Jeremiah 31–33; 36–38; Lamentations 1; 3: Lesson 134

Jeremiah 31

He Will Write His Law upon Our Hearts

How might someone act if they knew the gospel of Jesus Christ in their mind but didn’t feel it in their heart? Is it possible that they would act without feeling the power of the Savior’s love? How do our actions change when we feel Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ’s love in our hearts? Jeremiah 31 promises us that when we turn to the Lord, He will write His law in our hearts (see Jeremiah 31:18, 33). This lesson can help students understand what it means to have the Savior’s gospel written in their hearts.

Student preparation: Invite students to ask family members and friends this question: “What is the difference between knowing a gospel truth in your mind and feeling it in your heart?” They could prepare to share what they discussed.

Possible Learning Activities

Knowing something in our minds and feeling it in our hearts

To begin class, invite students to respond to the following question.

• What are some situations where we might know we should do something but struggle to actually do it?

Students might share examples like getting to bed on time, making healthy eating choices, or completing homework before it is due. Help students understand that it is normal to struggle to align our actions with what we know is right. The same can be true when it comes to knowing and then acting upon what we know about the gospel of Jesus Christ. We might know what the Savior’s gospel requires, but we do not always live it. Nevertheless, we can strive to have the Savior and His gospel influence all we do.

What we know about following the Savior is not always reflected in our actions. Elder D. Todd Christofferson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles asked a question we might sometimes have in these situations:

How can you make the gospel of Jesus Christ not just an influence in your life but the controlling influence and, indeed, the very core of what you are? (“When Thou Art Converted,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2004, 11)

As you study Jeremiah 31, invite the Holy Ghost to help you look for ways you can make the Savior’s gospel “the very core of what you are.”

Jeremiah foretells the Savior’s blessings to Israel

For this study activity, you could organize students into groups of three. Invite each group member to read one of the following passages and to share their answers to the questions with the others in the group.

After warning of the consequences that the wicked would suffer in the last days (see Jeremiah 30:23–24), Jeremiah prophesied that the Lord would again gather His covenant people to Him.

Read the following passages, looking for what the Lord will do for His people:

Jeremiah 31:1–3

Jeremiah 31:6–10

Jeremiah 31:17–20

• What are some of the promises you found?

• What do these invitations teach about the Lord?

Read Jeremiah 31:31–33, looking for how the Lord will demonstrate His loving-kindness to His covenant people.

• How would you summarize this teaching as a statement of truth?

  Help students identify that the Lord promises to gather us to Him as His covenant people and to write His law in our hearts.

• What do you think it means to have the Lord’s law written in our hearts?

Students might share a variety of ideas. Help students understand that the phrase written in our hearts (see verse 33) can refer to being converted, experiencing a change, and desiring to accomplish the will of Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ with all their heart. You may want to point out that Paul used a similar metaphor when he described the Saints in Corinth as an “epistle of Christ … written not with ink … or in tables of stone, but in the fleshy tables of the heart” (2 Corinthians 3:3).

Is the Savior’s gospel written in your heart?

Display the following two questions. Invite students to select one they feel could increase their understanding of what it means to have the Lord write His law in their hearts.

1. How do I know that the Savior’s law is written in my heart?

2. What are some things I can do to invite the Savior to write His law in my heart?

Organize students into small groups with others who selected the same question. Ask students to imagine they have a friend who has asked the question they selected. Invite students to prepare a response they could share with this friend.

To help students prepare a response you could provide each student with a copy of the handout “The Savior Will Write His Law in Your Heart.”

Demonstrate understanding

Consider giving students a chance to practice answering the question they selected. You could organize students with those who studied the other question.

You might invite students to share how what they learned could help someone more consistently do what they know is right. To help students demonstrate what they have learned and felt, consider displaying the following instructions.

In your study journal, answer one or more of the following questions:

• What evidence will you look for that the Lord is writing His law in your heart?

• What is something you feel prompted to do to invite the Savior to write His gospel in your heart?

You might also ask willing students to share experiences they have had recognizing that the Savior has written His law in their hearts. You could share how you have seen the Lord writing His law in your heart. Encourage students to ask the Lord for help and to act on the impressions they receive.

Additional Resources

What actions show that the Lord has written His law in my heart?

Elder Dale G. Renlund of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles shared:

Being converted unto the Lord starts with an unwavering commitment to God, followed by making that commitment part of who we are. Internalizing such a commitment is a lifelong process that requires patience and ongoing repentance. Eventually, this commitment becomes part of who we are, embedded in our sense of self, and ever present in our lives. Just as we never forget our own name no matter what else we are thinking about, we never forget a commitment that is etched in our hearts. …

Covenants anchor us to the Savior and propel us along the path that leads to our heavenly home. The power of covenants helps us maintain the mighty change of heart, deepen our conversion to the Lord, and receive Christ’s image more fully in our countenance. But a half-hearted commitment to our covenants will not guarantee us anything. (“Unwavering Commitment to Jesus Christ,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2019, 22, 23)

Elder Kelly R. Johnson of the Seventy taught:

Those who have faith and the word of God deep in their hearts will be able to absorb and overcome the fiery darts that the adversary will surely send to destroy us. Otherwise, our faith, hope, and conviction may not endure, and … we could become a casualty.

I have learned that having the word of God deep in my soul, coupled with faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and His Atonement, allows me to draw upon the power of God to overcome the adversary and anything he may throw at me. As we face challenges, we can rely upon the promise of the Lord. …

Through preparation, the Savior grew in power and was able to resist all of Satan’s temptations. As we follow the Savior’s example and prepare through studying the word of God and deepening our faith, we also can draw upon the power of God to resist temptations. (“Enduring Power,” Liahona, Nov. 2020, 113)

Supplemental Learning Activities

Alternative beginning to the lesson

Option 1

To begin class, consider displaying pictures of President Henry B. Eyring and President Gordon B. Hinckley. Share the following story that President Eyring told at President Hinckley’s funeral.

When I was responsible for teaching the gospel to our youth in our seminary programs across the world, he had said, tapping his forefinger on my chest, “Hal, why don’t you do better in getting the gospel down into their hearts?” (“Things Will Work Out,” Ensign or Liahona [In Memoriam: President Gordon B. Hinckley, Mar. 2008], Gospel Library)

Invite students to discuss questions like the following:

• What do you think it means to have the Savior’s gospel down in your heart?

• Why would it be important for teenagers to get the gospel into their hearts?

Encourage students to look for the Savior’s promises through His prophet Jeremiah and to invite the Spirit to help them recognize gospel truths they can feel in their hearts.

Option 2

Alternatively, you might begin by inviting students to draw a hard heart and a soft heart on the board. You could share that in scriptures, the heart often symbolizes someone’s “mind and will” (Guide to the Scriptures, “Heart,” Gospel Library). To prepare students to study how the Lord writes His law on our hearts, you could ask questions like the following:

• Why does the state of our hearts matter?

• If our hearts are hard, what could we do to seek the Lord’s help to soften them?

Feeling the Lord’s promises in our hearts

The following activity could help students study some of the great blessings that the Lord has promised His covenant people. Select some or all of the following scripture passages and write them on slips of paper. Organize students into partnerships or small groups. Invite each group to select a slip of paper and to study the passage. Groups could prepare to share the blessings they identify.

Jeremiah 31:13–14

Jeremiah 31:16–17

Jeremiah 31:34

Jeremiah 32:17–19

Jeremiah 32:26–27

Jeremiah 33:6–8

After studying the verses, a spokesperson from each group could write the scripture reference and the Lord’s blessings on the board.

The music of the gospel in our hearts

To help students understand the difference between knowing truths in our minds and feeling them in our hearts, you could show the video “The Music of the Gospel” (5:42).

After the video, you might ask students what it could look like to know gospel truths in our minds compared to feeling these truths in our hearts. Students could share examples from their lives.

The lasting power of the Lord’s law written in hearts

Students might benefit from studying some examples of people who had the Lord’s law written in their hearts. You might invite students to share a scripture story of a person or group of people who allowed the Savior to write His law on their hearts. If students need additional guidance, you could share examples like:

• The disciples in Jerusalem after the Savior’s resurrection (see Acts 2:37–42).

• The Lamanites at the time of King Lamoni (see Alma 23:5–8).

• The Nephites after the Savior’s appearance (see 4 Nephi 1:2, 15–18).

After students have shared their examples, you might ask them what lessons we could learn from what the people felt and what they did that led to their change of heart.