Old Testament LESSON 43

Teaching Come, Follow Me lessons just got easier with our activities for OCTOBER  (week #4)

Theme: “Before I Formed Thee in the Belly I Knew Thee”

Jeremiah 1-3; 7; 16-18; 20

YOU WILL FIND:

• SCRIPTURE SCHOLARS to get them reading with reward stamps and pop-ups to match the lesson theme. 

• Lesson-Match Interactive Activities to match the CFM curriculum for all ages.

 

BUNDLES to save & INDEX for Come, Follow Me October 2026 ⇒

 

Click on the weekly lesson posters (below) to find interactive activities:

. . . 5 SUPER-SIMPLE Lessons
& 35 Matching Activities . . .

Step 1 Choose LESSON
Step 2: Choose ACTIVITY
Step 3 CLICK BUY NOW buttons
(to download activities – sent to your e-mail)

October 19–25: “Before I Formed Thee in the Belly I Knew Thee”

Jeremiah 1–3; 7; 16–18; 20

At first, Jeremiah didn’t think he would make a good prophet. “Behold, I cannot speak,” he protested (Jeremiah 1:6). But the Lord reassured him, “I have put my words in thy mouth” (verse 9). Jeremiah felt that he was an inexperienced “child” (verse 6), but the Lord explained that he was actually more prepared than he realized—he had been ordained to this calling even before he was born (see verse 5). So Jeremiah set aside his fears and accepted the call. He warned Jerusalem’s kings and priests that their pretended holiness would not save them. The “child” who thought he could not speak came to feel God’s word “in [his] heart as a burning fire” and could not be silent (Jeremiah 20:9).

Jeremiah’s story is also your story. God knew you, too, before you were born and prepared you for your mission in life. Among other things, that mission includes something Jeremiah foresaw: gathering God’s people, one by one, to “bring [them] to Zion” (Jeremiah 3:14). And even if you don’t know exactly what to do or say, you can “be not afraid … ; for I am with thee, saith the Lord” (Jeremiah 1:8, 19).

For an overview of the book of Jeremiah, see “Jeremiah” in the Bible Dictionary.

 
COME FOLLOW ME
Ideas for Learning at Home and Church

with MATCHING ACTIVITIES

IDEAS FOR TEACHING CHILDREN

Jeremiah 1:4–19

Prophets are called to speak the words of the Lord.

• Consider showing pictures of the living prophet or prophets from the scriptures (you can find some in Church magazines, the Gospel Art Book, and Come, Follow Me). Ask your children what they know about these prophets.

• To teach about what prophets do, you might select some helpful verses from Jeremiah 1, such as verses 5, 7, 10, and 19. Your children could each pick one of the verses, read it, and share something they learn about prophets.

SEE ALL AGES ACTIVITY …

Here is what President Russell M. Nelson said about your premortal life:

“Your Heavenly Father has known you for a very long time. You, as His son or daughter, were chosen by Him to come to earth at this precise time, to be a leader in His great work on earth. You were chosen not for your bodily characteristics but for your spiritual attributes, such as bravery, courage, integrity of heart, a thirst for truth, a hunger for wisdom, and a desire to serve others.

“You developed some of these attributes premortally. Others you can develop here on earth as you persistently seek them” (“Decisions for Eternity,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2013, 107).

Think of some situations you might face in which it would be important to remember these truths about your premortal life. What can you do to remind yourself of these truths?

See also Russell M. Nelson, “Decisions for Eternity,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2013, 106–9; Topics and Questions, “Foreordination,” “Premortal Life,” Gospel Library.

IDEAS FOR TEACHING CHILDREN

Jeremiah 1:5

Heavenly Father knew me before I was born.

• To introduce the important truth taught in Jeremiah 1:5, you could show your children a picture of a baby (or, if possible, you could look at pictures of your children when they were babies). Ask your children if they know where they lived before they were born. You could also sing together a song that teaches about our premortal life, such as “I Lived in Heaven” (Children’s Songbook, 4).

• If your children would like to learn more, you could help them find “Premortal Life” in the Guide to the Scriptures. They could look for answers to “who,” “when,” and “what” questions about the premortal life.

Use object lessons. The Lord’s prophets often compare spiritual truths to familiar objects. Consider doing the same as you learn and teach the gospel. For example, to visualize Jeremiah 2:13, you could put water in a cracked or broken container or drink from a drinking fountain. How is Jesus like a “fountain of living waters”? (Jeremiah 2:13). How do we drink from His living water?

Object lesson: The Fountain of Living Waters

Imagine holding a cup of clean, refreshing water. When we are thirsty, water gives us what we need to live. But if the cup is cracked, the water slowly leaks out. Jeremiah 2:13 compares the Lord to a “fountain of living waters” and warns about trying to make our own broken “cisterns.”

Jesus Christ is like a fountain of living water because He gives us spiritual nourishment, peace, hope, forgiveness, and eternal life. Unlike a broken container that cannot hold water, Christ’s love and power never run dry.

We “drink” from His living water when we:

• Pray and seek Heavenly Father.
• Study the scriptures and follow Christ’s teachings.
• Repent and turn to Jesus Christ.
• Partake of the sacrament and remember Him.
• Serve and love others.
• Trust Him during difficult times.

A simple question to ask:
“If Jesus is the source of living water, what are some things I might be turning to instead that can never truly satisfy my spiritual thirst?”

STORY ABOUT GOD WANTED US TO HAVE HIS BLESSINGS.

President Dieter F. Uchtdorf said, “Perhaps during [hard times], we might find ourselves asking, ‘Do we really need to obey all of God’s commandments?’

“My response to this question is simple:

“I think God knows something we don’t—things that are beyond our capacity to comprehend! Our Father in Heaven is an eternal being whose experience, wisdom, and intelligence are infinitely greater than ours. [See Isaiah 55:9.] …

“Part of our challenge is, I think, that we imagine that God has all of His blessings locked in a huge cloud up in heaven, refusing to give them to us unless we comply with some strict, paternalistic requirements He has set up. But the commandments aren’t like that at all. In reality, Heavenly Father is constantly raining blessings upon us. It is our fear, doubt, and sin that, like an umbrella, block these blessings from reaching us.

“His commandments are the loving instructions and the divine help for us to close the umbrella so we can receive the shower of heavenly blessings.”

IDEAS FOR TEACHING CHILDREN

Jeremiah 16:14–16

I can help Heavenly Father’s children come back to Him.

• While you read Jeremiah 16:16, your children could pretend to “fish” or “hunt” for objects around the room. President Russell M. Nelson has compared the fishers and hunters in this verse to missionaries (see “The Gathering of Scattered Israel,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2006, 81). What do missionaries do? How can we help “fish” and “hunt” for scattered Israel? (see “A Message for Children from President Russell M. Nelson,” see Video ChurchofJesusChrist.org HERE).

FROM THE VIDEO by President Russell M. Nelson

“What are some of the “small and simple things” you can do to make a big difference in the world?

• You can HELP someone in need.
• You can LEARN the teachings of Jesus Christ and abide by them.
• You can SHARE what you know about the Savior.
• You can KEEP His commandments and PREPARE now to go to the temple and be baptized for your ancestors.
     When you do any of these things you are helping Heavenly Father to gather His children back to Him.”

NOTES from the talk by Richard J. Maynes (HERE)
The Joy of Living a Christ-Centered Life – October 2015 general conference

When shaping clay on a wheel, “place the clay in the EXACT CENTER of the wheel” and then start to “turn the wheel, making a hole in the middle of the clay.” This will prevent the clay from shaking.

“The world in which we live is similar to the potter’s spinning wheel, and the speed of that wheel is increasing. Like the clay on the potter’s wheel, we must be centered as well. Our core, the center of our lives, must be Jesus Christ and His gospel.

Living a Christ-centered life means we learn about Jesus Christ and His gospel and then we follow His example and keep His commandments with exactness.”

⇐ GO BACK to OLD TESTAMENT Lesson 42 “The Redeemer Shall Come to Zion” October 12-18, 2026 (October week 3)

SUMMARY OF SUBJECTS FOR:

OLD TESTAMENT

Jeremiah 1-3; 7; 16-18; 20

OCTOBER (week 4)
Lesson 43: October 19-25, 2026
“Before I Formed Thee in the Belly I Knew Thee”

#ComeFollowMe #OldTestament #Primary #SundaySchool #ForeverFamily #BeforeIFormedTheeInTheBellyIKnewThee