Lesson 55: Doctrine and Covenants 41–44

Doctrine and Covenants 41

The Lord Delights to Bless Us

As the Prophet united with the struggling Saints in Ohio, the Lord testified that He delights in blessing those who hear Him. This lesson is intended to help students feel confident that the Lord will bless them as they hear and obey Him.

Possible Learning Activities

How confident are you that … ?

Draw a graphic like the following on the board:

Point to the right side of the scale. Invite students to share something they feel confident in and why.

Write the following statement on the board: The Lord will bless us if we hear and obey Him. Ask students to use the scale to rank their confidence in this statement on a scale of 1 to 5 (1 = not confident, and 5 = very confident). Invite students to think about why they ranked their confidence the way they did.

• What difference can it make to feel very confident that the Lord will bless you?

Invite students to seek help from the Lord to increase their confidence that He will bless them as they strive to hear and obey Him.

The Lord’s attitude toward blessing us

In December 1830, the Lord commanded the Saints to move to Ohio (see Doctrine and Covenants 37:3). A short time later, in January and February 1831, the Prophet Joseph Smith and his wife, Emma, traveled hundreds of miles to Kirtland, Ohio. The Prophet then received revelation giving some instructions as the Saints from other areas began settling in Kirtland.

Read Doctrine and Covenants 41:1, looking for the Lord’s attitude about blessing those who hear Him.

Assist learners in recognizing the Lord’s influence: For more training to help learners recognize the Lord’s influence in the scriptures and in their own lives, see the skill “Ask questions that focus on connecting the Lord’s power, mercy, and influence to the truths being taught,” in training titled, “Help learners recognize the Lord’s love, power, and mercy in their lives” found in Teacher Development Skills: Focus on Jesus Christ. As students share what they found, write the following truth on the board: The Lord delights to bless those who hear Him. You might encourage students to mark this truth in their scriptures.

• What do you think it means to delight in something?

• What do you think are some of “the greatest of all the gifts of God”? (Doctrine and Covenants 14:7).

• What are some ways we can hear Him?

Listen to students’ answers. If it would be useful, invite students to read the following statement, looking for ways we can hear the Lord.

President Russell M. Nelson taught:

It takes conscious and consistent effort to fill our daily lives with His words, His teachings, His truths. …

We can go to the scriptures. They teach us about Jesus Christ and His gospel, the magnitude of His Atonement, and our Father’s great plan of happiness and redemption. … As we feast on the words of Christ daily, the words of Christ will tell us how to respond to difficulties we never thought we would face.

We can also hear Him in the temple. The house of the Lord is a house of learning. There the Lord teaches in His own way. …

… We hear Him as we heed the words of prophets, seers, and revelators. Ordained Apostles of Jesus Christ always testify of Him. They point the way as we make our way through the heart-wrenching maze of our mortal experiences. (Russell M. Nelson, “Hear Him,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2020, 89–90)

Consider asking students to review verse 1 to see what happens to those who refuse to hear the Lord. It may be helpful to point out that the word “cursings” as used in this verse refers to judgments or consequences.

• Why is it important to know that refusing to hear the Lord can lead to negative consequences?

Examples of the Lord blessing those who hear Him

Encourage several students to share their responses to the following questions. Sharing their excitement and love may help them relate to the Lord’s delight. This could also be a good opportunity to get to know your students better.

• What do you love or delight in?

Explain that there are many examples of the Lord truly delighting in blessing those who hear Him.

Read the following verses looking for how the Lord blesses His Saints as they hear Him.

Consider dividing the class into groups to read the verses and answer the accompanying questions. Students can then share with each other what they learned.

Doctrine and Covenants 41:2–5

• How might receiving the Lord’s law or direction be a blessing? (See verse 3.)

• How might obeying the Lord’s law and becoming better disciples of Christ help us? (See verse 5.)

For a modern example, see President Gordon B. Hinckley (1910–2008) share how the Lord blessed someone who heard and obeyed Him, in the video “We Walk by Faith,” found at ChurchofJesusChrist.org, from time code 7:30 to 12:39.

Additional examples

Invite students to search for or think of at least two additional examples that build their confidence that the Lord will bless those who hear Him. Encourage them to seek the Lord’s guidance to find examples that will bless them and the class.

1. Find one example from the scriptures. This could be:

   1. An account of when the Lord blessed those who heard and obeyed Him. (Some examples are as follows: Noah building the ark and being saved from the Flood [see Genesis 6–8]; Deborah obeying the Lord’s command to free Israel from captivity [Judges 4:1–8, 13–15]; Mary accepting the role to be the Savior’s mother and feeling the Lord’s blessings [Luke 1:38, 46–49]; Nephi gaining the brass plates [see 1 Nephi 3–5]; Joseph Smith being able to protect the plates [see Joseph Smith—History 1:46, 60]; Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery baptizing one another after receiving the Aaronic Priesthood and then receiving a manifestation of the Holy Ghost [see Joseph Smith—History 1:68–74].)

   2. A verse or verses that testify that the Lord will bless us as we hear and obey Him. (Some examples are Malachi 3:10; 1 John 3:22; Jarom 1:9; Mosiah 2:41; Doctrine and Covenants 19:38; 82:10; 89:1, 18–21; 130:21.)

2. Think of an additional example. This could be:

   1. A personal experience when the Lord has blessed you.

   2. An experience from a friend or loved one.

   3. A talk from general conference.

   4. A video at ChurchofJesusChrist.org.

Invite students to write their examples on separate pieces of paper. Tell students that what they write may be shared with the rest of the class. Gather the papers, shuffle them, and then pick some out or invite a student to do so. You may want to read one example at a time and ask if the student who wrote it would be willing to share why they chose that example. Ask how the example may increase the student’s confidence that the Lord will bless them as they hear Him. As students share, thank them for their effort and try to help them feel the importance of sharing their thoughts and experiences in class.

To conclude this lesson, record your thoughts and feelings about the Lord blessing us as we hear Him. Do you feel confident He will bless you? What could you do to increase your confidence?

Consider inviting students to share what they learned and felt in class today. Share your own testimony and confidence that the Lord will bless us as we hear Him.

Additional Resources

How can I better hear the Lord?

Elder Richard G. Scott (1928–2015) of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles taught:

Our Father expects you to learn how to obtain that divine help by exercising faith in Him and His Holy Son, Jesus Christ. Were you to receive inspired guidance just for the asking, you would become weak and ever more dependent on Them. They know that essential personal growth will come as you struggle to learn how to be led by the Spirit.

What may appear initially to be a daunting task will be much easier to manage over time as you consistently strive to recognize and follow feelings prompted by the Spirit. Your confidence in the direction you receive from the Holy Ghost will also become stronger. (Richard G. Scott, “To Acquire Spiritual Guidance,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2009, 7)

What if God’s blessings do not seem to come?

Elder Dale G. Renlund of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles said:

When you receive any blessing from God, you can conclude that you have complied with an eternal law governing reception of that blessing. But remember that the “irrevocably decreed” law is time insensitive, meaning blessings come on God’s timetable. Even ancient prophets in search of their heavenly home “died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off … [and] were persuaded … and embraced them” [Hebrews 11:13]. If a desired blessing from God has not been received—yet—you do not need to go crazy, wondering what more you need to do. Instead, heed Joseph Smith’s counsel to “cheerfully do all things that lie in [your] power; and then … stand still, with the utmost assurance, to see the … arm [of God] … revealed” [Doctrine and Covenants 123:17]. Some blessings are reserved for later, even for the most valiant of God’s children. (Dale G. Renlund, “Abound with Blessings,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2019, 72)

Do we earn God’s blessings?

Elder Dale G. Renlund of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles said:

My dear brothers and sisters, our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ desire to bless each of us. … Blessings from heaven are neither earned by frenetically accruing “good deed coupons” nor by helplessly waiting to see if we win the blessing lottery. No, the truth is much more nuanced but more appropriate for the relationship between a loving Heavenly Father and His potential heirs—us. Restored truth reveals that blessings are never earned, but faith-inspired actions on our part, both initial and ongoing, are essential. (Dale G. Renlund, “Abound with Blessings,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2019, 70)

Supplemental Learning Activities

Additional examples of the Lord blessing those who hear Him

One example of the Lord delighting in blessing those who hear Him is an account of Ann and Newel K. Whitney. Read Saints: The Story of the Church of Jesus Christ in the Latter Days, vol. 1, The Standard of Truth, 1815–1846 (2018), 111–13, or listen from time code 13:01 to 15:52.

• How did the Whitneys seek to hear the Lord’s voice?

• How did the Lord bless the Whitneys?

In addition to sending the Prophet Joseph Smith to live in Kirtland, the Lord blessed the Saints in other ways.

Another example is Edward Partridge. Students could read Doctrine and Covenants 41:9–11, looking for what the Lord called Edward to do.

• How was Edward described in these verses?

• How do you think fulfilling his role as bishop would bless the Saints in Kirtland?

Explain that Bishop Partridge served faithfully in his calling in Ohio, then Missouri, and into the Illinois period when he died in 1840. His service was a great blessing to the Saints.

• How is having a bishop a blessing in our lives today?

The Lord explained some of the blessings Edward Partridge received after his death. Read Doctrine and Covenants 124:19 looking for these blessings.

Pearls before swine

After students read Doctrine and Covenants 41:5–6, show this photo and ask what they think it is.

Invite students to explain to a partner what they think the phrase “neither cast ye your pearls before swine” means (Matthew 7:6). Then invite students to read the following statement from Elder D. Todd Christofferson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles:

The Lord said, “That which cometh from above is sacred, and must be spoken with care, and by constraint of the Spirit” (D&C 63:64). He also commanded that we must not cast pearls before swine or give that which is holy to dogs (see 3 Nephi 14:6; D&C 41:6), meaning sacred things should not be discussed with those who are not prepared to appreciate their value.

Be wise with what the Lord gives you. It is a trust. You would not, for example, share the content of your patriarchal blessing with just anyone. (D. Todd Christofferson, “A Sense of the Sacred,” New Era, June 2006, 31)

• What are some sacred things we should treat with reverence and respect?

Learning more about how to hear Him

You might consider showing one or more of these videos during class. Invite students to share what they learn about hearing the voice of the Lord in their lives.