“I Will Turn Their Mourning Into Joy”
This week on Come Follow Me for Teens, we continue our study of Jeremiah with Jeremiah 31–33; 36–39; and Lamentations 1; 3, and the theme “I Will Turn Their Mourning into Joy.”
Jeremiah has spent years warning the people of Judah to turn back to God. But even as Jerusalem faces destruction and the consequences of turning away from Him, the Lord offers some of the most beautiful promises of forgiveness, transformation, and hope found in the Old Testament.
One of those promises comes in Jeremiah 31, where the Lord declares:
“I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts” (Jeremiah 31:33).
We'll explore what it means to have the gospel written in our hearts—and why knowing the gospel isn't the same as allowing the gospel to change us.
It's possible to know the commandments, attend church, read the scriptures, and participate in sacred ordinances without allowing those experiences to transform who we're becoming.
It's not enough to go through the motions if the motions aren't going through us.
We'll talk about how Jesus Christ can change more than our behavior. Through our relationship with Him, our covenants, and the influence of the Holy Ghost, He can change our very desires and help us become more like Him.
Then in Jeremiah 38, we'll meet two men whose choices reveal something important about courage.
King Zedekiah knows that Jeremiah speaks for God, but he struggles to follow the prophet's counsel because he's afraid of what others might think or do. Meanwhile, a servant named Ebed-melech courageously stands up for Jeremiah and rescues him from a muddy cistern.
Zedekiah had a throne but struggled to stand. Ebed-melech was a servant, yet stood up for what was right.
We'll explore why knowing what's right and having the courage to do it aren't always the same thing—especially when doing what's right might cost us popularity, acceptance, or approval.
And we'll consider how trusting Jesus Christ can give us the courage to act on what we believe, even when we're afraid.
Finally, we'll turn to Lamentations, a book written in the shadow of Jerusalem's destruction, where we find one of the most hopeful declarations in all of scripture:
“His compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness” (Lamentations 3:22–23).
We'll talk about why every new morning can remind us of the opportunity to begin again—and how the Savior's mercy makes repentance, forgiveness, and new beginnings possible.
We'll also explore a remarkable experience in Jeremiah 32, when the Lord instructs Jeremiah to purchase a field while Jerusalem is under siege. At a time when the future looks hopeless, Jeremiah makes an investment in God's promises.
Jeremiah invested in a future he couldn't yet see because he trusted the God who could.
And we'll consider a question from the Lord that every teenager ought to remember when facing something that feels impossible:
“Is there any thing too hard for me?” (Jeremiah 32:27).
Through all three principles runs one beautiful invitation:
Let Christ change your heart. Trust Him enough to act with courage. And never lose hope in what He can help you become.
There may still be things in your heart that need changing.
There may be moments when doing what's right requires more courage than you feel you have.
And there may be days when you've made mistakes, fallen short, or wondered whether things can ever get better.
But the Lord's compassion has not run out.
His power has not diminished.
And His promises have not changed.
Because of Jesus Christ, yesterday's mistakes and disappointments don't have to determine tomorrow's possibilities.
His mercies are new every morning.
And every morning is another opportunity to follow Him.
Jeremiah 1–20 | “Before I Formed Thee in the
Belly I Knew Thee”
This week’s Come Follow Me for Teens Study & Teaching Guide gives parents and teachers a ready-to-use way to help youth explore Jeremiah 1–20 without having to build the lesson from scratch.
Through three connected teaching paths, youth will discover what it means to be known by God, formed by God, and still being shaped by God. Pasted markdown (2) Pasted markdown (2) Pasted markdown (2)
In “I Knew Thee,” youth will explore Jeremiah’s calling and the truth that God may know more about their preparation and potential than they can presently see in themselves. Jeremiah felt young and unqualified, but the Lord reminded him that He had known him before birth and promised, “I am with thee.” The lesson also connects Jeremiah with premortal preparation, foreordination, and the confidence that comes from trusting God’s knowledge of who we can become. Pasted markdown (2)
In “I Formed Thee,” youth will look at Jeremiah 1:5 from a different angle and talk honestly about body image, comparison, and the pressure to look a certain way. They’ll learn that our bodies are sacred parts of God’s plan even while they remain imperfect in mortality—and that physical perfection is a resurrection promise, not a mortal requirement. Pasted markdown (2) Pasted markdown (2)
In “As the Clay Is in the Potter’s Hand,” youth will explore Jeremiah’s powerful image of the potter and clay and what it means to stay soft enough for God to continue shaping us. They’ll connect the clay with Christ as the Living Water, consider why the same adversity can soften one heart and harden another, and learn that a life that needs reshaping is not a ruined life. Pasted markdown (2) Pasted markdown (2)
Inside This Guide
3 complete teaching principles
Readiness activities and object lessons
Scripture-based discovery questions
Teacher-friendly explanations
Discussion and journal questions
Teachings from Church leaders
Application questions and actions
Personal testimony/experience prompts
Teach This in 25 Minutes lesson path
Ideas for teaching naturally at home
Designed for parents, Youth Sunday School teachers, Young Men and Young Women leaders, and teens studying independently.
At the center of the entire guide is one beautiful truth:
God knew you. He formed you. And He is still forming you.
Weekly teaching resources for both Come Follow Me and For the Strength of Youth—without hours of prep.
