept prophesying for about forty years, right up to Jerusalem’s fall. He lived at the same time as Lehi; his prophecies were on the brass plates (1 Nephi 5:13), and Nephi mentions that Jeremiah had been thrown into prison (1 Nephi 7:14). His call opens with one of the clearest Old Testament witnesses of premortal life: “Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee” (1:5). Jeremiah answered with an excuse, “I cannot speak: for I am a child,” and the Lord answered, “Say not, I am a child,” touched his mouth, and promised, “I am with thee to deliver thee” (1:6–9).

The rest of this week’s block is full of vivid pictures. The people had forsaken “the fountain of living waters” for broken cisterns that can’t hold water (2:13). They trusted the temple building while ignoring the poor and worshipping idols, and Jeremiah stood at the temple gate to tell them that wasn’t enough (7:1–7). The Lord promised a gathering greater than the Exodus, sending “fishers” and “hunters” to find His people (16:14–16). At the potter’s house, a marred pot wasn’t thrown away; the potter reshaped it into another vessel (18:1–6).

Then there’s Jeremiah 20, one of the most honest chapters in scripture. Pashur, a priest in charge at the temple, had Jeremiah beaten and locked in the stocks (20:1–2). Jeremiah admits he was mocked every day and decided to stop speaking in the Lord’s name, but the word was “in mine heart as a burning fire shut up in my bones,” and he couldn’t hold it in (20:7–9). Latter-day scripture teaches that many were foreordained in the premortal life to serve (Alma 13:3; Abraham 3:22–23; Doctrine and Covenants 138:53–56). Foreordination is a calling and a preparation, not a guarantee; we still choose.

For 11- to 14-year-olds: they are constantly told they’re “too young,” and many feel like they’re not enough. Jeremiah 1 speaks straight to that. New deacons pass the sacrament, youth go to the temple for the first time, and a 2018 worldwide youth devotional called “Hope of Israel” invited youth to help gather Israel now. Jeremiah 20 also gives permission to be honest: even a great prophet felt discouraged and wanted to quit. The Lord kept working with him.

Only have 5 minutes?

Play Excuse Match. Then do the Unfinished Pot. Shape a rough cup from clay and show it can already hold a coin. Squash it, and reshape it while you read Jeremiah 18:4–6. Tell Jeremiah’s story from the Teach Mode scenes. Teach Jeremiah 1:7–8 and bust a few excuses. Ask one Real Talk question, and hand out the strength notes. Brought nothing? Tap “I brought nothing.” A volunteer becomes the clay, and the notes become spoken shout-outs.

What to bring4 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. Write the strength notes. Be specific and real, like “You notice when someone is left out.” Make a couple of spares for visitors.
  2. Practice the pot once. Roll a ball, pinch a rough cup, drop the coin in, squash it and reshape it. It takes about a minute.
  3. Think of a time you felt too young or not enough for something the Lord asked, and how He helped. You’ll share it at the end.

If your class is wild

  • Shape the pot where everyone can see your hands, and talk while you work. The pot is the hook for the whole lesson.
  • Let a youth squash the pot on “Marred!” It gets a laugh, and the reshaping means more after it.
  • When Jeremiah admits he wanted to quit in scene 5, pause. Honesty here builds trust at this age.
  • Excuse Busters moves fast. Take the first good answer and go to the next excuse.
  • Hand out the strength notes last, with the room quiet. Many youth keep them for years.

The 25-minute plan24 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

Excuse Match

3 min

Youth guess which prophets made which excuses, and discover that the Lord called every one of them anyway.

  1. SAY“Four people in the scriptures got a call from the Lord and instantly made an excuse. Match each one: Moses, Gideon, Enoch or Jeremiah.”
  2. Read the excuses. “I’m slow with words.” “My family is poorest, and I’m the least.” “I’m only a lad, and everyone hates me.” “I can’t speak. I’m a child.”
  3. Moses is Exodus 4:10, Gideon is Judges 6:15, Enoch is Moses 6:31, and Jeremiah is Jeremiah 1:6. Ask, “What do all four have in common?” The Lord used them anyway.

Class screen: 🙅 Who said it? Match the excuse to the prophet. · Moses · Gideon · Enoch · Jeremiah

2. Object lesson

The Unfinished Pot

5 min

A rough clay cup that already holds a coin, then gets squashed and reshaped, shows that the Lord knows what He’s making, uses us now, and never throws us away.

  1. SAY“Watch this lump of clay. What could it become?”
  2. Take guesses while you roll it into a ball.
  3. Pinch a rough little cup. Ask, “Is it finished?” No. Drop in the coin and ask, “Can it already hold something?” Yes!
  4. Let a youth squash it flat. Say, “Marred.” Reshape it into a better cup while you read Jeremiah 18:4 and 18:6.
  5. Ask, “The potter knew what he was making before he started. What does that say about you?” Then ask, “What didn’t he do with the marred clay?”
🌪️ Keep the clay moving the whole time you talk. Busy hands hold eyes.

Class screen: 🏺 Not finished yet, but already holding something. · Jeremiah 18:4–6

No supplies? Do this instead

Instead of: A lump of play dough or clay about the size of a tennis ball, and one coin

The Human Pot

  1. SAY“I need a volunteer to be clay.”
  2. The volunteer stands loose and floppy. Ask, “What could this become?”
  3. The class calls out a vessel, like a vase or a mug. Gently pose the volunteer’s arms into it. Ask, “Is it finished? Could it already hold something?”
  4. Call out “Marred!” and the volunteer goes floppy. Reshape them into a new vessel while you read Jeremiah 18:4 and 18:6.
  5. Ask, “The potter knew what he was making before he started. What does that say about you?” Then ask, “What didn’t he do with the marred clay?”

Class screen: 🏺 Marred? Reshaped. Never thrown away. · Jeremiah 18:4–6

3. Story

The Story: The Prophet Who Tried to Quit

5 min

Jeremiah’s call and his honest wish to quit show that the Lord calls young people and stays with them when it gets hard.

  1. SAY“Jeremiah was young when the Lord called him, and he had an excuse ready. Sound familiar?”
  2. Show each scene in Teach Mode and tell it in your own voice. Pause at each question and take one or two answers.
  3. At scene 5, read Jeremiah 20:9 slowly.

Class screen: 🔥 Too young, locked in the stocks, and still on fire · Jeremiah 1 · 20

4. Scripture

Excuse Busters: Jeremiah 1:7–8

4 min

Youth memorize the key verse, then use Jeremiah 1 to answer real excuses teens make.

  1. SAY“Here’s the Lord’s answer to every ‘I’m too young.’”
  2. Teach Jeremiah 1:7–8 with the motions. Say it twice together.
  3. Read an excuse. The first to answer with a phrase from Jeremiah 1:5–9 wins it. Try “I’m too shy to pray in class.”
  4. Keep going: “I’m too new to pass the sacrament.” “My friends will think I’m weird for going to the temple.” “I’m too young to make a difference.”

Class screen: 💥 Bust the excuse with Jeremiah 1! · “Be not afraid of their faces” · “I am with thee” · “I have put my words in thy mouth”

5. Talk it over

Real Talk

4 min

Honest questions connect Jeremiah’s call and his discouragement to what youth feel now.

  1. SAY“In twenty eighteen, President Russell M. Nelson asked the youth a question. Listen to what he said.”
  2. Read his quote from Conference quotes. Ask, “How do people your age really help gather Israel?” Think of invites, temple baptisms, family history and friendship.
  3. Then pick one or two questions from the screen. Anyone can pass.
💬 Ask the class
  • Heavenly Father knew you before you were born. What does that say about how much you matter right now?
  • When is “I’m too young” true, and when is it just an excuse?
  • Jeremiah wanted to quit because people mocked him. What makes it hard to stand up for your beliefs at school or online?
  • The potter reshaped the marred clay instead of throwing it away. How is that like repentance?
  • What’s one thing the Lord might be asking you to do now, not someday?

Class screen: 💬 Real talk

6. Testimony

Known Before You Were Born

3 min

A personal note naming a real strength helps each youth feel that Heavenly Father knows them and has prepared them.

  1. SAY“I wrote something about each of you before class today. Heavenly Father has known you a lot longer than that.”
  2. Read Jeremiah 1:5. Hand each youth their note, and ask them to keep it to themselves.
  3. Share your short story of feeling too young or not enough, and how the Lord helped. Testify that He knows them and has work for them now.
  4. Share the Excuse Swap challenge. Then invite a youth to pray.

Class screen: ✉️ Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee. · Jeremiah 1:5

No supplies? Do this instead

Instead of: A small folded note for each youth with their name on the outside and one strength you’ve honestly noticed in them written inside

Known Before You Were Born: Shout-Outs

  1. SAY“I’ve noticed something about each of you. Heavenly Father noticed it long before I did.”
  2. Read Jeremiah 1:5. Then go around the circle and name one real, specific strength for each youth.
  3. Share your short story of feeling too young or not enough, and how the Lord helped. Testify that He knows them and has work for them now.
  4. Share the Excuse Swap challenge. Then invite a youth to pray.
7. Wiggle break

Fishers and Hunters

3 minBONUS

A tag game acts out Jeremiah 16:16 and the Lord’s promise to gather His people, with youth as the gatherers.

  1. SAY“In Jeremiah 16:16, the Lord promises to send ‘many fishers’ and ‘many hunters’ to gather His people. Let’s gather!”
  2. Two Fishers link arms as a net. Anyone they tag links on, and the net grows. Walking only.
  3. Play for about 90 seconds, or until almost everyone’s in the net. Ask, “Who gathered you to the Church, or keeps gathering you?”

Class screen: 🎣 I will send for many fishers, and many hunters. · Jeremiah 16:16

8. Game

Scripture Showdown

5 minBONUS

A quick team quiz reviews Jeremiah’s call, the potter, the cisterns, and the stocks.

  1. SAY“Team Fishers against Team Hunters. Ten seconds to whisper, then point.”
  2. Tap Scripture Showdown. The winning team earns a bonus point if they can name the verse.
▶ Play Scripture Showdown on the web

Class screen: 🏆 Scripture Showdown: Team Fishers vs. Team Hunters!

Object lesson

The Prophet Who Tried to Quit

Jeremiah 1:4–10; 20:1–9 ↗

Scenes

  1. 👶📜 “Before I formed thee… I knew thee.”

    The Lord spoke to a young man named Jeremiah. Before you were even formed, He said, I knew you. Before you were born, I set you apart. I chose you to be a prophet to the nations. Like the potter, He knew what He was making.

    🙌 Ask: “How would it feel to hear that the Lord knew you before you were born?”

  2. 🙅🗣️ “But I can’t speak. I’m just a child!”

    Jeremiah’s first answer was an excuse: “Ah, Lord GOD! behold, I cannot speak: for I am a child.” The Lord didn’t argue about his age. He said: don’t say that. Go where I send you. Don’t be afraid of their faces, because I am with you.

    🙌 Ask: “The Lord never said, ‘You’re actually really old.’ What did He say instead?”

  3. 👄✨ “I have put my words in thy mouth.”

    The Lord touched Jeremiah’s mouth and said, “Behold, I have put my words in thy mouth.” Jeremiah didn’t need to be a great speaker. He needed to be willing. The pot didn’t need to be finished to hold something.

    🙌 Ask: “What’s something a 12- or 13-year-old can already hold for the Lord?”

  4. 😠⛓️ Locked in the stocks

    Jeremiah kept warning Jerusalem for years. A proud temple priest named Pashur didn’t like it. He had Jeremiah beaten. Then he locked him in the stocks at a city gate. Everyone could see him there, and laugh.

    🙌 Ask: “What’s the modern version of being put in the stocks for what you believe?”

  5. 🔥🦴 Like fire shut up in his bones

    Jeremiah was honest: everyone mocks me, every day. I won’t speak in His name anymore. I quit. But he couldn’t. The Lord’s word was “in mine heart as a burning fire shut up in my bones.” He kept going for about forty years.

    🙌 Read Jeremiah 20:9. Ask: “Why do you think the scriptures kept the part where he wanted to quit?”

Key verse

Jeremiah 1:7–8 ↗
“Say not, I am a child: for thou shalt go to all that I shall send thee, and whatsoever I command thee thou shalt speak. Be not afraid of their faces: for I am with thee to deliver thee, saith the LORD.”
In plain words: Don’t say you’re too young. Go where I send you and say what I tell you. Don’t be scared of what people think, because I’m with you and I’ll get you through it.
🙌 “Say not, I am a child” = shake your finger no · “thou shalt go to all that I shall send thee” = point far away and march in place · “whatsoever I command thee thou shalt speak” = hand from mouth outward · “Be not afraid of their faces” = hands over your eyes, then pull them away bravely · “I am with thee to deliver thee” = arm around your own shoulder, then fist up.

More verses

Jeremiah 1:5 ↗
“Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.”
In plain words: The Lord knew Jeremiah before he was born and prepared him for a mission. He knew you too.
Jeremiah 2:13 ↗
“For my people have committed two evils; they have forsaken me the fountain of living waters, and hewed them out cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water.”
In plain words: People left the Lord, who is like a fountain that never runs out, and chased things that leak and leave them empty.
Jeremiah 18:6 ↗
“Behold, as the clay is in the potter’s hand, so are ye in mine hand, O house of Israel.”
In plain words: Like clay in a potter’s hands, you’re in God’s hands. He can reshape you when things go wrong.
Jeremiah 20:9 ↗
“But his word was in mine heart as a burning fire shut up in my bones, and I was weary with forbearing, and I could not stay.”
In plain words: Jeremiah tried to stop, but the Lord’s word burned inside him like fire, and he couldn’t keep quiet.

Forehead Guess words18 words

  • 🧑 Jeremiah
  • 🙅 Excuse
  • 🏺 Potter
  • 🟤 Clay
  • 🔄 Potter’s wheel
  • ⛲ Fountain
  • 🥤 Broken cistern
  • 😠 Pashur
  • ⛓️ Stocks
  • 🔥 Fire in my bones
  • 🎣 Fishers
  • 🏹 Hunters
  • 🧲 Gathering
  • ✨ Premortal life
  • 🌳 Almond tree
  • 🚪 Temple gate
  • 🪨 Moses
  • 🏕️ Lehi
Clues for each word
  • Jeremiah: Young prophet who said, “I am a child”
  • Excuse: Moses, Gideon, Enoch, and Jeremiah each made one
  • Potter: Reshaped the marred clay
  • Clay: We are like this in God’s hands
  • Potter’s wheel: Spins while the pot is shaped
  • Fountain: Of living waters; never runs dry
  • Broken cistern: Leaks and can hold no water
  • Pashur: Priest who put Jeremiah in the stocks
  • Stocks: Wooden lock for hands and feet
  • Fire in my bones: Why Jeremiah couldn’t stay quiet
  • Fishers: The Lord will send many to gather Israel
  • Hunters: Search every mountain and hill for Israel
  • Gathering: Bringing God’s children back to Him
  • Premortal life: Where God knew us before birth
  • Almond tree: Jeremiah saw a branch of it (1:11)
  • Temple gate: Where Jeremiah preached in chapter 7
  • Moses: Said he was slow of speech
  • Lehi: Book of Mormon prophet in Jeremiah’s time
▶ Play Forehead GuessFull screen, 60-second timer, works on any phone.

Scripture Showdown9 questions

  1. What was Jeremiah’s excuse when the Lord called him?
    • A. “I’m too busy”
    • B. “I can’t speak; I am a child”
    • C. “I’m too old”
    Show answer

    ✅ B. “I can’t speak; I am a child” Jeremiah 1:6. The Lord said, “Say not, I am a child.”

  2. When did the Lord know Jeremiah, according to Jeremiah 1:5?
    • A. Before he was born
    • B. At age 12
    • C. After he became a prophet
    Show answer

    ✅ A. Before he was born “Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee.” He knew us in premortal life.

  3. What did the Lord touch to show He’d give Jeremiah His words?
    • A. His ears
    • B. His hands
    • C. His mouth
    Show answer

    ✅ C. His mouth Jeremiah 1:9: “I have put my words in thy mouth.”

  4. What did the potter do with the marred clay?
    • A. Threw it away
    • B. Made it into another vessel
    • C. Sold it cheap
    Show answer

    ✅ B. Made it into another vessel Jeremiah 18:4. The Lord can reshape us too.

  5. Jeremiah 2:13 says people traded the fountain for what?
    • A. Broken cisterns
    • B. Golden cups
    • C. A river
    Show answer

    ✅ A. Broken cisterns Cisterns that can hold no water: things that leave us empty.

  6. Who had Jeremiah beaten and put in the stocks?
    • A. King Josiah
    • B. Pashur the priest
    • C. Baruch
    Show answer

    ✅ B. Pashur the priest Jeremiah 20:1–2. Pashur was a proud priest in charge at the temple.

  7. Why couldn’t Jeremiah quit speaking for the Lord?
    • A. He was paid well
    • B. The king made him
    • C. The word burned like fire in his bones
    Show answer

    ✅ C. The word burned like fire in his bones Jeremiah 20:9. He was weary of holding it in.

  8. Who does the Lord send to gather Israel in Jeremiah 16:16?
    • A. Fishers and hunters
    • B. Kings and queens
    • C. Soldiers and spies
    Show answer

    ✅ A. Fishers and hunters Today, youth help gather on both sides of the veil.

  9. Which Book of Mormon prophet lived in Jerusalem at the same time as Jeremiah?
    • A. Alma
    • B. Lehi
    • C. Mormon
    Show answer

    ✅ B. Lehi Jeremiah’s prophecies were on the brass plates (1 Nephi 5:13).

▶ Play Scripture ShowdownTeams take turns on one screen.

From general conference

“Are you willing to enlist in the youth battalion of the Lord to help gather Israel?”

— President Russell M. Nelson, “Hope of Israel,” June 2018 (worldwide youth devotional)

Read it at the start of Real Talk, then let youth answer how they’d actually help gather Israel.

Read the talk ↗

Songs

  • I Am a Child of God Hymns, no. 301

    Jeremiah 1:5 is the scripture behind it: He knew us before we came here. Find it ↗

  • Hope of Israel Hymns, no. 259

    Pairs with Fishers and Hunters and the invitation to youth to help gather Israel. Find it ↗

  • Called to Serve Hymns, no. 249

    An energetic opener about answering the Lord’s call, even young. Find it ↗

This week’s challenge

Excuse Swap

Pick one thing you’ve put off because you feel too young, too shy or not ready. Maybe it’s a prayer in class, the sacrament, a temple trip, a Children and Youth goal, or texting a friend who stopped coming. Do it this week. Put Jeremiah 1:7–8 where you’ll see it right before.

Text the parents

This week we studied Jeremiah, who was called as a young man and answered, “I am a child.” The Lord told him, “Say not, I am a child… I am with thee.” That’s Jeremiah 1:7–8. We matched prophets to their excuses. We watched a lump of clay become a cup that could hold something before it was finished. We talked about how Jeremiah wanted to quit but couldn’t. Ask your youth what excuse they’re swapping this week.

📝 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?

🥤 The Leaky Refill · 4 min

  1. Label a cup with holes: likes, followers, streaks, being popular. Over a bowl, a volunteer tries to keep it full for 15 seconds.
  2. Read Jeremiah 2:13. Ask, “How is chasing likes like this cup?” You keep refilling it, and it never stays full.
  3. Fill the good cup. Say, “The Lord calls Himself the fountain of living waters.” Then ask, “What fills you up and stays?”

🚪 The Temple of the Lord · 4 min

  1. Read Jeremiah 7:1–7. People thought being near the temple kept them safe. Meanwhile they ignored the poor and worshipped idols.
  2. Ask: “What’s the difference between going to the temple and letting the temple change you?”
  3. If youth are doing temple baptisms, have each one name a way to carry the temple with them all week.

🌳 The Almond Branch · 3 min

  1. Read Jeremiah 1:11–12. The Lord showed Jeremiah an almond branch. He promised He was watching over His word to fulfill it.
  2. Ask: “What promise from the Lord are you waiting to see fulfilled?”
  3. Share a time the Lord kept a promise to you, even if it took a while.

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.

All Youth 12–13 lessons