Come Follow Me for Teens: "Comfort Ye My People" (Isaiah 40-49)

This week’s Come Follow Me for Teens episode studies Isaiah 40–49 and the theme “Comfort Ye My People.”

Isaiah repeatedly speaks to people who are afraid, overwhelmed, discouraged, and uncertain. The Lord answers with promises such as “Fear thou not; for I am with thee,” “I will strengthen thee,” and “I will hold thy right hand.” We talk about how fear can cause us to forget what we already know about God, and why sometimes faith means rehearsing His promises instead of continually rehearsing the problem. Isaiah does not promise that we will avoid every deep water or fiery trial, but he does promise that God will be with us as we pass through them.

Then Isaiah gives the striking image of being “chosen… in the furnace of affliction.” We explore what it means to be refined through difficult experiences and how Jesus Christ can use adversity to develop courage, patience, compassion, humility, trust, and greater spiritual strength. Not every painful experience is caused by God, but through Christ, pain does not have to be wasted. Sometimes the furnace becomes the place where some of the deepest growth takes place.

Finally, Isaiah gives one of the most personal assurances in all of scripture: “Yet will I not forget thee… Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands.” We talk about what it means to feel forgotten by God, why that feeling is not the same as actually being forgotten, and how the Savior’s wounded hands testify that He knows us personally and has not lost track of us.

Using Isaiah’s teachings, messages from modern prophets and apostles, scripture stories, and personal experiences, we explore what God’s comfort can look like when circumstances do not immediately change.

When I’m afraid, He is with me.

When I’m in the furnace, He can refine me.

And when I feel forgotten, He remembers me.