Divine Directions

By Laurel Rohlfing

“And the Book of Mormon and the Holy Scriptures are given of me for your instruction” (D&C 33:16).

What if you suddenly found yourself in a faraway, unfamiliar place and you wanted to return home. Where could you find directions? By reading and studying a road map, you could find out where you were and what roads you would travel to find your way home.

While you live on the earth, Heavenly Father has given you divine directions—the scriptures—to guide you back to your heavenly home. Like a road map, they will help you find your way as you read and study them.

Instructions

You can make a book of scripture stories and commandments to help you remember some of the divine directions Heavenly Father has given. Cut out the pages on the dotted lines and fold them in half so that the words are on the back of each picture. Add other scripture stories that you want to remember by drawing pictures on plain paper cut to the size of these pages. Punch holes in the pages, and tie them together with yarn or string, or staple them.

Daniel in the Lion’s Den (Dan. 6)

Daniel was thrown into a den of lions because he prayed to the Lord. “And no manner of hurt was found upon him because he believed in his God.”

To be protected, we must obey Heavenly Father’s commandments.

David and Goliath (1 Sam. 17)

Young David killed the giant Goliath with a slingshot and a stone “that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel.”

Heavenly Father helps those who have faith and trust in Him.

Parable of the Lost Sheep (Matt. 18:12–14)

The good shepherd left his ninety-nine sheep to find one that was lost, and when he found it, he rejoiced: “It is not the will of your Father … that one of these little ones should perish.”

Heavenly Father wants us to find those who have strayed and help them come back to Him.

The Ten Lepers (Luke 17:11–19)

Jesus healed ten lepers, but only one, a Samaritan, came back to thank Him: “Were there not ten cleansed? but where are the nine?

“There are not found [any] that returned to give glory to God, save this stranger.”

Heavenly Father wants us to thank Him for the blessings that we receive.

Alma the Younger and the Sons of Mosiah (Mosiah 27:8–37)

Alma the Younger and the sons of Mosiah rebelled against the Church and tried to get others to be wicked. An angel told Alma to “go thy way, and seek to destroy the church no more.” They all repented and spent the rest of their lives preaching the word of God.

Heavenly Father forgives us when we repent.

Moroni and the Title of Liberty (Alma 46:1–24)

To encourage his people to defend their liberty, Moroni wrote on a piece of his coat: “In memory of our God, our religion, and freedom” and fastened it on the end of a pole.

Heavenly Father wants us to defend our right to worship Him.

The Word of Wisdom (D&C 89)

We are counseled to eat healthy foods and commanded to not use alcohol, tobacco, tea, or coffee. Then we “shall run and not be weary, and shall walk and not faint.”

Obeying the Word of Wisdom is essential to good health.

The First Vision (JS—H 1:1–20, 26)

Joseph Smith wondered which church was right, so he prayed to find the answer. Heavenly Father and Jesus appeared to him and said that he “must join none of them, for they were all wrong.”

Heavenly Father answers our prayers.

Sharing Time Ideas

Ask children to share their favorite scripture or scripture story with group and tell how they have been guided by it.
Discuss scriptural events where importance of scriptures is mentioned. (See JS—H 1:11–12; 2 Kgs. 22, 23; 1 Ne. 3–4, 1 Ne. 5:10–22; Mosiah 1:3–7; D&C 138; etc.)
Memorize passages from Book of Mormon as President Benson has asked and recite them to each other.
Make sampler with scriptural phrase (such as John 5:39) by coloring words, gluing yarn over them, or threading yarn through punched holes.

Illustrated by Elise Niven Black