2021
Prophets and Revelation
January 2021

“Prophets and Revelation,” Liahona, January 2021, 40–41

For Parents

Prophets and Revelation

illustration of Joseph Smith and Sidney Ridgon

Dear Parents,

The Doctrine and Covenants is a collection of revelations from the Lord. Studying them gives us a unique opportunity to get to know the Savior’s voice as He speaks, not just to His prophets, but through them to everyday members of the Church like us.

This month, the magazines give you a variety of opportunities to talk to your children, including about revelation, how it works, and that God is willing to speak to them.

Gospel Discussions

Peace in His Promises (Doctrine and Covenants 6)

Show the poster on page 2 and read the Savior’s words from section 6. This promise was given to Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery in April 1829. At that time, Joseph was only 23 but had already faced rejection and persecution. How might these words have helped Joseph and Oliver? How might these words apply to challenges in your lives? What can we do to receive these promised blessings?

Prophets and Personal Revelation (Doctrine and Covenants 1)

The Lord speaks to us individually and through prophets (see section 1). Use “Gospel Basics” on page 10 to help your children learn more about revelation. Consider reading together the message from President Russell M. Nelson on page 6. What do you feel God is telling you through His prophet? Following his counsel could lead to setting goals in the Children and Youth program. (For more information on this topic, you could also watch or read President Nelson’s talk, “Revelation for the Church, Revelation for Our Lives,” Liahona, May 2018, 93–96.)

Come, Follow Me Support

Don’t miss the ideas on page 26 that support your weekly Come, Follow Me study.

Family Study Fun

Finding Christ

President Ezra Taft Benson (1899–1994) taught, “Virtually every page of … the Doctrine and Covenants … teaches about the Master.”1

  1. Set a timer for two minutes.

  2. Family members will quickly look through the beginning of the Doctrine and Covenants to count the number of references they can find to Christ. Start in the introduction and end with section 9.

  3. After the time is up, give additional time for each person to choose one of these verses that is especially meaningful to them. Take turns sharing.

Discussion: How can we make our study of Doctrine and Covenants this year Christ-centered? What can we do to “hearken” unto the voice of the Lord?

1, 2, 3, He Speaks to Me

The Doctrine and Covenants accompanies the Bible and the Book of Mormon in teaching us of Christ and His revelations to us. The introduction to the Doctrine and Covenants explains that we can hear “the tender but firm voice of the Lord Jesus Christ” in the revelations contained in this book.

  1. Secretly assign each family member a number: (1) Bible, (2) Book of Mormon, or (3) Doctrine and Covenants.

  2. Each person will find a meaningful verse in that book which has the “tender and firm voice” of the Lord teaching or explaining principles to us.

  3. Without revealing scripture references, take turns sharing verses out loud. Others will hold up either 1, 2, or 3 fingers to guess which book of scriptures each verse came from.

Discussion: How do scriptures from ancient times work together with modern revelations found in the Doctrine and Covenants to help us learn more of Christ and hear His voice? How can we improve our ability to hear the voice of the Lord as we study the Doctrine and Covenants this year?