Obedient Servants of God

By Laurel Rohlfing

Blessed are they that hear the word of God, and keep it (Luke 11:28).

King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon created a golden image and commanded all his people to worship it. Anyone who would not bow down and worship the image was to be thrown into a fiery furnace.

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego were faithful servants of God. They told the king that they would not bow down or worship anyone but Heavenly Father. They bore their testimonies to the king and said, “Our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace.” They added that even if God chose not to preserve their lives, they still would “not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up” (Dan. 3:17–18).

King Nebuchadnezzar was angry and commanded that the furnace be made as hot as possible and that Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego then be thrown into it. The fire was so intense that it killed the mighty soldiers who threw them in. When the king looked into the furnace, he was astonished to see the men walking about—and with them was a fourth person, who looked “like the Son of God” (Dan. 3:25).

When the king called for the three men to come out from the furnace, he saw that not even their hair or their clothes had been burned. They didn’t even smell of fire. The king then commanded all his people to respect the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego.

From this experience, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego must have known with even greater confidence that God lived and watched over them. Like these obedient servants of God, our testimonies will also grow and be strengthened as we obey Heavenly Father’s commandments and live as He wants us to live.

Instructions

Read each set of riddles about people in the scriptures whose testimonies were strong because they were obedient to the commandments of God. As soon as you can guess who the person is, write his or her name in the blank. Mount the puppet figures on heavy paper, cut them out, and glue each one onto a flat stick. Use the puppets to retell the riddles to your friends and family.

___________________
1. I was born in Jerusalem.
2. My father was a prophet who led his family into the wilderness.
3. I obeyed my father when he told my brothers and me that the Lord wanted us to return to Jerusalem to get the brass plates from Laban.
4. I was obedient to the Lord and built a ship to carry my family to the promised land.
  
  (See 1 Ne. 2, 1 Ne. 3, 1 Ne. 18.)
___________________
1. I was a priest of wicked King Noah.
2. I believed the preaching of the prophet Abinadi and repented.
3. I baptized many people in the waters of Mormon.
4. I was obedient to God’s commandments. With His authority, I founded His church and was a high priest over the people.
  
  (See Mosiah 17, Mosiah 18, Mosiah 23.)
___________________
1. I was engaged to be married to Joseph.
2. An angel visited me and told me that I would be the mother of the Son of God.
3. I was obedient to God and said, “Be it unto me according to thy word.”
4. My baby was born in a stable in Bethlehem.
  
  (See Luke 1:26–38; Luke 2:4–7.)
___________________
1. Jesus’ twelve Apostles called me to help the widows.
2. Because I was obedient to God’s commandments, I was full of faith and power and did great wonders and miracles among the people.
3. I bore testimony that I saw Jesus standing on the right hand of God.
4. I was stoned to death for my testimony of Jesus.
  
  (See Acts 6, Acts 7.)
___________________
1. I persecuted members of Jesus’ church.
2. While I was traveling on the road to Damascus, Jesus appeared to me and told me to repent, which I did.
3. I was obedient to God’s commandments and was chosen to be an Apostle. I served many missions.
4. Because I bore testimony of Jesus Christ, I was imprisoned for many years and was finally put to death in Rome.
  
  (See Acts 8, Acts 9; Bible Dictionary—Paul.)
___________________
1. I went to the woods and prayed to know which church I should join.
2. Heavenly Father and Jesus appeared to me and told me to join none of the churches that existed then.
3. I was obedient to God and helped restore the true Church to the earth.
4. I was put into prison many times and was martyred for my testimony.
  
  (See JS—H 1.)

Answers:

Sharing Time Ideas

Divide children into groups and let them dramatize scripture stories of men and women who were obedient servants of God. Prepare bags with simple props or costumes to go with each story.
Have the children find the letters in the word obedience by giving them clues using scriptures about obedience. (See Topical Guide, “Obedience.”) For example, for o, the clue might be “Matthew 7:21 [Matt. 7:21] (seventeenth word, first letter).” Have the children read the scriptures to each other.
Discuss rules and laws that we should obey in our families, schools, and country. Divide children into groups, or have a panel discussion, and discuss the benefits of obedience and the consequences of disobedience. Have each group report their findings. Younger children could tell how they were obedient during the week and draw a picture.
Discuss Doctrine and Covenants 82:10 [D&C 82:10]. As an analogy, explain the laws of nature. For example: If you drop an object, it always falls to the ground or if you rub your hands together quickly, they always get warmer. The results will always be the same. When we obey God;s laws of commandments, the Lord will always keep His promises and bless us.

Illustrated by Shauna Mooney