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TEMPLES
ICEBREAKER
I’d like to introduce our first theme from Psalms for this week with the following icebreaker. I challenge my class to name as many hymns or primary songs that they can that are about or refer to temples.
And here is a list of some of the possibilities:
2 The Spirit of God
5 High on the Mountain Top
44 Beautiful Zion, Built Above
52 The Day Dawn is Breaking
54 Behold, the Mountain of the Lord
94 Come, Ye Thankful People
132 God Is in His Holy Temple
287 Rise, Ye Saints, and Temples Enter
288 How Beautiful Thy Temples, Lord
289 Holy Temples on Mount Zion
290 Rejoice, Ye Saints of Latter Days
291 Turn Your Hearts
300 Families Can Be Together Forever
95 I Love to See the Temple
153 The Lord Gave Me a Temple
After that activity, you might consider choosing one of these hymns to sing together as a class. Or you could show a video of one of these hymns being performed. Here is just one suggestion of a YouTube video that has a great rendition of “I Love to See the Temple” set to pictures:
I Love to See the Temple https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XBsbaewsO7w
TRANSITION
And I feel it’s fitting that we begin today’s lesson with a hymn about temples, because the book of Psalms also contains many hymns about temples. Quite a few in fact. And these hymns, just like our modern ones, can help us to appreciate the power and importance of these holy buildings in our lives. So let’s take a look together at what the Book of Psalms can teach us about the Lord’s house.
SEARCH
An activity I might have my students do to study this particular theme would be to give them a chance to be student teachers. As teachers, we don’t always have to be the ones doing all the teaching. You have probably discovered that you, as the teacher, learn far more than what you can share with your students. Sometimes it’s good to give them a little bit of that experience in your class. What you do is divide them up into groups of four as much as possible and give them one of the following handouts and sets of verses to study. Give them about 10-15 minutes to really become familiar with their assigned references and to write down their answers on their sheet. Then, they can use their notes to give a brief lesson about what they learned with the other three students in their group. Each will take a turn being the student teacher. And if you look closely at these handouts, you’ll notice that the initial question on each focuses on a different aspect of temple worship from the psalms. So each student’s thoughts should be unique from the others. Then, after that first question each of the students have the same following two questions to answer:
· Of all the verses you studied, which one stood out to you as the most important and why?
· How do you personally feel about the temple?
After they have studied and prepared, each student will get a few minutes each to teach the other students in their groups. When I do this type of activity, I usually like to walk around and listen in on some of the lessons being taught, and I might even select a few to share some of their lesson with the entire class. Or you could ask for volunteers.
Now, for the purposes of this video, I’d like to walk you through the content of each of the handouts with their initial question in mind.
STUDENT TEACHER #1: THE BLESSINGS OF THE TEMPLE
So student teacher #1 has this question: What do your verses teach us about the blessings that flow from the temple?
Psalm 5:7
7 But as for me, I will come into thy house in the multitude of thy mercy: and in thy fear will I worship toward thy holy temple.
The temple is a place where we can feel the multitude of God’s mercy. “How is God’s mercy revealed by the temple?” you might ask. It’s merciful that he allows us to come to his house—that he’s created a place like the temple for his children to come home to and experience just a little piece of heaven in a fallen world. A place where we can escape the pressures and the temptations and the darkness of the world around us. A place that helps us to think forward to the day when all wickedness and pain will end. It’s a place where we can feel the power of God’s grace and his forgiveness of our shortcomings and weaknesses. The temple is not a place for perfect individuals, but a place for those who are striving to be the best disciples they can.
Psalm 27:4-5
4 One thing have I desired of the Lord, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to enquire in his temple.
5 For in the time of trouble he shall hide me in his pavilion: in the secret of his tabernacle shall he hide me; he shall set me up upon a rock.
Why does David desire to dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of his life? So that he could behold the beauty of the Lord and enquire in his holy temple. The temple is a place where we can behold many different aspects of the Lord’s beauty. The beauty of his doctrine, the beauty of his plan, the beauty of the world and universe he’s created, the beauty of family relationships, the beauty of service to both living and dead, the beauty of truth.
And the temple is a place where we can go to enquire things of him. It’s an excellent place to pray and ask God for help and guidance. I know that I’ve found answers to prayers in the temple as I’ve prayed for help on how to lead my ward, how to raise my children, how to enrich my marriage and how to be a better man.
From these verses, the temple is also a place where we can go in times of trouble. When we’re discouraged or worried, or hurting in some way, there we can hide in his pavilion for a time and set us upon his rock. The temple provides a firm foundation from which to stand in perilous times. The scriptures sometimes refer to the temple as a house of refuge.
Psalm 43:3-5
3 O send out thy light and thy truth: let them lead me; let them bring me unto thy holy hill, and to thy tabernacles.
4 Then will I go unto the altar of God, unto God my exceeding joy: yea, upon the harp will I praise thee, O God my God.
5 Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted within me? hope in God: for I shall yet praise him, who is the health of my countenance, and my God.
The temple is a place that sends out light and truth. That light guides us through the dark places of our lives. I always love to see temples at night--all lit up and shining in the darkness. They remind us that the house of the Lord is a place of guiding and glorious light.
Also, from verse 5, when we are feeling cast down or disquieted, we can go to the temple and receive hope and health to our countenance. I like that last expression. Is our countenance healthy? The way we appear to the rest of the world? Our outlook, our attitude, the way we bear ourselves to others? Is there health in our countenances? Or are we sour, negative, judgmental, or pessimistic? The temple can help to put health into our countenances once again.
Psalm 48:9
9 We have thought of thy lovingkindness, O God, in the midst of thy temple.
The temple is a good place to reflect on the lovingkindness of our God. He is a god of help and love and kindness. We can feel that, within the walls of his home.
STUDENT TEACHER #2: TEMPLE WORTHINESS
Now for the question for student teacher #2: What do your verses teach us about temple worthiness?
I refer to psalms 15 and 24 as David’s temple recommend interview. Why? Because he begins both psalms with basically the same question, just expressed differently in four unique ways. In Psalm 15: Who shall abide in thy tabernacle? who shall dwell in thy holy hill? AND in Psalm 24: 3 Who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord? or who shall stand in his holy place? And then both psalms give us a list of requirements for those who wish to dwell in God’s house. And a bit of a heads up here. The requirements are not the same as ours today. But as you look at these psalms, I want you to ask yourself if you would pass David’s temple recommend interview.
Psalm 15
From psalm 15:
Do we walk uprightly? Do we act in a way that we are proud of? Could we stand in the presence of God with our heads held upright?
Do we work righteousness? And I like that verb. Righteousness is something that we work. It requires concentrated effort and persistence.
Do we speak the truth in our hearts? Not just with our mouths, but in our hearts as well. Are we sincere and act with righteous motives?
Do we strive not to backbite with our tongue? (or gossip) That question might eliminate quite a few of us from temple attendance. Are we able to speak well of people when they’re not present and resist the urge to put others down that we perceive as lesser.
Do we refuse to do evil to our neighbor or reproach them? I know that the Bible uses the word “neighbor” to mean all mankind, but personally I really like that word for a different reason. When you think about it, it’s quite easy to love the nameless masses of humanity all over the world. Oh yes, I’m a good person, I love all mankind. BUT, it’s much harder to love and serve the guy that lives just next door. The guy who has the barking dog, or throws the loud parties, or who you have a property dispute with. Or it’s our coworkers, our ward members, or even members of our own family. These “neighbors” are the people that we really need to work hard on loving, speaking well of, and doing good to. And truly, they can sometimes be the most challenging people to love.
Do we disparage the wicked and honor the righteous? I don’t think this means that we hate, or condemn, or ignore the wicked in some kind of self-righteous judgment. I just think it means that we should be careful not to praise or uphold or esteem that which is wicked. We don’t need to support or praise the celebrity who is producing indecent media. We shouldn’t honor the criminal who gets away with it, but in style. We don’t reverence the businessperson who treats people horribly, conducts business shadily, but manages to come away successful anyway. Sometimes our world tends to hold up the wicked, and gives them honors, or admires them. We want to make sure that we respect and honor those people who truly deserve respect. We honor the righteous.
“He that sweareth to his own hurt, and changeth not” is just another way of saying that we keep our promises even when it hurts or its not to our advantage. Are we the kind of people who keep our word, no matter what?
Do we lend without demanding interest? And do we refuse to accept bribes to better our own situation? Hopefully we can deal graciously, fairly, and honorably with others.
There are a few more questions to consider in Psalm 24:3-5
Do we have clean hands and a pure heart? Now both are necessary for worthiness. I suppose it’s possible to have clean hands (we do the right things) but not a pure heart (we do them for the wrong reasons). The Pharisees at the time of Christ come to mind. And I suppose it’s also possible to not have clean hands (we don’t do the right things) but still manage to have a pure heart (we have good intentions but never show the fortitude to really act on them). Neither of these strategies is going to work in the end. We need to strive to do the right things with the right intentions.
Also, have we controlled the temptation to lift ourselves up unto vanity? As President Ezra Taft Benson taught us, pride is the universal sin. Have we sought to conquer pride? To consider all souls to be of great worth, regardless of any factor? To resist the temptation of thinking we are better than someone else for whatever reason.
And finally, can we keep ourselves from swearing deceitfully? This coincides well with a question that we do find in our modern temple worthiness interviews. Are we honest in our dealings with our fellow man? Do we tell the truth? Do we shun all forms of cheating in our school assignments, business transactions, or financial dealings? Are we trustworthy with our employers?
Even though most of these questions don’t appear in our modern interviews, I think we would still do well to consider them as we evaluate our own discipleship. Would you have passed David’s temple recommend interview?
Well, before we leave these verses, notice the promised blessings that we could add here:
He that doeth these things shall never be moved.
He shall receive the blessing from the Lord, and righteousness from the God of his salvation.
STUDENT TEACHER #3: LOVING THE TEMPLE
For student teacher #3, the question is: What do your verses teach us about how we should feel about the temple?
Psalm 26:8
8 Lord, I have loved the habitation of thy house, and the place where thine honour dwelleth.
Hopefully, like David, we love the habitation of God’s house. When we attend, do we go out of a mere sense of duty, or do we truly enjoy worshipping in the Lord’s house. Do we go because we want to be there? David loved the temple and could feel the honor of God that dwells there. I pray that we all look forward to spending time frequently and consistently in his house.
Psalm 65:4
4 Blessed is the man whom thou choosest, and causest to approach unto thee, that he may dwell in thy courts: we shall be satisfied with the goodness of thy house, even of thy holy temple.
There is certainly goodness in the holy temple, but do we walk away satisfied with it? Have you ever felt that way when you walked away from spending time in the temple? Satisfied. I believe that there’s a special feeling that accompanies a meaningful visit to the House of the Lord—a sense of contentment, accomplishment even, and the warmth of God’s approval.
Psalm 73:3-17 is a fascinating one to me.
It poses a question or a doubt that the author is struggling to understand. Perhaps you can relate to his question:
3 For I was envious at the foolish, when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.
4 For there are no bands in their death: but their strength is firm.
5 They are not in trouble as other men; neither are they plagued like other men.
6 Therefore pride compasseth them about as a chain; violence covereth them as a garment.
7 Their eyes stand out with fatness: they have more than heart could wish.
8 They are corrupt, and speak wickedly concerning oppression: they speak loftily.
9 They set their mouth against the heavens, and their tongue walketh through the earth.
10 Therefore his people return hither: and waters of a full cup are wrung out to them.
11 And they say, How doth God know? and is there knowledge in the most High?
12 Behold, these are the ungodly, who prosper in the world; they increase in riches.
13 Verily I have cleansed my heart in vain, and washed my hands in innocency.
14 For all the day long have I been plagued, and chastened every morning.
15 If I say, I will speak thus; behold, I should offend against the generation of thy children.
16 When I thought to know this, it was too painful for me;
Do you get what he’s saying there? He’s struggling with the idea of the prosperity of the wicked. He wonders why God doesn’t seem to punish the wicked more than he does. They seem to be getting away with it. Why do they have strength, and fatness, and enjoy more than the heart could wish, and increase in riches? But then, in many cases, the righteous don’t always prosper and are even plagued or chastened. That’s not fair! we might shout to the heavens. The world just doesn’t seem make sense to psalmist. But then, verse 17:
17 Until I went into the sanctuary of God; then understood I their end.
I love that thought about the temple. When we observe the world around us, things don’t always seem to make sense. The world is such a confusing and bewildering place . . . until we get to the temple. The temple has a way of putting all things into perspective. That which seems unjust outside the walls of the temple, becomes reasonable from within. That which seemed important when we were in the world, fades into insignificance in the Lord’s house. Life just makes more sense in the temple.
STUDENT TEACHER #4: A DAY IN YOUR COURT
For student teacher #4 I have a bit more of a catch-all kind of question and there are aspects of each of the former questions within it. This assignment takes the student to psalm 84, which I think is one of the best psalms on the temple overall, in the entire book. Student #4 is simply asked the question: What does your psalm teach us about the temple?
So let’s read through it together:
How amiable are thy tabernacles, O Lord of hosts! (Great word. Amiable. The temple is just a pleasant place to be)
2 My soul longeth, yea, even fainteth for the courts of the Lord: my heart and my flesh crieth out for the living God.
(Have you ever felt that way. Ahhhh. I need to get to the temple soon! My heart longs to be there. I remember feeling that way on my mission when there was no temple for hundreds of miles around. When I returned home, that was one of the first things I wanted to do. I also felt that way during the Covid pandemic where, once again, months and months went by without an opportunity to worship there. And when they finally did open back up, it felt so good to get back again. Maybe you’ve had a similar experience)
3 Yea, the sparrow hath found an house, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay her young, even thine altars, O Lord of hosts, my King, and my God. (So, even the birds want to build their nests on the temple grounds)
(And then these verses describing the blessings of the temple)
4 Blessed are they that dwell in thy house: they will be still praising thee. Selah.
5 Blessed is the man whose strength is in thee; in whose heart are the ways of them.
6 Who passing through the valley of Baca make it a well; the rain also filleth the pools.
(the valley of Baca was probably a literal place but is referred to here symbolically as a place of weeping. That’s what Baca means. The valley of Baca could represent those most tragic and difficult parts of our lives. The temple can help us to get through these dark times. It’s the best place you can go to when you weep)
7 They go from strength to strength, every one of them in Zion appeareth before God.
8 O Lord God of hosts, hear my prayer: give ear, O God of Jacob. Selah.
9 Behold, O God our shield, and look upon the face of thine anointed.
10 For a day in thy courts is better than a thousand. I had rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God, than to dwell in the tents of wickedness.
(I love that verse. One day in the temple is better than a thousand anywhere else—even Disneyland! David says that he’d rather be able to just stand at the door of the temple than spend any amount of time in the tents of wickedness or the pursuits of Babylon.)
11 For the Lord God is a sun and shield: the Lord will give grace and glory: no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly.
12 O Lord of hosts, blessed is the man that trusteth in thee.
So many blessings from the temple. Light, protection, grace, glory, all the good things that God promises the righteous can be found within the walls of his house. No wonder it’s often described as a house of glory.
TRUTH
If we strive to maintain our worthiness, God will pour out countless blessings upon us from his temple.
LIKEN THE SCRIPTURES
How would you answer that final question on the student teacher handouts? How do you personally feel about the temple? What do you love most about attending it? What blessings have you seen flow from it? What inspires you to worship there?
CONCLUSION
When Joseph Smith received the command to build a house of God in Kirtland, Ohio, the first in this dispensation, the Lord told him that it would be a different kind of house. It would be a house made up of many different houses. He said, “11 Organize yourselves; prepare every needful thing; and establish a house, even a house of prayer, a house of fasting, a house of faith, a house of learning, a house of glory, a house of order, a house of God;” I believe our study today has shown that the temple continues to be each of these things extending all the way back to the days of David and even Moses. God’s house serves many purposes and brings countless blessings to those who take the time to worship there. I remember a number of years ago I climbed a mountain near our home named Lone Peak and failed to bring enough water for the day. As I was descending in the late summer heat, I ran out of water and began to feel very sick, nauseous, and dehydrated. Slowly I made my way down the mountain and began to seriously worry about heat exhaustion or worse, heat stroke. I was scared that I’d really put myself in a bad situation and I prayed that I would be able to get down safely. Well, at one point, I remember turning a corner on the trail and there, just in the distance down the side of the mountain I saw the beautiful spire of the Draper temple peering through the trees with the angel Moroni gleaming on the top. Though my fear didn’t completely subside, I distinctly remember feeling comforted by that sight, that a house of God was so close to me. I felt that my Heavenly Father was aware of me, and that he would help me out of that situation. Which he did, and I soon ran into some people who had been out riding ATV’s and had some spare water to share. I think that there will be times in each of our lives when we find ourselves spiritually parched, fearful, and exhausted. It’s exactly at those times that we most need the comfort and the healing of the Lord’s house. He calls to all weary and fainting travelers to come inside and find refreshment and healing and protection from worldly elements. I love to see the temple, and even more, I love going inside. The temple stands as tangible proof of the loving, compassionate, and welcoming nature of our Father in Heaven.
PRAISEWORTHY
ICEBREAKER
Moving on. There’s a major theme that we find in Psalms that I’d like to treat relatively briefly here. But it’s one that you’ll see all throughout the book. And that’s the theme of praise. And to introduce that theme, I invite my students to think of something that they love to do. That can be a sport they enjoy, a hobby they’re interested in, a musical instrument they play, or anything that they’re enthusiastic about. I then have them turn to a partner and I give them two minutes to try and convince the other why their “thing” is so great. Why everyone should love it. Allow both people in the pair to share their reasons and then let them judge who they think did a better job of convincing the other. There’s no need to deem a “winner” but just for fun, challenge them to see if they can agree on who they felt really persuaded the other best.
TRANSITION
Well, what they just did in that little activity was an exercise in praise. That’s what “praise” is all about. It’s when you sincerely, convincingly, and passionately express your admiration or love of someone or something. The psalms are filled with praise and much of that praise is directed towards God. And you know, I feel that’s something that we probably don’t really do much of in our prayers anymore. I mean, how often do we really express prayers of praise? When we teach somebody to pray, we’ll usually teach them four steps. Direct the prayer to Heavenly Father, thank him for things we are grateful for, ask him for things we desire, and then conclude in the name of Jesus Christ. But I feel there could be a fifth step added in there. Praise. Jesus is a good example of this as he praised his Father in what is sometimes referred to as “The Lord’s Prayer”, when he says, “Hallowed be thy name” and “the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours, now and forever”. (Matthew 6:9-13), he was expressing praise. Thanking God expresses gratitude for the gift. But praising God expresses gratitude and wonder at the CHARACTER of the GIVER of the gift.
I like something that C.S. Lewis said about praise. He said:
“The world rings with praise. . .readers their favorite poet, walkers praising the countryside, players praising their favorite game – praise of weather, wines, dishes, actors, motors, horses, colleges, countries, historical personages, children, flowers, mountains, rare stamps, rare beetles, even sometimes politicians or scholars.
… just as men spontaneously praise whatever they value, so they spontaneously urge us to join them in praising it: “Isn’t she lovely? Wasn’t it glorious? Don’t you think that magnificent?” The Psalmists in telling everyone to praise God are doing what all men do when they speak of what they care about. . . .
I think we delight to praise what we enjoy because the praise not merely expresses but completes the enjoyment; it is its appointed consummation.
I really like that line of reasoning. Do we really enjoy the character of our Father in Heaven? If God is the greatest thing of all, greater than hobbies, greater than objects, greater than even his creations, then shouldn’t He deserve that same kind of praise from us? Should we not get just as excited and passionate about our Father in Heaven and his gospel and all that he’s has done for us as we do for those more mundane or earthly things? And that praise would complete and enhance the joy we feel at having him as our God. Maybe we’d go around, and not be able to hold back from expressing our faith in God because we just wouldn’t be able to help it. “Oh, let me tell you about my God. He is the greatest, most amazing being you could ever meet. Let me tell you about his plan. Let me tell you about his works and his wisdom”. That’s the spirit of the psalms of praise.
SEARCH
And to help your students get a sense of that theme in the psalms, have them either study or listen to a number of the following suggested psalms.
Psalm 8
Psalm 65
Psalm 98
Psalm 145
Psalm 150
Now, you could read some of them to your students, read them with your students, or have them listen to a recording of them. And here, I don’t want to take away from the power of these psalms by burdening you with a bunch of commentary. I don’t believe they need a lot of commentary. Their sentiment speaks for itself. Instead, I just want you to feel the power of these psalms of praise and invite you to seek to connect with them on a personal level. Do you feel the same way about God as the writer does? Do you share the sentiments of the psalmist?
And then, just so you can get a sense of the spirit of these psalms, allow me to share with you my favorite psalm of praise from this list. Psalm 145
1 I will extol thee, my God, O king; and I will bless thy name for ever and ever.
2 Every day will I bless thee; and I will praise thy name for ever and ever.
3 Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised; and his greatness is unsearchable.
4 One generation shall praise thy works to another, and shall declare thy mighty acts.
5 I will speak of the glorious honour of thy majesty, and of thy wondrous works.
6 And men shall speak of the might of thy terrible acts: and I will declare thy greatness.
7 They shall abundantly utter the memory of thy great goodness, and shall sing of thy righteousness.
8 The Lord is gracious, and full of compassion; slow to anger, and of great mercy.
9 The Lord is good to all: and his tender mercies are over all his works.
10 All thy works shall praise thee, O Lord; and thy saints shall bless thee.
11 They shall speak of the glory of thy kingdom, and talk of thy power;
12 To make known to the sons of men his mighty acts, and the glorious majesty of his kingdom.
13 Thy kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and thy dominion endureth throughout all generations.
14 The Lord upholdeth all that fall, and raiseth up all those that be bowed down.
15 The eyes of all wait upon thee; and thou givest them their meat in due season.
16 Thou openest thine hand, and satisfiest the desire of every living thing.
17 The Lord is righteous in all his ways, and holy in all his works.
18 The Lord is nigh unto all them that call upon him, to all that call upon him in truth.
19 He will fulfil the desire of them that fear him: he also will hear their cry, and will save them.
20 The Lord preserveth all them that love him: but all the wicked will he destroy.
21 My mouth shall speak the praise of the Lord: and let all flesh bless his holy name for ever and ever.
Now, did you get a sense of what praise is all about from that? I hope that as I read, that you could sense the psalmists delight in God. Can you relate? I hope we can.
HYMNS OF PRAISE
And perhaps a good way to conclude a discussion of the topic of praise in the Psalms, would be to enjoy a modern hymn of praise together as a class. There are quite of few of them in our hymnbooks. Can you think of any? Here are just a few examples:
2 The Spirit of God (just think of the chorus)
62 All Creatures of our God and King
69 All Glory, Laud, and Honor
72 Praise to the Lord, the Almighty
89 The Lord is my Light
92 For the Beauty of the Earth
86 How Great thou Art
193 I Stand All Amazed
And that’s just a few. There are many, many more. Well, sing one of them! Or, if you’d like a suggested video rendition of one of these hymns to share with your class, I recommend the following musical number put out by the BYU Female Acapella group called Noteworthy and their performance of “How Great thou Art”. I think you’ll like it very much and I feel that the combined spirit of both an ancient and a modern hymn of praise together in one class period, can really bring a special spirit to your classroom experience.
BYU Noteworthy “How Great Thou Art” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5nqwxnpT8tM
CONCLUSION
And I hope that we can all recognize just how amazing and wonderful our Father in Heaven and Savior are. If there are any beings in this universe that deserve great praise, it would be them. And they really are incredible! Just look at the beauty of the world they’ve created. Look at the miracles they perform. Consider the depth and power of the doctrines they teach. Think of the plan they’ve designed for us. Reflect on the wonders of their Church and gospel. Ponder their wisdom, power, and greatness. God is good! God is great! We have an extraordinary Father in Heaven! How great thou art!
SCRIPTURE PRESCRIPTIONS
ICEBREAKER
Now, to conclude our study of the book of Psalms, there is one final activity I’d like to do with you. There were a number of verses and topics from my study of the psalms that didn’t fit neatly into one specific category or theme, but that I still found worthwhile and insightful. So the last portion of our lesson is going to be a bit of a miscellaneous section. We’re going to do an activity here that I like to call “Scripture Prescriptions”. And for an icebreaker to introduce it, you can do the following quick matching activity. Can you match the prescription to the problem? People who are suffering from the following maladies would be most helped by which prescription?
A headache Tylenol
Upset stomach Pepto Bismol
Cough Robitussin
Allergies Claritin
Diabetes Insulin
TRANSITION
And now we’re going to do something similar with the scriptures. With the following handout, I want you to find the symptom that you can most relate with. Then, I encourage you to go to the scripture prescription that is listed and read the suggested verse or verses from the Psalms. These are verses that I feel could best help someone with those particular feelings. As the teacher, give your students about 5-10 minutes to do the activity and then, if they feel it’s not too personal, encourage some to share what they found from the scriptures that was helpful. Let’s look at them together.
I’ve been called to be a gospel teacher and I feel inadequate—40:8-10
8 I delight to do thy will, O my God: yea, thy law is within my heart.
9 I have preached righteousness in the great congregation: lo, I have not refrained my lips, O Lord, thou knowest.
10 I have not hid thy righteousness within my heart; I have declared thy faithfulness and thy salvation: I have not concealed thy lovingkindness and thy truth from the great congregation.
This is a great attitude for all gospel teachers to have. We don’t want to refrain or hide or conceal the faith that is in our hearts. No wonder God wants us to teach it to others. The sentiments of the psalmist here set a good example of the attitude we can foster when it comes to sharing our faith. It’s not about us. Our teaching is not a performance. We don’t need to get all caught up in self focused concerns. All we need to do is share the righteousness that is in our hearts, declare our faith, and reveal God’s lovingkindness. The message is sure, and we don’t have to be skilled presenters or eloquent speakers to communicate that.
I am troubled by the wars and conflicts of the world—46:9-10
9 He maketh wars to cease unto the end of the earth; he breaketh the bow, and cutteth the spear in sunder; he burneth the chariot in the fire.
10 Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth.
Now verse 10 there is a very well-known and oft-quoted verse from the Psalms. “Be still, and know that I am God.” But I think it’s interesting that it’s spoken in the context of war or being worried about war. Maybe some of you are troubled by some of the conflicts that are happening in the world right now. Don’t let those wars destroy YOUR peace. The events of the world around us cannot affect our personal relationship with God. That’s what matters most. We can’t control world events, but we can turn personally to our Father in Heaven for peace.
I’m getting older and worry about my children and grandchildren—71:9, 18
This is a great one for grandparents.
9 Cast me not off in the time of old age; forsake me not when my strength faileth.
18 Now also when I am old and greyheaded, O God, forsake me not; until I have shewed thy strength unto this generation, and thy power to every one that is to come.
As we get older, perhaps our anxiety for the rising generation increases. Maybe you’ve prayed that same prayer. Lord, don’t take me from this earth until I’ve successfully passed my faith on! I believe God that God hears and answers that prayer of the elderly.
I really feel like I need the Lord’s help right now—77
We won’t go through this entire psalm, but it powerfully expresses the emotions that many feel when facing times of hardship. And so it begins:
1 I cried unto God with my voice, even unto God with my voice; and he gave ear unto me.
And then later:
13 Thy way, O God, is in the sanctuary: who is so great a God as our God?
14 Thou art the God that doest wonders: thou hast declared thy strength among the people.
When we struggle, God will give ear to our pleas. And, he can do wonders in our lives, and provide us with strength.
I’m struggling with pornography—101:2-3, 6-7
Unfortunately, this is a problem among so many right now. Pornography use and addiction is becoming more and more prevalent in our society as the internet has made it so much more available and pervasive. And there are many, even in the church that are getting caught in its net. How could this psalm help?
2 I will behave myself wisely in a perfect way. O when wilt thou come unto me? I will walk within my house with a perfect heart.
3 I will set no wicked thing before mine eyes: I hate the work of them that turn aside; it shall not cleave to me.
That’s the attitude we need to have when it comes to that temptation. We’ve got to commit to behaving ourselves wisely and not setting wicked things before our eyes. Rather . . .
6 Mine eyes shall be upon the faithful of the land, that they may dwell with me: he that walketh in a perfect way, he shall serve me.
7 He that worketh deceit shall not dwell within my house: he that telleth lies shall not tarry in my sight.
Someone who struggles with the temptation of pornography can put forth effort to better control their environment. That is a key to overcoming it. Put your eyes on things of faith. Surround yourself with people of faith. Don’t allow the influences and the images of the world to dwell within your house. Filter those things out. Make your home and your phone, a sanctuary of faith.
I feel I need to get outside more—104
If we have any nature lovers out there, Psalm 104 is your psalm. It revels and rejoices in the beauties and landscapes and majesty of our Heavenly Father’s creation. For me, one of the greatest ways I connect with God is through nature. Psalm 104 does an excellent job of putting into words that connection between nature and faith. We won’t read it here, but I encourage you to take a look at it.
I’m wondering if I should delay marriage and family—127:3-5
It seems that more and more nowadays young people are delaying marriage and family responsibilities or avoiding them altogether. Considering Psalm 127 would do them well.
3 Lo, children are an heritage of the Lord: and the fruit of the womb is his reward.
4 As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man; so are children of the youth.
5 Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them: they shall not be ashamed, but they shall speak with the enemies in the gate.
Motherhood and fatherhood are a great privilege. Now certainly being a parent is challenging and has its sorrows and difficulties. But at the same time, it’s capable of bringing some of the greatest blessings and most profound meaning to our lives. Happy is the person who fills their quiver with opportunities to relate with, strengthen, and love children.
There is a lot of conflict within my life—133:1
This verse is a good reminder for anyone who is experiencing tension or dispute in any key relationships in their life.
1 Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!
Unity must be a priority in any significant organization or relationship we find ourselves in. Remember the advice of President Thomas S. Monson, “Never let a problem to be solved become more important than a person to be loved.”
(Conference Report, Oct. 2008)
CONCLUSION
I hope this little exercise can serve as a reminder of the power of the scriptures to help us through our struggles and uncertainties. We will all experience physical ailments and spiritual ailments throughout our lives. Luckily for our bodies, the Lord has provided a world that contains medicines and procedures that can help and heal us. And on a spiritual level, the Lord has also provided soul medicine in the form of the truths and lessons of the scriptures. As my father always says: There isn’t a problem you can have, or a question you can ask that isn’t addressed in some way by the scriptures. If we keep our minds and hearts open to the Spirit and we are sure to consistently spend meaningful time studying them, I’m confident that we will always find holy prescriptions within their pages.
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