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Questions on the Watchtower

Habakkuk argues honestly with God, Micah boils religion down to one verse, and we bring our real questions to the Lord

  • 🏔️ Youth 16–18
  • Week 49
  • 📅 Sunday, December 6, 2026
🤔 Forehead Guess🏆 Showdown
💡 The big idea

The Lord welcomes my honest questions, asks me to live by faith while I wait for answers, and wants my heart more than any impressive offering: to do justly, love mercy and walk humbly with Him.

I can bring my hardest questions to the Lord, keep living by faith while I wait, and build my choices on Micah 6:8.

Come, Follow Me manualOpen this week (Micah; Nahum; Habakkuk; Zephaniah)
Know the chapters

Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk and Zephaniah are four short books from the century and a half before Babylon destroyed Jerusalem. Micah preached in Judah in the same years as Isaiah (compare Micah 1:1 with Isaiah 1:1) against leaders who took bribes and priests who taught for hire, yet bragged that the Lord was on their side (Micah 3:11). He also named Bethlehem as the birthplace of Israel’s eternal Ruler (Micah 5:2), the verse Herod’s scribes quoted seven centuries later (Matthew 2:4–6). Nahum announced the fall of proud Nineveh while calling the Lord “a strong hold in the day of trouble” (Nahum 1:7). Zephaniah invited the meek to seek the Lord and promised that He would rejoice over His people with singing (Zephaniah 2:3; 3:17).

Habakkuk is the heart of today for 16- to 18-year-olds. His book is a real conversation: he asks God how long violence and injustice will go unanswered (1:2–4), gets an answer that confuses him more (the Lord will use Babylon, a nation worse than Judah, 1:5–13), climbs his watchtower to wait (2:1), and is told to write the vision plainly and wait, because it will surely come (2:2–3). Then comes the line Paul quotes three times: “the just shall live by his faith” (Habakkuk 2:4; Romans 1:17; Galatians 3:11; Hebrews 10:38). By chapter 3 nothing outward has changed, yet Habakkuk sings, “Yet I will rejoice in the LORD” (3:17–18). Your youth are making big decisions (missions, school, relationships) and some carry questions about faith, their families or the Church. Habakkuk shows that honest questions and faithful living go together.

Micah 6:6–8 is one of the great summaries of true religion. People offer bigger and bigger sacrifices (calves, thousands of rams, rivers of oil, even a firstborn child) and the Lord answers with three things: do justly, love mercy, walk humbly with God. Jesus called the same ideas the “weightier matters of the law” (Matthew 23:23). Elder Dale G. Renlund’s October 2020 talk “Do Justly, Love Mercy, and Walk Humbly with God” unpacks each phrase and is great preparation. This is also a decision-making framework your youth can take to college and the mission field, much like For the Strength of Youth: A Guide for Making Choices, which invites youth to make Jesus Christ their standard and says its purpose is not to give a yes or no about every possible choice.

Be ready for real questions today. You don’t need every answer. In his April 2013 talk “Lord, I Believe,” Elder Jeffrey R. Holland invited us to be candid about our questions while being true to the faith we already have (the exact line is in Conference quotes); model that. If a question needs more than class time, write it down and follow up, or connect the youth with parents or the bishop. Never make a youth feel faithless for asking.

Only have 5 minutes?

Read Micah 6:6–8 and Habakkuk 1:2–4; 2:1–4; 3:17–18. Run the Bidding War hook, read Micah 6:8 together, let Teach Mode run the Habakkuk reader’s theater with youth reading the parts, then spend the rest on the Questions Welcome discussion. Close with your own short testimony that the Lord answers in His time.

What to bring5 items

Tick what you have. Forgot something? Every step that needs a supply has a no-supplies version in the plan below.

Before class

  1. Read Habakkuk 1–3 in one sitting (it takes about ten minutes). Notice how the tone shifts from chapter 1 to chapter 3.
  2. Text one class member on Saturday: “Want to be the auctioneer for the opening activity? Just be loud and dramatic.”
  3. Tape the three Micah 6:8 signs in three corners of the room before class.
  4. Add names in the My Class tab so you can hand out the reader’s theater parts with one tap. Give Habakkuk to a confident reader.
  5. Think of one honest question you have carried and how the Lord helped you live with it or answered it over time. You’ll share it briefly in the testimony.

If your class is wild

  • Older teens go quiet when they sense a lecture. Ask a question, then actually wait ten seconds. Silence is thinking, not failure.
  • Let the auctioneer and the reader’s theater be loud and funny; it earns you the quiet, honest moments later.
  • If a question stumps you, say, “I don’t know, and I want to find out.” Write it down in front of them. That is exactly what Habakkuk did.
  • Some youth may be carrying heavy things (a parent’s divorce, a friend leaving the Church). Keep the discussion invitational: nobody has to share.
  • Phones are allowed for Gospel Library; if they drift to other apps, give the reader the role of scripture lookup for the whole group.

The 25-minute plan25 min + bonus

Bonus steps are for when you have extra time. Steps that mention Teach Mode, the Sound Board or other class games refer to the Gospel Sparks app; on the web you can play Forehead Guess and Scripture Showdown from this page.

1. Hook

Bidding War

3 min

A loud mock auction sets up Micah’s question: what does God actually want from us?

  1. Your auctioneer (or you) stands up front. Say: “We’re auctioning off God’s approval. What would you offer to really impress Him? Bids, please!”
  2. Let them escalate: “Perfect seminary attendance!” “Serve two missions!” “Read the Book of Mormon ten times!” “A 4.0 and a full-ride scholarship!” The auctioneer keeps calling, “Do I hear more?”
  3. Stop at the peak. Have a youth read Micah 6:6–7 from your scriptures: calves, thousands of rams, ten thousand rivers of oil, even a firstborn child. Say: “Same auction, 2,700 years ago.”
  4. SAY“Micah’s the prophet who also named Bethlehem as the Savior’s birthplace 700 years early (Micah 5:2), so he’s worth listening to. His answer to the auction is one verse. Let’s read it.”
🌪️ If the bids get silly, roll with it for ten seconds, then ask: “Okay, but which of these would God actually care about?”

Class screen: 🔨 Bidding war: what would it take to impress God? · Shout your bid · Micah 6:6–7

2. Scripture

Micah 6:8, Taught by You

5 min

Youth practice a real study skill (cross-references) and teach each other one phrase each.

  1. Read Micah 6:8 together, then teach the three-beat motions. Say it twice.
  2. Split into three groups, each with scriptures: DO JUSTLY (Micah 3:11; Matthew 23:23) · LOVE MERCY (Micah 7:18–19; Matthew 5:7) · WALK HUMBLY (Micah 7:7–8; Ether 12:27).
  3. SAY“You have 90 seconds. Read your cross-references, then teach us your phrase in 30 seconds: what it means and one real example from a teenager’s week.” Show them how footnotes and the Topical Guide lead to more verses.
  4. Each group teaches. After LOVE MERCY, ask: “What’s the difference between doing something merciful and loving mercy?” Then read Elder Renlund’s summary (see Conference quotes): “To do justly means acting honorably with God and with other people. We act honorably with God by walking humbly with Him. We act honorably with others by loving mercy.”
  5. SAY“When you’re choosing a school, a job, a mission attitude or who to date, these three phrases are a pretty good filter. They’re short enough to carry anywhere.”

Class screen: ⚖️ What doth the Lord require of thee? · Do justly ⚖️ · Love mercy 💗 · Walk humbly with thy God 🚶

No supplies? Do this instead

Instead of: Scriptures for each pair (their own, a classroom set from the library, or Gospel Library on their phones)

  1. Read Micah 6:8 together from your scriptures (or theirs on Gospel Library), then teach the three-beat motions. Say it twice.
  2. Split into three groups: DO JUSTLY, LOVE MERCY, WALK HUMBLY. Read each group its cross-references aloud: Micah 3:11 and Matthew 23:23 · Micah 7:18–19 and Matthew 5:7 · Micah 7:7–8 and a summary of Ether 12:27 (the Lord gives us weakness so we’ll be humble, and His grace makes weak things strong).
  3. Give each group 60 seconds to agree on a one-sentence meaning and one real example from a teenager’s week, then teach it in 30 seconds.
  4. After LOVE MERCY, ask: “What’s the difference between doing something merciful and loving mercy?” Then read Elder Renlund’s summary (see Conference quotes): “To do justly means acting honorably with God and with other people. We act honorably with God by walking humbly with Him. We act honorably with others by loving mercy.”
  5. SAY“When you’re choosing a school, a job, a mission attitude or who to date, these three phrases are a pretty good filter.”
3. Wiggle break

Justly, Mercy or Humbly?

2 min

A quick move-to-a-corner game applies Micah 6:8 to real dilemmas and gets everyone on their feet.

  1. Everyone stands. Say: “I’ll read a situation. Walk to the corner that it takes most. If you think it’s two, stand between them.”
  2. Read: Your manager accidentally paid you for 10 extra hours. · A friend posts something cruel about you, then apologizes. · You got into your dream school and your friend didn’t. · Your missionary companion is slower at learning the language than you. · Someone in your group project did nothing.
  3. After each one, ask one person to explain their corner in one sentence. Disagreement is welcome.

Class screen: 🧭 Which part of Micah 6:8 does this take? Pick a corner. · Do justly · Love mercy · Walk humbly

No supplies? Do this instead

Instead of: Three sheets of paper labeled DO JUSTLY, LOVE MERCY and WALK HUMBLY, plus tape

  1. Everyone stands. Point to three walls and name them out loud: DO JUSTLY, LOVE MERCY, WALK HUMBLY. The screen shows the three names.
  2. Read: Your manager accidentally paid you for 10 extra hours. · A friend posts something cruel about you, then apologizes. · You got into your dream school and your friend didn’t. · Your missionary companion is slower at learning the language than you. · Someone in your group project did nothing.
  3. Walk to a wall after each one; ask one person to explain their pick in one sentence.
4. Story

Reader’s Theater: The Prophet Who Argued Back

6 min

Youth read Habakkuk’s real words and see a modern parallel: honest questions, faithful waiting, and answers that come in the Lord’s time.

  1. Hand out roles (tap Roles in Teach Mode). Habakkuk reads his lines straight from the scriptures; you read the Lord’s answers from your own scriptures. No youth voices the Lord.
  2. Read or assign the narration for each scene and pause for the action cue.
  3. At scene 4, Habakkuk stands on a sturdy chair while someone holds it steady.
  4. After the last scene, ask: “What changed between chapter 1 and chapter 3? His circumstances, or Habakkuk?”
🌪️ If the room gets giggly, call “Watchtower!” and everyone freezes, shading their eyes, until you say “Surely.”

Class screen: 🎭 The Prophet Who Argued Back · Habakkuk 1–3 · Watchmen: watch, wait, rise

5. Talk it over

Questions Welcome

4 min

An honest, faith-filled conversation about carrying questions and waiting on the Lord.

  1. Hand out cards. Say: “Write one real gospel or life question you or a friend has wondered about. No names. I’ll read them this week and we’ll come back to one or two.” Collect them in the box.
  2. Then ask one question at a time. Wait ten seconds before anyone answers. Share your own answer too.
  3. If a question needs more than class time, say so and promise to follow up.
💬 Ask the class
  • Habakkuk basically argued with God, and God answered him. What does that tell you about the kinds of prayers the Lord welcomes?
  • Habakkuk’s first answer raised new questions. Have you ever had that happen? What did Habakkuk do next instead of quitting?
  • Elder Holland counseled that when questions aren’t resolved right away, we should “hold fast to what you already know and stand strong until additional knowledge comes.” What is one thing you already know that you can stand on?
  • “The just shall live by his faith.” How is living by faith different from having every answer?
  • Where are you waiting on the Lord right now: a mission, school, family, friends? What would climbing the watchtower look like for you this week?

Class screen: 💬 Questions welcome: what do you do while you wait?

No supplies? Do this instead

Instead of: Index cards or slips of paper, one per person, and a few pens, A small box, bag or envelope to collect anonymous question cards

  1. SAY“If you have a gospel or life question you’d like me to look into, tell me after class or send it to me this week. No question is a bad one.”
  2. Then ask one question at a time. Wait ten seconds before anyone answers. Share your own answer too.
  3. If a question needs more than class time, say so and promise to follow up.
6. Game

Lightning Showdown

3 min

A fast team quiz locks in the four prophets and their big ideas.

  1. Split into two teams and pick captains. Tap Scripture Showdown.
  2. Play as many questions as fit in three minutes. Huddle five seconds; only the captain answers.
  3. Steal rule: if a team misses, the other team can steal by naming the verse.
▶ Play Scripture Showdown on the web

Class screen: ⚡ Lightning Showdown: four prophets, three minutes

7. Game

Forehead Guess: Minor Prophets

4 minBONUS

A fun bonus round if you have time.

  1. Tap Forehead Guess. One volunteer holds your phone or tablet to their forehead; the class gives clues without saying the word.
  2. Tilt down for got it, up to pass. 45-second turns; switch guessers.
▶ Play Forehead Guess on the web

Class screen: 🤔 Forehead Guess: Minor Prophets edition

8. Testimony

Testimony & Watchtower Notes

2 min

End quiet, with a real way to take their questions to the Lord this week.

  1. Lower your voice. Share, in a minute or less, one honest question you carried and how the Lord helped you over time, even if the full answer hasn’t come.
  2. SAY“Your questions don’t disqualify you. Habakkuk’s questions are in the Bible.”
  3. Introduce the Watchtower Notes challenge on the screen.
  4. Invite a youth to offer the closing prayer.

Class screen: 🗼 Ask. Watch. Write it down. Live by faith while you wait. · Habakkuk 2:1–4

Story drama

The Prophet Who Argued Back

Habakkuk 1–3; Romans 1:17 ↗

Parts to hand out

  • NarratorReads the setup of each scene in a calm, documentary voice.
  • HabakkukReads his own complaints and his final song straight from Habakkuk; climbs the watchtower (a sturdy chair) in scene 4.
  • JordanA 17-year-old in our own day who is praying about a big decision; says a few lines in scenes 2 and 8.
  • The ChaldeansTwo or three youth who stomp in as the fierce Babylonian army when the Lord’s first answer comes.
  • WatchmenEveryone else: shade their eyes, wait, whisper “Tick… tock…”, wilt and rise on cue.

Scenes

  1. 🏙️⚖️ Habakkuk looks around and hates what he sees

    Around 600 years before Christ, Judah is a mess: violence, corrupt courts, the law ignored. The prophet Habakkuk doesn’t pretend it’s fine. He takes it straight to God, and his prayer sounds more like a complaint.

    🎬 Habakkuk stands and reads Habakkuk 1:2 with real frustration. Watchmen fold their arms and shake their heads.

  2. 📱🙏 Jordan, seventeen, asks the same kind of question

    Fast-forward to now. Jordan has prayed for weeks about whether to start mission papers now or take a scholarship first, and Grandpa is in the hospital too. Jordan has read, fasted and asked. Heaven feels quiet.

    🎬 Jordan kneels, then checks a phone, then says: “I’m doing everything right. Why is it so quiet?”

  3. 🐎🔥 God answers… and it makes things worse

    The Lord does answer Habakkuk: He is raising up the Chaldeans, the Babylonians, and they will sweep over Judah. Habakkuk is stunned. Why would a holy God use a nation even more wicked than Judah? He asks that too.

    🎬 Teacher reads Habakkuk 1:5–6 from the scriptures (no youth voices the Lord). The Chaldeans stomp in. Habakkuk throws up his hands and reads Habakkuk 1:13.

  4. 🗼👀 He climbs the watchtower to wait

    Habakkuk doesn’t walk away from God, and he doesn’t pretend to understand. He climbs his watchtower and decides to watch for what the Lord will say next. Questions didn’t push him away from God; they pushed him up the tower.

    🎬 Habakkuk climbs the sturdy chair (hold it steady) and reads Habakkuk 2:1. Watchmen shade their eyes and whisper, “Tick… tock…”

  5. ✍️📜 Write it down. Make it plain. Wait.

    The Lord tells Habakkuk to write the vision so plainly that a runner could read it on the go. It has an appointed time. It may feel slow, but it will surely come.

    🎬 Teacher reads Habakkuk 2:2–3. Everyone writes in the air in huge letters. Watchmen together: “Though it tarry, wait for it!”

  6. 🧭✨ “The just shall live by his faith”

    Then comes a single line that echoes through the whole Bible. Paul quotes it three times: the just shall live by his faith. Faith isn’t having every answer. It’s how you live while you wait.

    🎬 Narrator reads Habakkuk 2:4 (second half) and Romans 1:17. Everyone takes one step forward together.

  7. 🌳🎶 No figs, no crops… “Yet I will rejoice”

    By chapter 3, nothing outside has changed. Babylon is still coming. But Habakkuk is different. He writes a song: even if every crop fails and every animal is gone, he will still rejoice in the Lord.

    🎬 Habakkuk reads Habakkuk 3:17 slowly; Watchmen sink lower with each loss. On verse 18 (“Yet I will rejoice”), everyone stands tall.

  8. 🌅🚶 Jordan’s answer comes one step at a time

    Jordan never gets a lightning bolt. But a line in the scriptures feels like it was written for Jordan, a priesthood blessing brings peace, and a parent’s advice clicks. Jordan makes a choice, moves forward, and keeps feeling calm about it. That calm is its own answer.

    🎬 Jordan stands, takes one step forward and says: “I don’t know everything. But I know enough to take the next step.”

Key verse

Micah 6:8 ↗
“He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?”
In plain words: God has already shown you what matters: act fairly and honestly, love showing mercy (not just putting up with it), and walk through life humbly beside Him.
🙌 Keep it simple for teens: three beats. “Do justly” = one hand flat like a level · “love mercy” = hand over the heart · “walk humbly with thy God” = two fingers walking across the palm. Say it together twice, then try it with eyes closed.

More verses

Habakkuk 1:2 ↗
“O LORD, how long shall I cry, and thou wilt not hear! even cry out unto thee of violence, and thou wilt not save!”
In plain words: Lord, how long do I have to keep praying before You hear me? I keep telling You about the violence, and You don’t fix it!
Habakkuk 2:3 ↗
“For the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak, and not lie: though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry.”
In plain words: The answer has its own right time. It will come, and it will be true. If it feels slow, keep waiting; it is coming.
Habakkuk 3:17–18 ↗
“Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; the labour of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls: Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation.”
In plain words: Even if everything I was counting on falls apart, I will still find joy in the Lord, because He is the one who saves me.
Nahum 1:7 ↗
“The LORD is good, a strong hold in the day of trouble; and he knoweth them that trust in him.”
In plain words: The Lord is good. When trouble hits, He is a fortress, and He personally knows everyone who trusts Him.

Forehead Guess words18 words

  • 🗼 Habakkuk
  • ⚖️ Micah
  • 🏰 Nahum
  • 🎶 Zephaniah
  • 👀 Watchtower
  • 🐎 Babylon
  • 🏙️ Nineveh
  • ⭐ Bethlehem
  • 🛢️ Rivers of Oil
  • 🌳 Fig Tree
  • 🧭 Faith
  • 💗 Mercy
  • 🙇 Humility
  • 🧑‍⚖️ Justice
  • 🛡️ Stronghold
  • 🚜 Plowshare
  • 🌊 Depths of the Sea
  • ✍️ Vision
Clues for each word
  • Habakkuk: Prophet who asked God “How long?”
  • Micah: Prophet who summed it up: justly, mercy, humbly
  • Nahum: Prophet who called the Lord a strong hold
  • Zephaniah: Prophet who said the Lord rejoices over us with singing
  • Watchtower: Where Habakkuk waited for an answer
  • Babylon: The Chaldeans’ empire that shocked Habakkuk
  • Nineveh: Assyria’s capital; Nahum said it would fall
  • Bethlehem: Micah 5:2 named it 700 years early
  • Rivers of Oil: Ten thousand of them still miss the point
  • Fig Tree: Even if it doesn’t blossom, I will rejoice
  • Faith: The just shall live by it
  • Mercy: The Lord delights in it (Micah 7:18)
  • Humility: How we walk with God
  • Justice: Acting fairly and honestly
  • Stronghold: A fortress in the day of trouble
  • Plowshare: Swords get beaten into these (Micah 4:3)
  • Depths of the Sea: Where forgiven sins get thrown
  • Vision: Write it plainly so a runner can read it
▶ Play Forehead GuessFull screen, 60-second timer, works on any phone.

Scripture Showdown9 questions

  1. What three things does Micah 6:8 say the Lord requires?
    • A. Fast, pray, tithe
    • B. Do justly, love mercy, walk humbly
    • C. Build, sacrifice, obey
    Show answer

    ✅ B. Do justly, love mercy, walk humbly Micah 6:8. Jesus called the same ideas the “weightier matters of the law” (Matthew 23:23).

  2. Which town did Micah name as the birthplace of Israel’s eternal Ruler?
    • A. Nazareth
    • B. Jerusalem
    • C. Bethlehem
    Show answer

    ✅ C. Bethlehem Micah 5:2, quoted by Herod’s scribes in Matthew 2:4–6.

  3. Habakkuk’s first question to the Lord was basically…
    • A. “How long?”
    • B. “Where should I go?”
    • C. “Who are You?”
    Show answer

    ✅ A. “How long?” Habakkuk 1:2: “O LORD, how long shall I cry, and thou wilt not hear!”

  4. Why did the Lord’s first answer confuse Habakkuk even more?
    • A. It never came
    • B. God would use wicked Babylon to discipline Judah
    • C. It was in a language he couldn’t read
    Show answer

    ✅ B. God would use wicked Babylon to discipline Judah Habakkuk 1:5–13. He couldn’t see why a holy God would use a worse nation.

  5. Where did Habakkuk go to wait for the Lord’s answer?
    • A. His watchtower
    • B. The temple
    • C. A cave
    Show answer

    ✅ A. His watchtower Habakkuk 2:1: he set himself upon the tower to watch for what the Lord would say.

  6. Which line from Habakkuk does Paul quote three times?
    • A. “Yet I will rejoice”
    • B. “How long shall I cry”
    • C. “The just shall live by his faith”
    Show answer

    ✅ C. “The just shall live by his faith” Habakkuk 2:4; Romans 1:17; Galatians 3:11; Hebrews 10:38.

  7. Nahum called the Lord “a strong hold in the day of” what?
    • A. Battle
    • B. Trouble
    • C. Harvest
    Show answer

    ✅ B. Trouble Nahum 1:7: the Lord is good, and He knows those who trust Him.

  8. In Habakkuk 3, what had changed by the time he sang “Yet I will rejoice”?
    • A. Habakkuk himself
    • B. Babylon had been defeated
    • C. The crops had come back
    Show answer

    ✅ A. Habakkuk himself His circumstances were the same. His trust in the Lord had grown.

  9. Micah 7:19 says the Lord casts our forgiven sins where?
    • A. Into the fire
    • B. Into the depths of the sea
    • C. Behind a mountain
    Show answer

    ✅ B. Into the depths of the sea The Lord “delighteth in mercy” and doesn’t keep repented sins on display.

▶ Play Scripture ShowdownTeams take turns on one screen.

From general conference

“To do justly means acting honorably with God and with other people. We act honorably with God by walking humbly with Him. We act honorably with others by loving mercy.”

— Elder Dale G. Renlund, “Do Justly, Love Mercy, and Walk Humbly with God,” October 2020

Read in the Micah 6:8 scripture step after the groups teach their phrases.

Read the talk ↗
“When those moments come and issues surface, the resolution of which is not immediately forthcoming, hold fast to what you already know and stand strong until additional knowledge comes.”

— Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, ““Lord, I Believe”,” April 2013

Read with the third Questions Welcome question, after the Habakkuk reader’s theater.

Read the talk ↗

Songs

  • How Firm a Foundation Hymns, no. 85

    A hymn about the Lord as a sure foundation through fire and flood: Nahum’s strong hold and Habakkuk’s faith in song. Find it ↗

  • I Need Thee Every Hour Hymns, no. 98

    Walking humbly with God, put to music. Find it ↗

  • O Little Town of Bethlehem Hymns, no. 208

    The first Sunday of December and Micah 5:2: a natural start to the Christmas season. Find it ↗

This week’s challenge

Watchtower Notes

Open a note on your phone titled “Watchtower.” Write one question or decision you’re bringing to the Lord. Pray about it every day this week, and each night add one line: a verse, a thought, a conversation or a feeling that helped. Also choose one Micah 6:8 action each day: something honest, something merciful, or a humble, real prayer.

Text the parents

Today in class we studied Habakkuk, a prophet who asked God hard questions, waited on his watchtower, and learned that “the just shall live by his faith” (Habakkuk 2:4). We also read Micah 6:8: do justly, love mercy, walk humbly with God. Your youth started a “Watchtower” note for one question or decision they’re bringing to the Lord. Ask: “Is there anything you’re waiting on the Lord about that I could pray about with you?”

📝 After class

What worked? Who needs a check-in this week? Jot it here on a printed copy, or in the app’s private class notes.

Got extra time?

👯 Twin Prophecies · 5 min

  1. Half the class reads Micah 4:1–3; the other half reads Isaiah 2:2–4. Race to spot what’s the same.
  2. Explain that Micah and Isaiah lived at the same time and saw the same vision of people streaming to the mountain of the Lord’s house.
  3. Ask: “What is the mountain of the Lord’s house today? What would ‘beating swords into plowshares’ look like in your friend group or online?”

📈 Chapter 1 vs. Chapter 3 · 6 min

  1. In pairs, skim Habakkuk 1 and Habakkuk 3. List three words that describe his mood in each chapter.
  2. Ask: “What happened in between? What does chapter 2 teach about how to get from chapter 1 to chapter 3?”
  3. Invite them to write their own two-line “Yet I will rejoice” statement about something hard in their life right now (kept private).

📦 Questions from the Box · 8 min

  1. Next week (or right now if time allows), pick one question from the anonymous box that would help the whole class.
  2. As a class, search Gospel Library, the Topical Guide and General Conference talks for help. Assign different youth different sources.
  3. Model the pattern: what do we already know, what do the scriptures and prophets say, what’s still unknown, and how do we live faithfully while we wait?

🎶 The Lord Sings over You · 4 min

  1. Read Zephaniah 3:14–20 together. List every reason the verses give to rejoice.
  2. Ask: “Zephaniah pictures the Lord rejoicing over His people with singing. How does that change the way you picture how He feels about you?”
  3. Compare 3 Nephi 17:20–21, where Jesus says His joy is full as He blesses the people.

Sources

Scripture quotations are from the King James Version, the Bible used by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Tap or click a reference to open it in Gospel Library. Start with the official Come, Follow Me manual; these ideas are here to help it come alive.

All Youth 16–18 lessons