After the Church was organized in April 1830, the Saints immediately faced intense persecution. Despite these challenges, the Savior continued to strengthen the Church and provide personal counsel to those who earnestly desired to know His will. This lesson can help students feel that Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ know them and will provide guidance for their personal lives.
Possible Learning Activities
Asking for guidance
Consider listing the following questions on the board and inviting students to silently think about their responses. After sufficient time, encourage students to think of valuable counsel they have received from this person and invite a few students to share.
Who knows you best?
What do they know about you?
What do they not know about you?
Although students may receive valuable counsel from many trusted sources, invite them to ponder why Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ are the best source of counsel. Ask students to think about their current efforts to seek counsel from Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. Do they feel their efforts are adequate, or do they feel like they need to make any adjustments? Invite students to prayerfully consider these questions throughout this lesson.
The Lord knows you
Joseph Smith and others sought the guidance of Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ concerning their roles in the newly restored Church. Doctrine and Covenants 23–24 contains the Savior’s response to their earnest desire to receive divine guidance.
Consider writing the following truth on the board: Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ know each of us and will give us counsel according to our desires and circumstances.
As students discuss this principle, you could point out that we can receive counsel from God through prayer, scriptures, words of prophets, parents, trusted adult leaders, etc.
How does this evidence impact your understanding of Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ?
Sister Cristina B. Franco, who served as Second Counselor in the Primary General Presidency, taught:
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Sister Cristina B. Franco
Heavenly Father also knows you. He knows where you are, and who you are, and what you need. He hears and answers your prayers. No matter how lonely you feel, He’s always there. You are never alone. You can always turn to Him. (Cristina B. Franco, “Heavenly Father Knows You,” Friend, June 2018, 16)
In what ways does God give us counsel according to our desires and circumstances?
They can guide my life
The accompanying handout can help students understand how Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ can give them guidance according to their personal circumstances. Consider dividing students into pairs or small groups and providing each with a copy of the handout. Allow students to choose who they will learn about. After sufficient time, invite them to share what they learned with the class.
You could also consider assigning each group one or two people to learn about.
Choose at least two of the following people to read about. Look for phrases in the verses that connect with the historical summary. This can help you see evidence that Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ knew each person and offered counsel for their personal lives.
Oliver was a schoolteacher. He served as a scribe for Joseph Smith Jr. when translating the Book of Mormon. He was one of the Three Witnesses of the Book of Mormon and was the second elder of the restored Church. He shared the gospel with the Whitmer family and his other friends in Fayette, New York. On several occasions his pride was manifested, including once when he wrote to Joseph Smith Jr. concerning part of a revelation with which he did not agree. His pride caused him to leave the Church for a time between 1838 and 1847.
Hyrum was an older brother of the Prophet Joseph Smith. He assisted in the publication of the Book of Mormon by working directly with the printer. He had great desires to preach the restored gospel, but he was asked to wait and prepare by studying God’s word (see Doctrine and Covenants 11:21–22). He served as president of the first branch of the Church in Colesville, New York. Hyrum fulfilled his duty to the Church and was faithful to the Lord throughout his life.
Joseph Knight Sr. was a close friend of Joseph Smith Jr. and had shown him great kindness. He provided the Prophet with supplies while he worked on the translation of the Book of Mormon. He felt a desire to be baptized with others on the day the Church was organized, but he waited because he wanted to study the Book of Mormon further. Soon after receiving the Lord’s counsel in Doctrine and Covenants 23, Joseph Knight Sr. chose to be baptized. He remained a faithful member of the Church throughout his life.
Joseph Smith Jr. was the Lord’s Prophet. In April 1830, Joseph organized the restored Church. Immediately, the new Church faced persecution. Joseph was arrested on false charges and released. He had the responsibility to provide for his family and lead the Church at the same time. “As busy as he was with the new church, he had to plant his fields soon if he wanted a successful fall harvest. His payments to Emma’s father on the farm were already late, and if his crops failed, he would have to find another way to pay off his debt” (Saints, 1:90).
After students complete their study, invite them to share the evidence they found that the Lord knew these individuals.
You could show the video “Heavenly Father Knows Me” (3:18) to help students prepare to think of and share their own experiences.
The following questions can help students deepen their understanding of and feelings about the Lord’s awareness of them. Consider providing time for students to write their answers in their study journals. Some students might feel that the Lord does not know them. Ensure each student that He does, and encourage them to keep seeking the Lord’s help and guidance.
What evidence have you seen that Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ know you and are aware of you?
How has this influenced your relationship with Them?
What counsel do you think Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ would give you in your current circumstances?
Invite willing students to share experiences they or others they know have had which helped them know that Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ are aware of them. Remind students to not share anything too personal or sacred.
Consider bearing personal testimony or sharing an experience that illustrates how Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ know each of us and will give us counsel according to our desires and circumstances.