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Written in Their Hearts

One king burns the scroll, one king is afraid of being mocked, and one outsider goes down into the mud

  • 🔥 Youth 14–16
  • Week 44
  • 📅 Sunday, November 1, 2026
🤔 Forehead Guess🏆 Showdown
💡 The big idea

The Lord wants His law written in my heart, not just on paper or enforced by other people, and a heart like that acts, even when it’s unpopular.

I can choose to live the gospel because it’s written in my heart, and act like Ebed-melech when someone needs help, even if others are watching.

Study it yourself firstRead Jeremiah 31–33; 36–39; Lamentations 1; 3 in Gospel LibraryCome, Follow Me manualOpen this week (Jeremiah 31–33; 36–39; Lamentations 1; 3)
Know the chapters

Jeremiah 31–33 is a burst of hope in a dark book. The Lord says He has loved His people “with an everlasting love” (31:3) and promises a “new covenant” where He will put His law “in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people” (31:33). The difference between rules carved on stone and a law written on the heart is the difference between obeying because someone is watching and obeying because you have changed. That’s what the covenants we make at baptism, renew with the sacrament and make in the temple are meant to do.

Chapters 36–39 show that difference in real people. King Jehoiakim hears the Lord’s warnings read from a scroll, and every few columns he cuts off the part just read with a penknife and throws it into his fire until the whole scroll is gone (36:23). The Lord simply has Jeremiah and his scribe Baruch write it all again (36:28, 32). King Zedekiah is different: he secretly asks Jeremiah for the truth, seems to believe him, but admits he is afraid of being handed over and mocked (38:14–19), and doesn’t act. His city falls (39).

Then there is Ebed-melech, an Ethiopian servant in the palace, an outsider. When officials throw Jeremiah into a muddy pit to die, he goes straight to the king, gets permission, takes thirty men and even sends down old rags so the ropes won’t hurt Jeremiah’s armpits as they pull him out (38:7–13). The Lord later promises Ebed-melech safety “because thou hast put thy trust in me” (39:15–18). Lamentations mourns the fall of Jerusalem, yet in the middle of the grief it says the Lord’s mercies “are new every morning” (Lam. 3:22–23).

Teachers-age youth and Young Women are right at the age where their testimonies need to move from their parents’ hearts to their own. Frame the three characters as three ways to respond to truth: burn it (tune out, mute, scroll past), believe it but freeze because of what people will think, or act. Don’t shame the Zedekiahs; most of us are Zedekiah sometimes. The point is that the Lord keeps writing His word again and offers new mercies every morning. For the Strength of Youth (“Ordinances and covenants give you access to God’s blessings”) is a good companion to Jeremiah 31:33.

Only have 5 minutes?

Read Jeremiah 31:31–34, 36:20–28 and 38:6–20. It’s the day after Halloween, so start with the standing Swipe Test hook. Let the youth act out Three Responses to the Word from Teach Mode, then do Out of the Mud in pairs. A youth teaches Jeremiah 31:33, then play Which King Is This? with the Name Spinner. Close with Lamentations 3:22–23 and your testimony. Brought nothing? Tap “I brought nothing”: every step has a no-supplies version.

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. Roll a sheet of paper into a scroll and write “The Words of the LORD” across it. The king will tear strips off it during the skit. (No real fire, ever.)
  2. Text a youth on Saturday: “Will you teach a 3-minute part of class on Jeremiah 31:31–34? Come ready to ask: what’s the difference between a rule on a sign and a law written on your heart?” Text another: “Will you play Ebed-melech in a short scene? He’s the hero of Jeremiah 38.”
  3. Read Jeremiah 36, 38 and Lamentations 3:21–26.
  4. Think of a time you were a Zedekiah (you knew what was right but froze because of what people would think) or an Ebed-melech (you acted). You’ll share it briefly.

If your class is wild

  • It’s the day after Halloween: many will be tired, some wired. Get everyone on their feet in the first minute with the Swipe Test, and plan to move again at minute ten.
  • Cast King Jehoiakim as your most dramatic youth. Tearing up the scroll with total disdain gets a laugh and makes the point.
  • Nobody likes being called a Zedekiah. In the game, talk about situations and choices, never about people in the room.
  • Out of the Mud is a hands-only pull. Pair people by similar size and tell them to pull slowly. Anyone can opt out and cheer.
  • If a debate starts about dating standards, stay calm and warm: explain the counsel in For the Strength of Youth, and point out it’s given for their safety and happiness.

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

The Swipe Test

3 min

A standing, fast-reaction hook wakes up post-Halloween teens and introduces the question: what do we do with messages we don’t want to hear?

  1. Everyone stands. Say: “I’ll describe a message. Do what you’d honestly do: swipe left for ignore, hand up for mute, cross your arms for block, or thumbs up for actually read it.”
  2. Call out fast: “A text from your mom that says ‘We need to talk.’” · “A notification that your screen time is up 40%.” · “A friend saying something you did hurt them.” · “A Come, Follow Me reminder.” · “A prompting to apologize to someone.”
  3. Everyone sits. Ask: “Why do we swipe away the messages we most need?”
  4. SAY“A king in Jeremiah had a more dramatic way to swipe left: a knife and a fire. Let’s see three different ways people responded to the Lord’s word.”
🌪️ If they’re sluggish, make it a race: last person to react on each message does five squats.

Class screen: 👆 Ignore, mute, block, or actually read it? · Swipe = ignore · Hand up = mute · Arms crossed = block · Thumbs up = read

2. Story

Three Responses to the Word

6 min

Acting out Jehoiakim, Zedekiah and Ebed-melech shows three ways to respond to truth, and which one the Lord honors.

  1. Hand out roles (tap Roles in Teach Mode). Give King Jehoiakim the paper scroll. Say: “No real fire. Toss the pieces toward the ‘fire’ in the corner.”
  2. Run the scenes. Readers read verses from real scriptures.
  3. After scene 8, put up three fingers. Ask: “Three responses to God’s word: Jehoiakim burned it. Zedekiah believed it but froze. Ebed-melech acted. Which is the most common for teenagers?” (Be honest: usually Zedekiah.)
  4. Ask: “Why was Zedekiah stuck?” Read Jeremiah 38:19 together. Say: “He wasn’t afraid of the army. He was afraid of being mocked.”
🌪️ Let King Jehoiakim tear the scroll dramatically; the laughter is fine. Get quieter for the pit scene so the contrast lands.

Class screen: 📜 Burn it, freeze, or act? Three responses to God’s word · Jehoiakim · Zedekiah · Ebed-melech

No supplies? Do this instead

Instead of: A sheet of paper rolled into a scroll with “The Words of the LORD” written across it (to be torn up in the skit)

Three Responses to the Word (Invisible Scroll)

  1. Hand out roles. King Jehoiakim holds an invisible scroll, pretends to cut strips with an invisible knife, and flicks them toward a pretend fire. Tap fire on the Sound Board.
  2. Run the scenes. Readers read verses from real scriptures.
  3. After scene 8, ask: “Jehoiakim burned it. Zedekiah believed it but froze. Ebed-melech acted. Which is most common for teenagers?”
  4. Read Jeremiah 38:19 together. Say: “He wasn’t afraid of the army. He was afraid of being mocked.”
3. Wiggle break

Out of the Mud

2 min

Pulling each other up off the floor turns Ebed-melech’s rescue, and his thoughtful rags, into something they feel.

  1. Pair up by similar size. One partner sits on the floor: “You’re in the pit.” The other stands, grips forearms, and slowly pulls them up. Switch.
  2. Round 2: groups of four pull one person up together. Say: “Ebed-melech brought thirty men. Rescue is a team sport.”
  3. Ask: “Why do you think the scriptures mention the rags under his arms?” (He thought about how Jeremiah would feel, not just about getting the job done.)
  4. SAY“Real help includes the details. What are the ‘rags’ we can add when we help someone?” (Being gentle, not making it awkward, keeping it private, following up.)
🌪️ Pull slowly, forearms only. Anyone who would rather not can be the cheering section.

Class screen: 🤲 Pull them out of the mud. Gently. · Jeremiah 38:11–13

4. Scripture

Youth-Led: Written in Your Heart

4 min

A youth teaches Jeremiah 31:33 and helps the class think about the difference between obeying because someone is watching and obeying because it’s written in your heart.

  1. The youth you texted reads Jeremiah 31:31–33 and teaches the key verse motions. Everyone says verse 33 together.
  2. Hand everyone two sticky notes. The youth says: “On one, write a commandment or standard you keep mostly because someone else expects it. On the other, one you keep because you actually believe it. Don’t share. Stick the first one on your sleeve and the second one over your heart.”
  3. The youth asks: “What’s the difference between the two? What moves a standard from your sleeve to your heart?” (Understanding why, praying about it, seeing the blessings, making it a covenant.)
  4. The youth reads Jeremiah 31:34 and says: “The new covenant ends with ‘I will remember their sin no more.’ Getting it written in your heart includes repenting and being forgiven.”
  5. Close with a question Elder David A. Bednar asked in April 2023 general conference (in the Conference section): “Are the truths of the Savior’s gospel written in the fleshy tables of our hearts?” Let it sit for a moment.
🌪️ Nobody has to show their notes. If someone wants to crumple theirs up at the end, that’s fine.

Class screen: ❤️ “I will… write it in their hearts.” · Jeremiah 31:33 · Sleeve or heart?

No supplies? Do this instead

Instead of: Sticky notes (two per youth) and pens

Youth-Led: Written in Your Heart (Sleeve or Heart)

  1. The youth you texted reads Jeremiah 31:31–33 and teaches the key verse motions. Everyone says verse 33 together.
  2. The youth says: “Think of a standard you keep mostly because someone else expects it. Tap your sleeve. Now one you keep because you actually believe it. Hand on your heart.”
  3. The youth asks: “What moves a standard from your sleeve to your heart?” (Understanding why, praying about it, seeing the blessings, making it a covenant.)
  4. The youth reads Jeremiah 31:34: “I will remember their sin no more.” Say: “Getting it written in your heart includes repenting and being forgiven.”
5. Game

Which King Is This?

4 min

Sorting real situations into Jehoiakim, Zedekiah or Ebed-melech responses helps youth spot the moment of choice, and practice turning a freeze into action.

  1. Split into two teams. Tap the Name Spinner to pick who answers.
  2. Read a situation. The spun person says which response it is (Jehoiakim = tune it out, Zedekiah = believe it but freeze, Ebed-melech = act). Then their team has 20 seconds to say how to turn it into an Ebed-melech response. A realistic answer scores.
  3. Situations: “You see someone shoved into a locker and keep walking so you won’t be late.” · “You feel you should text a friend who’s been quiet, but it might be weird.” · “A lesson at church hits hard, so you get on your phone.” · “You believe in waiting until 16 to date one-on-one, but you’re afraid friends will laugh when you say no.” · “You know your friends are about to do something sketchy and you want to leave but don’t want to look lame.”
  4. SAY“Most of us are Zedekiah a lot. The good news: the Lord keeps writing the scroll again. Every day you get another chance to act.”
🌪️ If someone gives a preachy answer, ask: “Would you actually say that out loud at school?” Aim for real.
🎡 Name Spinner (a class game in the Gospel Sparks app)

Class screen: 👑 Tune it out, freeze, or act? Which king is this? · Jehoiakim · Zedekiah · Ebed-melech

6. Talk it over

Real Talk: Afraid of Being Mocked

4 min

Honest questions help youth name the fear that freezes them and find courage in the Lord’s promises.

  1. Sit in a circle. A youth reads each question and picks who answers.
  2. Share your own Zedekiah or Ebed-melech moment early.
  3. Let pairs talk first if the room is quiet.
💬 Ask the class
  • Zedekiah was more afraid of being mocked than of disobeying God (Jeremiah 38:19). Why is that fear so powerful for teens?
  • Jehoiakim didn’t just disagree; he destroyed the message. What are modern ways people “burn the scroll” instead of hearing hard truth?
  • Ebed-melech was an outsider in the palace, and he was the one who acted. Why do you think it’s sometimes the unexpected person who stands up?
  • What’s one gospel standard you’ve felt move from your sleeve to your heart? What made it move?
  • Lamentations 3:23 says the Lord’s mercies are “new every morning.” How could that change the way you start tomorrow, especially after a bad day?

Class screen: 💬 Real talk: why is being mocked so scary?

7. Testimony

New Every Morning

2 min

A short, honest testimony ends with hope: the Lord keeps writing His word again and gives new mercy every day.

  1. Read Lamentations 3:22–23 quietly.
  2. Briefly share your Zedekiah or Ebed-melech moment and what you learned about the Lord from it.
  3. SAY“The king burned the scroll, and the Lord wrote it again. You can’t burn His love for you either. His mercy is new tomorrow morning.” Give the challenge and invite a youth to pray.

Class screen: 🌅 His mercies are new every morning. · Lamentations 3:22–23

8. Game

Scripture Showdown

4 minBONUS

A quick team quiz reviews Jeremiah 31–39 and Lamentations.

  1. Two teams. Tap Scripture Showdown.
  2. 10 seconds per question; bonus point for finding the verse.
▶ Play Scripture Showdown on the web

Class screen: 🏆 Scripture Showdown: Jeremiah 31–39

9. Game

Tug of War: Out of the Mire

2 minBONUS

A burst of energy for a sleepy post-Halloween room.

  1. Tap Tug of War. Team Ebed-melech vs. Team Thirty Men (both are the good guys; it’s about speed).
  2. Best two out of three. The losing team reads Jeremiah 38:13 aloud together.
🪢 Tug of War (a class game in the Gospel Sparks app)

Class screen: 🪢 Tug of War: pull Jeremiah out of the mire!

Story drama

Three Responses to the Word

Jeremiah 36:1–32; 38:1–20; 39:15–18 ↗

Parts to hand out

  • JeremiahThe prophet. Dictates the scroll, gets thrown in the pit, and reads Jeremiah 38:20 to the king.
  • BaruchJeremiah’s scribe. Writes the scroll, reads it at the temple, and writes it all over again.
  • King JehoiakimSits by the fire, bored, tearing strips off the scroll and tossing them in.
  • King ZedekiahMeets Jeremiah in secret, clearly believes him, and is too afraid of what people will say to act.
  • Ebed-melechAn Ethiopian servant in the palace. The only one who acts. Brings rags so the ropes don’t hurt.
  • The PrincesTwo or three officials who want Jeremiah silenced and lower him into the mud.
  • The Thirty MenEveryone else: they help Ebed-melech pull Jeremiah out of the pit.

Scenes

  1. ✍️📜 Jeremiah dictates, Baruch writes

    The Lord tells Jeremiah to write down every warning He has given, hoping the people will hear it and turn back so He can forgive them. Jeremiah is banned from the temple, so he dictates and his scribe Baruch writes it all on a scroll and reads it to the people.

    🎬 Jeremiah mimes dictating; Baruch mimes writing on the scroll. Baruch reads Jeremiah 36:3 aloud from real scriptures.

  2. 🤴🔥 King Jehoiakim by the fire

    It’s winter. The king sits by a fire in his winter house while the scroll is read to him. Every three or four columns, he cuts off what was just read with a knife and tosses it in the fire. He keeps going until the whole thing is gone.

    🎬 King Jehoiakim tears a strip off the scroll every few seconds, yawning, and tosses it toward a pretend fire. The Narrator reads Jeremiah 36:23.

  3. 😐🧊 Nobody even flinched

    Here’s the chilling part: the king and his servants aren’t afraid, and nobody is sorry. A few officials begged him not to burn it, but he wouldn’t listen. The Lord’s answer is simple: write it all again. His word doesn’t burn.

    🎬 Baruch reads Jeremiah 36:28 and starts writing a new scroll, calmly. The Crowd mutters, “He just… wrote it again.”

  4. 😠🕳️ Thrown into the mud

    Years later a new king, Zedekiah, is on the throne, and Babylon’s army is outside the walls. Some officials say Jeremiah is discouraging everyone. They lower him on ropes into a cistern with no water, just mud, and Jeremiah sinks into it.

    🎬 The Princes lower Jeremiah slowly to sit on the floor. Jeremiah sinks lower and lower. The Narrator reads Jeremiah 38:6.

  5. 🦸🏃 Ebed-melech goes to the king

    One man in the palace can’t stand it: Ebed-melech, an Ethiopian servant, an outsider. He walks right up to the king in public and says: what these men did is evil, and Jeremiah will die down there.

    🎬 Ebed-melech crosses the room, stands in front of King Zedekiah, and reads Jeremiah 38:9. The Princes glare at him.

  6. 🧵🤲 Rags so the ropes won’t hurt

    The king gives him thirty men. Ebed-melech grabs old worn-out rags and lowers them down first, telling Jeremiah to put them under his arms so the ropes don’t cut into him. Then they pull him out of the mud.

    🎬 Ebed-melech and the Thirty Men pull Jeremiah up by the hands, slowly and carefully. Everyone cheers.

  7. 👑🤫 Zedekiah’s secret meeting

    King Zedekiah secretly brings Jeremiah to ask him for the truth. Jeremiah tells him what the Lord wants. Zedekiah seems to believe it. But he admits his real problem: he’s afraid of what people will do, and afraid they’ll mock him.

    🎬 Zedekiah looks around nervously and whispers. He reads Jeremiah 38:19. Jeremiah answers with Jeremiah 38:20: “Obey, I beseech thee.”

  8. 🛡️💛 “Because thou hast put thy trust in me”

    Zedekiah never acts, and Jerusalem falls. But the Lord sends a message to Ebed-melech: I will deliver you in that day, because you trusted Me. The outsider who acted is the one the Lord singles out.

    🎬 Jeremiah reads Jeremiah 39:17–18 to Ebed-melech. Everyone stands and applauds the outsider.

Key verse

Jeremiah 31:33 ↗
“I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people.”
In plain words: I won’t just give you rules from the outside. I’ll write My law inside you, on your heart. I’ll be your God, and you’ll be Mine.
🙌 “I will put my law in their inward parts” = hand from forehead down to stomach · “and write it in their hearts” = trace writing over your heart with one finger · “will be their God” = point up · “they shall be my people” = open arms to the whole circle.

More verses

Jeremiah 36:23 ↗
“he cut it with the penknife, and cast it into the fire that was on the hearth, until all the roll was consumed”
In plain words: The king cut up God’s word piece by piece and burned it until nothing was left.
Jeremiah 38:19 ↗
“I am afraid of the Jews that are fallen to the Chaldeans, lest they deliver me into their hand, and they mock me.”
In plain words: Zedekiah believed, but he was afraid of what people would do and afraid they’d mock him.
Jeremiah 39:18 ↗
“For I will surely deliver thee … because thou hast put thy trust in me, saith the LORD.”
In plain words: The Lord told Ebed-melech: I will protect you, because you trusted Me.
Lamentations 3:22–23 ↗
“It is of the LORD’S mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.”
In plain words: We haven’t been wiped out because the Lord’s mercy never runs out. It’s brand new every morning.

Forehead Guess words16 words

  • 🧔 Jeremiah
  • ✍️ Baruch
  • 📜 Scroll
  • 🔪 Penknife
  • 🤴 Jehoiakim
  • 👑 Zedekiah
  • 🦸 Ebed-melech
  • 🟫 Mire
  • 🧵 Rags
  • 🪢 Cords
  • 🤝 New covenant
  • ❤️ Heart
  • 🏰 Babylon
  • 😢 Lamentations
  • 🌅 New every morning
  • 🔥 Winter house
Clues for each word
  • Jeremiah: Prophet thrown into a muddy pit
  • Baruch: Scribe who wrote the scroll twice
  • Scroll: The king burned it piece by piece
  • Penknife: What Jehoiakim cut the scroll with
  • Jehoiakim: King who burned God’s word
  • Zedekiah: King afraid of being mocked
  • Ebed-melech: Ethiopian who rescued Jeremiah
  • Mire: The mud Jeremiah sank into
  • Rags: Padding so the ropes wouldn’t hurt
  • Cords: Used to lower and lift Jeremiah
  • New covenant: Law written in hearts (31:31–33)
  • Heart: Where God writes His law
  • Babylon: Army that surrounded Jerusalem
  • Lamentations: Book of mourning for Jerusalem
  • New every morning: The Lord’s mercies (Lam. 3:23)
  • Winter house: Where the king sat by the fire
▶ Play Forehead GuessFull screen, 60-second timer, works on any phone.

Scripture Showdown10 questions

  1. Who wrote down Jeremiah’s words on the scroll?
    • A. Ebed-melech
    • B. Baruch
    • C. Zedekiah
    Show answer

    ✅ B. Baruch Jeremiah 36:4. Baruch was Jeremiah’s scribe.

  2. What did King Jehoiakim do with the scroll?
    • A. Cut it up and burned it
    • B. Hid it in the temple
    • C. Read it every day
    Show answer

    ✅ A. Cut it up and burned it Jeremiah 36:23. Piece by piece, into the fire.

  3. What did the Lord tell Jeremiah to do after the scroll burned?
    • A. Give up
    • B. Leave the country
    • C. Write it all again
    Show answer

    ✅ C. Write it all again Jeremiah 36:28, 32. God’s word can’t be burned out of existence.

  4. What was at the bottom of the pit Jeremiah was lowered into?
    • A. Water
    • B. Mire (mud)
    • C. Lions
    Show answer

    ✅ B. Mire (mud) Jeremiah 38:6. No water, just mud, and he sank in it.

  5. Who went to the king to rescue Jeremiah?
    • A. Ebed-melech the Ethiopian
    • B. Pashur
    • C. Baruch
    Show answer

    ✅ A. Ebed-melech the Ethiopian Jeremiah 38:7–13. An outsider in the palace was the one who acted.

  6. Why did Ebed-melech send down old rags?
    • A. To clean the mud
    • B. To pad the ropes under Jeremiah’s arms
    • C. To keep him warm
    Show answer

    ✅ B. To pad the ropes under Jeremiah’s arms Jeremiah 38:12. He cared about the details of helping.

  7. What was Zedekiah afraid of in Jeremiah 38:19?
    • A. The dark
    • B. Losing his crown jewels
    • C. Being handed over and mocked
    Show answer

    ✅ C. Being handed over and mocked He believed Jeremiah but feared what people would do and say.

  8. In the new covenant, where does the Lord write His law?
    • A. On stone tablets
    • B. On the temple doors
    • C. In their hearts
    Show answer

    ✅ C. In their hearts Jeremiah 31:33. Not just outside rules, but a changed heart.

  9. Lamentations 3:23 says the Lord’s mercies are new every…
    • A. morning
    • B. year
    • C. Sabbath
    Show answer

    ✅ A. morning “Great is thy faithfulness.” Every day is a fresh start.

  10. Why did the Lord promise to deliver Ebed-melech?
    • A. He was rich
    • B. He put his trust in the Lord
    • C. He was a priest
    Show answer

    ✅ B. He put his trust in the Lord Jeremiah 39:18: “because thou hast put thy trust in me.”

▶ Play Scripture ShowdownTeams take turns on one screen.

From general conference

“Are the truths of the Savior’s gospel written in the fleshy tables of our hearts?”

— Elder David A. Bednar, ““Abide in Me, and I in You; Therefore Walk with Me”,” April 2023

Ask it after the sticky notes in Written in Your Heart, and let it sit in silence for a moment.

Read the talk ↗

Songs

  • Choose the Right Hymns, no. 239

    Ebed-melech in a hymn: when the moment comes, act. Find it ↗

  • Count Your Blessings Hymns, no. 241

    Pairs with Lamentations 3:22–23: even in hard times, His mercies are new every morning. Find it ↗

  • I Need Thee Every Hour Hymns, no. 98

    A prayer for the Zedekiah moments when we know what’s right and need strength to do it. Find it ↗

This week’s challenge

Be an Ebed-melech

This week, watch for one person who’s “in the mud”: left out, struggling, or being treated badly. Do one real thing to help, and add a “rag” (make it gentle, private and kind). Each morning, read Lamentations 3:22–23 before you check your phone.

Text the parents

This week in class the youth acted out three responses to God’s word from Jeremiah: King Jehoiakim burned the scroll (36:23), King Zedekiah believed Jeremiah but was too afraid of being mocked to act (38:19), and Ebed-melech, an outsider, rescued Jeremiah from a muddy pit, even padding the ropes with rags (38:7–13). We talked about the Lord writing His law “in their hearts” (31:33) and His mercies being “new every morning” (Lamentations 3:23). Ask your teen: which of the three responses is hardest to avoid, and what would an Ebed-melech do at their school?

📝 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?

🌾 Buying a Field in a War Zone · 4 min

  1. Read Jeremiah 32:6–15. With Babylon’s army outside, the Lord tells Jeremiah to buy a field and seal the deed in a jar.
  2. Ask: “Why would anyone buy land in a city about to be conquered?” Read 32:15: houses and fields shall be possessed again.
  3. Ask: “What’s one ‘field’ you could invest in now because you trust the Lord’s future for you (education, a mission, a temple marriage, a talent)?”

🖤 Lamentations Honesty · 4 min

  1. Read Lamentations 1:1–2 and 3:17–18. The writer is brutally honest about grief.
  2. Then read 3:21–26. Ask: “What changed? What does he ‘recall to mind’?”
  3. Ask: “Is it faithful to be honest with God about sadness?” Invite youth to write a private, honest prayer that ends with something they remember about the Lord.

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 14–16 lessons