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What Does the Lord Actually Want?

An offering auction, a pairs search through four short prophets, and Habakkuk’s brutally honest prayers

  • 🔥 Youth 14–15
  • Week 49
  • 📅 Sunday, December 6, 2026
🤔 Forehead Guess🏆 Showdown
💡 The big idea

The Lord isn’t impressed by a performance; He wants me to do justly, love mercy and walk humbly with Him, and He welcomes my honest questions while I wait on His timing.

I can do justly, love mercy and walk humbly with God, and bring Him my real questions instead of hiding them.

Come, Follow Me manualOpen this week (Micah; Nahum; Habakkuk; Zephaniah)
Know the chapters

Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk and Zephaniah are four short books near the end of the Old Testament. Micah prophesied in Judah at the same time as Isaiah, about seven hundred years before Jesus was born. Judah’s leaders took bribes and its priests taught for pay. Yet they felt safe, saying, “Is not the LORD among us? none evil can come upon us.” That’s Micah 3:11. They kept up the look of religion while treating people badly. Nahum foretold the fall of Nineveh, the capital of Assyria. Habakkuk wrote as Babylon was rising. Zephaniah preached in the days of King Josiah. All four warned about pride, and all four pointed to the Lord’s mercy.

Micah 6:6–8 is the center of today. Micah imagines people offering bigger and bigger sacrifices. Calves, then thousands of rams, then ten thousand rivers of oil. Then he gives the Lord’s real answer: “to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God.” Fourteen- to sixteen-year-olds live in a world of highlight reels. It’s easy to perform goodness for an audience. Micah cuts through that. The Lord cares about fairness when no one’s watching. He cares about wanting to be merciful, not just forgiving grudgingly. And He cares about a humble, daily walk with Him. Jesus named the same three things, “judgment, mercy, and faith,” as the weightier matters of the law, in Matthew 23:23.

Habakkuk is a gift for teenagers. His book opens with a complaint: “O LORD, how long shall I cry, and thou wilt not hear!” That’s Habakkuk 1:2. The Lord answers that He’ll use Babylon to discipline Judah. Habakkuk is even more confused and says so, in 1:12–13. Then he does something wise. He climbs his watchtower to wait for the answer, in 2:1. The Lord tells him the vision will come at the appointed time: “though it tarry, wait for it,” in 2:3. By chapter 3, nothing outside is fixed yet. But Habakkuk sings, “Yet I will rejoice in the LORD,” in 3:17–18. Let your class know honest questions aren’t a lack of faith. Bringing them to the Lord is faith. Joseph Smith asked similar questions in Liberty Jail and received peace, in Doctrine and Covenants 121:1–8.

Keep Christmas in view too. Micah named the Savior’s birthplace, Bethlehem, “little among the thousands of Judah,” in Micah 5:2. Seven hundred years later, Herod’s chief priests and scribes quoted Micah to the wise men, in Matthew 2:4–6. Micah also taught that the Lord “delighteth in mercy.” He casts forgiven sins “into the depths of the sea,” in Micah 7:18–19. Zephaniah promised the Lord will rejoice over His people with singing, in Zephaniah 3:17. The God who asks us to love mercy is the most merciful Being of all. That’s exactly why He sent His Son.

Only have 5 minutes?

Read Micah 6:6–8 and Habakkuk 1–3. Run the offering auction. Give each pair a passage from the Teach Mode scenes and have them report one insight. Or read each passage aloud yourself. Say Micah 6:8 in three beats and ask two Real Talk questions. Close with an honest question you once brought to the Lord. Brought nothing? Tap “I brought nothing.” Every step still works.

What to bring2 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. Read Micah 6 and Habakkuk 1–3. Skim the search scenes so you can help pairs find their verses.
  2. Think of an honest question you once brought to the Lord. Remember how the answer came, or that you’re still waiting.
  3. Optional: line up a youth to run the auction as the auctioneer.

If your class is wild

  • Teens can smell a lecture. Ask more than you tell. Let silence sit for ten seconds after a question. Someone will fill it.
  • Keep the search tight. Three minutes on the Big Timer, then straight into reports. Pairs who wander get the timer, not a lecture.
  • Some youth carry real doubts or hard situations. When Habakkuk comes up, make it clear questions are welcome here. Follow up privately with anyone who seems to be hurting.
  • Give leadership to the ones who test you. The loudest youth can run the auction or report first.
  • Phones are fine for Gospel Library. If they wander, say, “Scriptures open, everything else face down. You can check it the second class ends.”

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

The Offering Auction

3 min

Out-bidding each other to impress God sets up Micah’s surprisingly quiet answer.

  1. SAY“Welcome to the auction. Today’s prize is God being impressed with you. What will you offer? Highest bid wins.”
  2. Grab an imaginary gavel. The two sides shout bids that top each other. “Read the Book of Mormon in a week!” “Never miss seminary!” “Post a scripture every day!”
  3. Bang the gavel.
  4. SAY“Hold those bids. One of the passages you’re about to search has the Lord’s answer to this exact auction.”
🌪️ Give the auctioneer job to the loudest youth in the room. It’s a gift to everyone.

Class screen: 🔨 The auction: what would impress God?

2. Story

Search: Four Prophets and Some Honest Questions

9 min

Pairs finding the key moments in Micah and Habakkuk themselves discover what the Lord wants and how He treats honest questions.

  1. SAY“Four short books. Seven passages. Each pair gets one. Find what the scene asks for, plus one line worth remembering. You’ve got three minutes.”
  2. Assign scenes 1 to 7 to pairs. Short on people? Double up or skip scene 7. Start the Big Timer and help pairs find their verses.
  3. Go in order on the screen. Each pair reads their key line and gives one insight in a sentence or two.
  4. After scene 6, ask: “Habakkuk’s situation didn’t change between chapter one and chapter three. So what did?”
🌪️ Pair a strong reader with a quieter youth. Phones are fine for Gospel Library. Everything else goes face down.
⏱️ Big Timer (a class game in the Gospel Sparks app)

Class screen: 🔎 Search it: what the scene asks, plus one line worth remembering · 3 minutes per pair

No supplies? Do this instead

Instead of: Scriptures for each pair (their own, a classroom set, or Gospel Library on their phones)

  1. SAY“Each pair gets a passage to listen for. I’ll read it. You catch what the scene asks for.”
  2. Assign scenes 1 to 7 to pairs. Read each passage aloud while its scene is on the screen.
  3. After each passage, that pair gives their one insight in a sentence or two.
  4. After scene 6, ask: “Habakkuk’s situation didn’t change. What did?”
3. Scripture

Who Won the Auction?

4 min

Saying Micah 6:8 in three beats and putting each beat in real life makes the key verse stick.

  1. SAY“So who won the auction?”
  2. Show Micah 6:8. One side says “to do justly.” The other says “and to love mercy.” Everyone says “and to walk humbly with thy God.”
  3. Swap sides and say it again. Then say it once with the screen hidden.
  4. Ask each third of the room for one real example of their phrase at school, in sports or online.
  5. SAY“Loving mercy means you want to show it. Not just doing it when you’re forced to. Walking humbly means staying close to God every day.”

Class screen: 🚶 Do justly · love mercy · walk humbly with God · Micah 6:8

4. Talk it over

Real Talk

5 min

Honest questions connect Micah’s performance problem and Habakkuk’s waiting to the youth’s own lives.

  1. SAY“One question per screen. Honest beats polished.”
  2. Let silence sit ten seconds before you rescue anyone. Briefly share your own answer to at least one.
  3. You don’t need to fix every answer. If something heavy comes up, thank them and follow up after class.
💬 Ask the class
  • Why is it so tempting to perform religion for other people, instead of living it?
  • What’s the difference between doing merciful things and loving mercy?
  • Habakkuk told God exactly how he felt. How do you think God feels about that kind of prayer?
  • Habakkuk said, “Yet I will rejoice,” before anything was fixed. What would that look like on a hard week?

Class screen: 💬 Real talk

5. Testimony

One Honest Question

3 min

A quiet testimony and a private question invite youth to bring the Lord what they’re really wondering.

  1. SAY“Let me tell you about an honest question I brought to the Lord.”
  2. Share how the answer came. Or share that you’re still waiting and still trust Him.
  3. Hand out cards. Each person writes one real question for Heavenly Father on one side. On the other, they write “Micah 6:8.” It stays private.
  4. Show the challenge. Invite someone to say the closing prayer.

Class screen: 🗼 Bring Him your honest question. · Habakkuk 2:1–3

No supplies? Do this instead

Instead of: One index card or sticky note per person, and a few pens

  1. SAY“Let me tell you about an honest question I brought to the Lord.”
  2. Share how the answer came, or that you’re still waiting.
  3. SAY“Put one real question for Heavenly Father in your phone’s notes, or just hold it in your mind. Take it to Him tonight.”
  4. Show the challenge. Invite someone to say the closing prayer.
6. Wiggle break

Take a Stand

3 minBONUS

Walking to a spot on hard statements gets bodies moving and opinions honest.

  1. SAY“This wall is totally agree. That wall is totally disagree. The middle is it’s complicated. Walk to your spot.”
  2. Read each one. “It’s okay to be frustrated with God.” “If God doesn’t answer fast, the answer is no.” “Mercy is harder than justice.”
  3. After each, ask one person from each end why, in a sentence. No debating. Just listen.

Class screen: ↔️ Agree, disagree, or it’s complicated?

7. Game

Scripture Showdown

4 minBONUS

A quick team quiz reviews Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk and Zephaniah.

  1. SAY“Two teams. Pick your captains.”
  2. Tap Scripture Showdown. Teams huddle ten seconds, and only the captain answers. A missed question can be stolen by naming the verse.
▶ Play Scripture Showdown on the web

Class screen: 🏆 Scripture Showdown: the minor prophets

Scripture search in pairs

Search: Four Prophets and Some Honest Questions

Micah 3:11; 5:2; 6:6–8; 7:18–19; Habakkuk 1:2–4; 2:1–3; 3:17–18; Zephaniah 3:17; Matthew 2:4–6 ↗

Scenes

  1. 😎📱 Micah 3:11 · A comfortable nation

    Micah came from a small country town. In Judah, the leaders took bribes. The priests taught for money. But everyone felt perfectly safe.

    🙌 Look for this: why they thought nothing bad could happen to them.

  2. 🐏💰 Micah 6:6–8 · The offering auction

    Micah imagines people asking what they could offer to impress God. And the bids keep getting bigger.

    🙌 Look for this: the biggest bid, and what the Lord actually asks for instead.

  3. 🌟🏘️ Micah 5:2 · Matthew 2:4–6

    Micah looked far ahead to where Israel’s true Ruler would come from. Seven hundred years later, someone looked it up.

    🙌 Look for this: the town Micah named, and who quoted him centuries later.

  4. 😩🙏 Habakkuk 1:2–4 · How long? Why?

    Habakkuk saw violence and injustice everywhere. It looked like God was doing nothing. So he said so.

    🙌 Look for this: what Habakkuk asks, and how honest he is about it.

  5. 🗼⏳ Habakkuk 2:1–3 · Waiting on the watchtower

    Habakkuk got an answer that confused him even more. Then he did something wise.

    🙌 Look for this: what Habakkuk does while he waits, and what the Lord promises.

  6. 🌾🎶 Habakkuk 3:17–18 · “Yet I will rejoice”

    By the end of the book, nothing on the outside has been fixed yet. But something in Habakkuk has changed.

    🙌 Look for this: everything that goes wrong, and the one word that turns it around.

  7. 🌊💛 Micah 7:18–19 · Zephaniah 3:17

    Two short prophets end with pictures of what God is like toward people who come back to Him.

    🙌 Look for this: where our sins end up, and what the Lord does over His people.

Key verse

Micah 6:8 ↗
“He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?”
In plain words: You already know what’s good: be fair and do what’s right, actually want to be merciful, and walk through life humbly beside God.
🙌 Say it in three “beats” as a class: one side of the room says “to do justly,” the other says “and to love mercy,” and everyone says “and to walk humbly with thy God.” Then swap sides and try it with no screen.

More verses

Habakkuk 1:2 ↗
“O LORD, how long shall I cry, and thou wilt not hear! even cry out unto thee of violence, and thou wilt not save!”
In plain words: Lord, how long do I have to keep praying before You answer? I keep telling You about the bad things happening, and nothing changes.
Habakkuk 2:3 ↗
“though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry.”
In plain words: Even if the answer seems slow, wait for it. It is coming, right on God’s schedule.
Habakkuk 3:17–18 ↗
“Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines … Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation.”
In plain words: Even if everything I was counting on falls through, I will still choose joy in the Lord, because He is the one who saves me.
Micah 7:18–19 ↗
“he delighteth in mercy … thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea.”
In plain words: God loves being merciful. When we repent, He throws our sins into the deepest part of the ocean.

Forehead Guess words18 words

  • 🧑‍🌾 Micah
  • 🏰 Nahum
  • 🗼 Habakkuk
  • 🎶 Zephaniah
  • 🏘️ Bethlehem
  • 🏙️ Nineveh
  • 🌪️ Babylon
  • 👀 Watchtower
  • 🛡️ Stronghold
  • 🛢️ Rivers of Oil
  • 🌳 Fig Tree
  • ⚖️ Justice
  • 💗 Mercy
  • 🙇 Humility
  • 💰 Bribe
  • 🌊 Depths of the Sea
  • 👑 Herod
  • 🔭 Wise Men
Clues for each word
  • Micah: Country prophet who named Bethlehem 700 years early
  • Nahum: Said the Lord is a strong hold in the day of trouble
  • Habakkuk: Asked God “How long?” and waited on a watchtower
  • Zephaniah: Said the Lord will rejoice over His people with singing
  • Bethlehem: “Little among the thousands of Judah”
  • Nineveh: Assyria’s proud capital that Nahum said would fall
  • Babylon: The fierce nation that confused Habakkuk even more
  • Watchtower: Where Habakkuk climbed to wait for an answer
  • Stronghold: A fortress; Nahum says the Lord is one
  • Rivers of Oil: Ten thousand of them still aren’t what God wants
  • Fig Tree: Even if it didn’t blossom, Habakkuk would rejoice
  • Justice: Being fair and doing right when no one’s watching
  • Mercy: The Lord delights in it, Micah says
  • Humility: How Micah says to walk with God
  • Bribe: Judah’s judges took these, says Micah 3:11
  • Depths of the Sea: Where forgiven sins get thrown
  • Herod: Nervous king whose scribes quoted Micah
  • Wise Men: Asked in Jerusalem where the newborn King was
▶ Play Forehead GuessFull screen, 60-second timer, works on any phone.

Scripture Showdown10 questions

  1. Micah 6:7 imagines offering ten thousand rivers of what?
    • A. Oil
    • B. Milk
    • C. Wine
    Show answer

    ✅ A. Oil Micah 6:7. Even that wouldn’t replace a just, merciful, humble heart.

  2. What three things does Micah 6:8 say the Lord requires?
    • A. Fast, pray, tithe
    • B. Do justly, love mercy, walk humbly
    • C. Build, sacrifice, obey
    Show answer

    ✅ B. Do justly, love mercy, walk humbly Three quiet things that are harder than any big show.

  3. Jesus called judgment, mercy and faith the “weightier matters” of what?
    • A. The temple
    • B. The harvest
    • C. The law
    Show answer

    ✅ C. The law Matthew 23:23: the same three ideas Micah taught.

  4. Why did Judah’s leaders feel safe in Micah 3:11?
    • A. They had a huge army
    • B. They said, “Is not the LORD among us?”
    • C. They had paid Assyria
    Show answer

    ✅ B. They said, “Is not the LORD among us?” They kept the look of religion while taking bribes. Micah called it out.

  5. What was Habakkuk’s first prayer in his book?
    • A. “How long shall I cry?”
    • B. “Thank you for everything”
    • C. “Send me”
    Show answer

    ✅ A. “How long shall I cry?” Habakkuk 1:2. An honest complaint, and it’s in the scriptures on purpose.

  6. Which nation did the Lord say He would raise up, confusing Habakkuk?
    • A. Egypt
    • B. Persia
    • C. Babylon (the Chaldeans)
    Show answer

    ✅ C. Babylon (the Chaldeans) Habakkuk 1:6. Habakkuk couldn’t see why, so he kept asking.

  7. What did the Lord tell Habakkuk about the vision that seemed slow?
    • A. Forget about it
    • B. Wait for it; it will surely come
    • C. It already happened
    Show answer

    ✅ B. Wait for it; it will surely come Habakkuk 2:3. God’s timing isn’t our timing, but it’s sure.

  8. Nahum 1:7 calls the Lord a strong hold in the day of what?
    • A. Trouble
    • B. Harvest
    • C. Battle
    Show answer

    ✅ A. Trouble When life gets hard, He’s the safe place.

  9. Who read Micah’s Bethlehem prophecy to King Herod?
    • A. The wise men
    • B. The shepherds
    • C. The chief priests and scribes
    Show answer

    ✅ C. The chief priests and scribes Matthew 2:4–6. Herod’s own experts knew the answer was in Micah.

  10. Micah 7:19 says forgiven sins are cast where?
    • A. Into a fire
    • B. Into the depths of the sea
    • C. Behind a mountain
    Show answer

    ✅ B. Into the depths of the sea The Lord delights in mercy. When we repent, He doesn’t keep our sins on display.

▶ Play Scripture ShowdownTeams take turns on one screen.

Songs

  • O Little Town of Bethlehem Hymns, no. 208

    The little town Micah named 700 years early. A great opening hymn for the first Sunday of December. Find it ↗

  • Did You Think to Pray? Hymns, no. 140

    Habakkuk took everything, even his frustration, to the Lord in prayer. Find it ↗

  • Choose the Right Hymns, no. 239

    “Do justly” in hymn form: choosing right when it’s hard and no one is watching. Find it ↗

This week’s challenge

Watchtower Week

Take your honest question to Heavenly Father in prayer every night this week. Each night, write one thing you noticed that day in a phone note. It might be a verse, a thought or a moment. And do one Micah 6:8 thing a day. Do something fair, merciful or humble that no one else sees.

Text the parents

Today in class we looked at what the Lord really wants from us. It isn’t a performance. It’s to “do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God,” in Micah 6:8. We also studied Habakkuk, who asked God hard questions and waited on His timing. Ask your teen which part of Micah 6:8 is hardest right now. And what would Habakkuk say to someone waiting on an answer?

📝 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?

🚜 Swords into Plowshares · 5 min

  1. Read Micah 4:1–3 and Isaiah 2:2–4. They’re almost identical, because Micah and Isaiah lived at the same time.
  2. Ask what “the mountain of the house of the LORD” is today. It’s the temple.
  3. Ask what turning a sword into a plowshare looks like at school or online. Take something used to hurt and use it to help.

🧾 Knowing Isn’t Going · 4 min

  1. One youth reads Micah 5:2. Another reads Matthew 2:1–6.
  2. Ask: “Herod’s scribes knew the answer instantly. Why didn’t they go to Bethlehem themselves?”
  3. Ask: “Can you know the scriptures and still miss the Savior? How do we avoid that?”

🌱 Seek Ye the Lord, All Ye Meek · 5 min

  1. Read Zephaniah 2:3 and 3:12–13. Make two quick lists. What were the proud doing? What were the meek people the Lord kept safe like?
  2. Compare it to “Make inspired choices” at the start of For the Strength of Youth. It invites you to make Jesus Christ your standard for every choice.
  3. Ask: “Is meek the same as weak? Who do you know who’s meek and strong?”

⛈️ Questions in the Storm · 5 min

  1. Read Habakkuk 1:2 and Mark 4:37–40. Then sum up Doctrine and Covenants 121:1–8. In Liberty Jail, Joseph Smith asked the Lord, “Where art thou?”
  2. Ask: “All three asked some version of ‘Don’t You care?’ How did the Lord answer each time?”
  3. Invite them to think of one place to take their questions. Prayer, scriptures, seminary, a parent or a leader.

🎲 Dilemma Draw · 5 min

  1. Name three walls: Justly, Mercy and Humbly.
  2. Read a real-life dilemma. A friend cheats and asks you to cover. A teammate gets blamed for your mistake. Someone who was mean to you needs help. Everyone walks to the part of Micah 6:8 being tested most.
  3. Ask one person at each wall to make their case. Then ask the room, “Okay, but what would you actually do?”

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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