Healing the Blind Man, by Carl Heinrich Bloch

September 19–25

Isaiah 40–49

“Comfort Ye My People”

Many passages in Isaiah 40–49 can help the children increase their love for the Lord and their faith in Him. Seek the Spirit’s guidance to find those passages as you study.

Record Your Impressions

Invite Sharing

Read Isaiah 40:9 with the children, and invite them to pretend to climb up to “the high mountain” and then take turns lifting up their voices to share something they learned from the scriptures recently—either at home or at church.

Teach the Doctrine: Younger Children

Isaiah 43:10

I can be a witness of the Lord.

The Lord reminded the Israelites that they had witnessed many great things that He had done for them. He wanted them (and all of us) to be His witnesses, helping others know of His power and goodness.

Possible Activities

• Tell the children about something you have witnessed. Help them think of things they have experienced that they can tell each other about or be a “witness” of—for example, a delicious food they have tasted, a place they have visited, or a person they know. Read to the children from Isaiah 43:10: “Ye are my witnesses, saith the Lord, and my servant whom I have chosen.” Tell the children that when we are baptized we promise to be a witness of Jesus Christ (see Mosiah 18:9). What does it mean to be the Lord’s witness?

• Ask the children to share what they know about Jesus Christ and His gospel. Show them pictures to give them ideas (for example, pictures of the Savior’s Resurrection, the Book of Mormon, the temple, and the living prophet). Invite them to talk about what they could share with others as witnesses of the Lord.

Isaiah 43:11

“Beside me there is no saviour.”

Jesus Christ is the only one who can save us from sin and death. Ponder how you will inspire the children to put their trust in Him.

Possible Activities

• Invite the children to imagine a situation in which they might need help (such as being sick or caught in a storm). Show several objects (or pictures of objects), some that would help them in the situation and others that would not. For example, an umbrella would help in a storm, but a glass of water and a pencil would not. Ask the children to pick the object that would help in that situation. Show pictures of the Savior to help the children talk about how He helps us.

• Read to the children Isaiah 43:11, and ask them to point to a picture of Jesus when they hear the word “saviour.” Testify that because Jesus Christ suffered and died for us and was resurrected, He is the only one who can save us from our sins and from death.

We can have “righteousness as the waves of the sea” (Isaiah 48:18).

Isaiah 48:18

Keeping God’s commandments brings peace.

The Lord promises peace like “a river” and righteousness like “the waves of the sea” to those who keep His commandments.

Possible Activities

• Read to the children Isaiah 48:18. Invite them to move their hands and arms like a river and waves. Talk about how keeping God’s commandments has helped you feel peaceful like a river or strong like a wave.

• Draw a river on the board. Help the children think of commandments God has given us. Write those commandments on pieces of paper (or draw simple pictures of them), and let the children take turns attaching the commandments to the river on the board. Help the children learn how keeping the commandments brings peace.

• Sing together a song about commandments, such as “Keep the Commandments” (Children’s Songbook, 146–47). What does this song teach about why we should keep God’s commandments?

Teach the Doctrine: Older Children

Isaiah 40:3–5

I can help prepare “the way of the Lord.”

We help fulfill the prophecy in Isaiah 40:3–5 by helping others receive the Lord in their lives.

Possible Activities

• Ask one child to read Isaiah 40:3 while the other children each read one of the following passages and look for similar words and phrases: Mark 1:3–4 (John the Baptist); Alma 7:9 (Alma); Doctrine and Covenants 33:10–11 (latter-day missionaries). Help them identify who is preparing “the way of the Lord” in each passage. How did these people prepare the way of the Lord? What can we do to help?

• Draw a path on the board, and read with the children Isaiah 40:3–5. Ask the children to list obstacles that might prevent people from following the Savior, and invite them to draw obstacles on the path. Let them erase the obstacles as you talk about ways we can help people overcome them.

Isaiah 41:10; 43:1–5; 48:10

The Lord is with me in my trials.

When we make covenants with the Lord, He makes promises to be with us—even during our trials. Help the children see themselves as part of the Lord’s covenant people and as recipients of His promises.

Possible Activities

• Write on the board I am … and I will … Invite the children to read Isaiah 41:10 and Isaiah 43:1–5 to find out who the Lord says He is and what He says He will do. What other phrases are repeated in these verses? How might these messages give us comfort and hope during hard times?

• Read together Isaiah 48:10, and talk about what a furnace is and different ways it is used. Explain that metals are purified in a furnace. Why is a furnace a good way to describe affliction? How can our afflictions purify us? (see Alma 62:41).

Isaiah 49:14–16

The Lord will never forget me.

When we feel distant from the Lord because of sin, trials, or any other reason, the message of Isaiah 49:14–16 can bring comfort.

Possible Activities

• Ask the children to read Isaiah 49:14. What might make people feel forgotten or forsaken? How can we help others know that the Lord has not forgotten them? How do we know He has not forgotten us?

• Invite the children to talk about someone they know who they will never forget, like a family member or friend. Discuss how a loving mother feels about her children and how the Lord feels about us. Then ask the children to read Isaiah 49:15–16. According to these verses, why will the Lord never forget us? Invite the children to share their feelings about Jesus Christ.

Encourage Learning at Home

Invite the children to think about something they learned today that they want to learn more about. Help them write a question about it that they can ask to a parent or other family member.

Improving Our Teaching

Adapt to the needs of the children. If you teach younger children but feel inspired to teach them one of the principles in this outline under “Older Children” or vice versa, adapt one of the suggested activities for that principle to meet the needs and abilities of the children you teach.