Come Follow Me for Teens: "A Marvellous Work and a Wonder" (Isaiah 13-35)
“A Marvellous Work and a Wonder”
This week’s Come Follow Me for Teens episode studies Isaiah 13–35 and follows a powerful progression through Isaiah’s teachings about pride, the coming forth of the Book of Mormon, and the marvelous work God is still doing in the lives of His children.
Isaiah begins by warning about Babylon, which he describes as “the glory of kingdoms” and “the beauty of the Chaldees’ excellency.” Babylon looked powerful, impressive, and secure, but Isaiah makes its future clear: pride and worldliness eventually fall. That message matters in a world where teenagers are constantly invited to measure themselves by appearance, possessions, popularity, success, and the opinions of other people. There is nothing wrong with enjoying nice things or wanting to look and feel confident, but the danger begins when those things start answering the question of who we are and how much we are worth.
Using Isaiah’s warnings about pride, the great and spacious building in Lehi’s dream, President Ezra Taft Benson’s teachings about the fear of man, and a personal experience from high school, we talk about why the world keeps moving the measuring stick and why anything temporary makes a poor foundation for our identity.
Then Isaiah’s message begins to turn toward hope.
In Isaiah 29, he sees “the words of a book” coming forth and describes what those words will do: the deaf will hear, the blind will see out of darkness, the meek will increase their joy in the Lord, and hearts that had drifted far from God can begin drawing near to Him again. These verses offer one of the clearest Old Testament prophecies connected with the coming forth of the Book of Mormon, but the deeper question is not simply whether Isaiah saw the book coming.
The deeper question is:
What is the Book of Mormon doing in us?
President Ezra Taft Benson taught that there is a power in the Book of Mormon that begins to flow into our lives as we seriously study it, bringing greater power to resist temptation, avoid deception, and remain on the strait and narrow path. Through the story of a missionary struggling with anti-Church material and questions about whether to remain in the mission field, we explore how Isaiah’s promises still happen in real lives as the Book of Mormon helps us see more clearly, hear God more fully, and come out of spiritual darkness.
Isaiah then gives us one of the most hopeful declarations in all of these chapters:
“I will proceed to do a marvellous work among this people, even a marvellous work and a wonder.”
—Isaiah 29:14
That marvelous work includes the Restoration and the coming forth of the Book of Mormon, but Isaiah 35 helps us see that God’s work has always been about people. Isaiah speaks to weak hands, feeble knees, and fearful hearts and gives them this promise:
“Be strong, fear not… your God will come… he will come and save you.”
—Isaiah 35:4
Using Elder Brook P. Hales’s message “Mortality Works!”, Elder Patrick Kearon’s teaching that God’s plan is designed to bring His children home, and Elder J. Devn Cornish’s hopeful answer to the question “Am I Good Enough? Will I Make It?”, we talk about what it means to trust that God is still working even when life feels unfinished.
Sometimes weakness makes us think we are failing.
Sometimes repeated mistakes make us wonder whether we are ever going to become who God wants us to become.
Sometimes hard experiences make us question whether mortality is actually working.
Isaiah’s message offers another way to see it.
Being unfinished is not the same as being hopeless.
The God who strengthens weak hands, steadies feeble knees, opens blind eyes, and brings His children home is still working in us.
And that may be the message that ties all of Isaiah 13–35 together:
Babylon falls, God’s word helps us see, and God is still doing a marvelous work in us.
So this week, as you study Isaiah, consider three questions:
What am I allowing to determine my worth?
What is the Book of Mormon helping me see more clearly?
And where might God still be doing a marvelous work in me, even if I cannot fully see it yet?
Isaiah 13-35 | “A Marvellous Work and a
Wonder”
This week’s Come Follow Me for Teens Study & Teaching Guide helps youth see why the world can look impressive without offering a lasting foundation, how the Book of Mormon helps us see and hear spiritual truth more clearly, and why God’s “marvelous work” should give us hope in the middle of our own growth, weakness, and uncertainty.
Pride and Worldliness Will Fall
Isaiah describes Babylon as “the glory of kingdoms”—powerful, beautiful, influential, and impressive.
But Isaiah also makes one thing clear:
It will fall.
Youth will explore what Babylon teaches about pride, worldliness, comparison, and the danger of allowing temporary things to become the foundation of our worth.
Using Isaiah’s warnings about the “arrogancy of the proud,” Lucifer’s repeated declarations of “I will,” the great and spacious building in Lehi’s dream, and President Ezra Taft Benson’s teaching about caring more about what people think than what God thinks, youth will consider an important distinction:
There is nothing wrong with enjoying nice clothes, possessions, accomplishments, or attention.
The danger begins when those things start answering the question:
“Who am I, and how much am I worth?”
The world keeps moving the measuring stick.
God does not.
Isaiah’s message is a powerful reminder that Babylon may look impressive, but it was never meant to become our foundation.
The Coming Forth of the Book of Mormon
Isaiah prophesied of “the words of a book” and described what would happen when those words came forth:
The deaf would hear.
The blind would see out of darkness.
The meek would increase their joy in the Lord.
Youth will explore Isaiah 29 not only as a remarkable prophecy of the coming forth of the Book of Mormon, but as a promise about what the Book of Mormon can actually do in their own lives.
The guide connects Isaiah’s imagery with President Ezra Taft Benson’s powerful promise that serious study of the Book of Mormon brings greater power to resist temptation, avoid deception, and remain on the strait and narrow path.
Youth will discover that the Book of Mormon was never meant to simply give them more information about Jesus Christ.
It is meant to help them see Him more clearly, hear Him more fully, come out of spiritual darkness, and draw their hearts closer to Him.
The Book of Mormon has already come forth into the world.
The deeper question is:
Will we allow its words to come forth in us?
“A Marvellous Work and a Wonder”
Isaiah declares:
“I will proceed to do a marvellous work among this people, even a marvellous work and a wonder.”
But Isaiah’s message of hope does not end with the Restoration.
In Isaiah 35, he speaks directly to weak hands, feeble knees, and fearful hearts and gives this promise:
“Be strong, fear not… your God will come… he will come and save you.”
Youth will explore what these verses teach about God’s work in their own lives.
Using Elder Brook P. Hales’s message “Mortality Works!”, Elder Patrick Kearon’s teaching that God’s plan is designed to bring His children home, and Elder J. Devn Cornish’s hopeful answer to the question “Am I Good Enough? Will I Make It?”, this principle helps youth understand that struggle does not necessarily mean failure.
Weakness does not mean God has stopped working.
Needing repentance does not mean they are hopeless.
And being unfinished does not mean they will always remain where they are.
One of the central truths of this week’s guide is:
Don’t confuse being unfinished with being hopeless.
God is still working.
And Isaiah calls His work marvelous.
Ultimately, all three principles come together in one hopeful message:
Babylon falls.
God’s word helps us see.
And God is still doing a marvelous work in us.
Inside This Guide
Brief background for Isaiah 13–35
3 readiness / object lesson ideas
3 complete teaching principles
Carefully selected Isaiah scripture blocks
Scripture-based discovery questions
Journal and discussion questions
Expanded teacher-friendly explanations
Teachings from Church leaders
Personal experience and testimony prompts
Application questions based on youth experiences
Meaningful weekly application actions
Christ-centered connections throughout
A ready-to-use “Teach This in 25 Minutes” lesson path
Designed For
Parents teaching teens at home, Youth Sunday School teachers, Young Men and Young Women leaders, teens studying independently, and anyone wanting a meaningful Come Follow Me discussion without starting from scratch.
This week’s guide helps youth understand that the world may look impressive without offering a lasting foundation, the Book of Mormon can help them see and hear God more clearly, and even when life feels unfinished, God is still doing a marvelous work in them.
Weekly teaching resources for both Come Follow Me and For the Strength of Youth—without hours of prep.
