Thus Saith the Lord, by Walter Rane

Jeremiah 1–3; 7; 16–18; 20: Lesson 130

Jeremiah 1

“Before I Formed Thee in the Belly I Knew Thee … and I Ordained Thee”

Visit “Studying the Scriptures” to help prepare yourself spiritually to learn.

Have you ever wondered what happened in the premortal life that prepared you for your responsibilities in mortality? In the premortal life, Heavenly Father gave divine responsibilities to His children to perform in mortality. Examples of this include Jesus Christ (see 1 Peter 1:19–20) and Jeremiah (see Jeremiah 1:5). This lesson can help you desire to fulfill your divine purpose.

Study the Scriptures

Amira has been with the same running coach for eight years. As Amira has followed his counsel, he has helped her improve her running time each race. One day at practice, her coach takes her aside and tells her he’s confident she can beat her personal best by more than 10 seconds next month.

How might Amira’s experience with her coach impact her confidence? How would it be different if a coach who didn’t know Amira’s potential gave her the same challenge?

Like Amira’s coach, Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ know you and your divine potential. Take a moment to reflect on your faith in how Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ know you and your divine potential. How would you evaluate yourself (1 – true of me; 10 – not true of me) on the following statements?

• I believe Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ know me better than anyone else knows me.

• I believe They have given me a divine purpose I can accomplish with Their help.

• I want to know and fulfill the divine mission Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ have given me.

As you study Jeremiah 1, invite the Holy Ghost to help you recognize the divine responsibilities you can accomplish with the help of Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ.

Jeremiah 1:4–5 is a doctrinal mastery passage. Consider tagging doctrinal mastery passages with the topic they teach so you can find them easily later. Memorize the reference and key scripture phrase “Before I formed thee in the belly … I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.” You might use the memorization activities on the Doctrinal Mastery app to help you.

Read Jeremiah 1:4–5 and the following statement by President Russell M. Nelson. You might link Jeremiah 1:4–5 to President Nelson’s statement.

Your spirit is an eternal entity. The Lord said to His prophet Abraham: “Thou wast chosen before thou wast born” [Abraham 3:23]. The Lord said something similar about Jeremiah and many others. He even said it about you.

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. (“Decisions for Eternity,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2013, 107)

Create a note next to verse 5 with the following truth: Before I was born, the Lord knew me and gave me specific responsibilities to perform.

Read Jeremiah 1:6–9, 17–19 and mark the counsel and promises the Lord gave in response to Jeremiah’s feelings of inadequacy. How might the Lord’s promises to Jeremiah have helped him see his calling from an eternal perspective?

Ponder how the Lord’s counsel to Jeremiah could help youth today with the responsibilities the Lord has given them.

Review the following study options. Complete one or more.

Option A

Why does it matter if I know my divine purpose?

Study two or more of the following resources. Look for how knowing your divine purpose can impact your thoughts and choices.

1. Randall L. Ridd, “The Choice Generation” (general conference, Apr. 2014), from time code 5:43 to 7:14

2. Russell M. Nelson, “Hope of Israel” (worldwide youth devotional, June 3, 2018), from time code 32:40 to 33:36

3. Luke 1:13–17

4. 1 Nephi 11:14–20

5. Doctrine and Covenants 138:53–56

Using what you learned today, write a message to your future self in your notebook. What do you want to remember about Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ’s knowledge of you and the divine responsibilities They have given you?

Option B

How can I learn about the divine responsibilities the Lord has given me?

Elder John C. Pingree Jr. of the Seventy shared four things we can do to understand what responsibilities the Lord has given to us:

First, focus on others. …

Second, discover and develop spiritual gifts. …

Third, make use of adversity. …

And fourth, rely on God. When we ask Him in faith with real intent, He will reveal our divine assignments to us. (“I Have a Work for Thee,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2017, 33–34)

Elder Alan T. Phillips of the Seventy testified:

Do not misunderstand or devalue how important you are to your Father in Heaven. You are not an accidental by-product of nature, a cosmic orphan, or the result of matter plus time plus chance. Where there is design, there is a designer.

Your life has meaning and purpose. … You are a beloved child of Heavenly Father. (“God Knows and Loves You,” Liahona, Nov. 2023, 49)

Create a digital or paper poster with a statement from this lesson, or find a statement that teaches about your divine purpose. Place it somewhere in your home or on your phone where you will see it regularly.

Each time you read it, ponder what gifts and talents you have received from the Lord. How can they help you recognize the divine responsibilities the Lord has for you? Look for ways to use your divine gifts to help others come unto Christ and make covenants with Him.

Share Your Thoughts

Lesson Purpose: To help your desire to fulfill your divine purpose.

Share one or more of the following with your teacher or class:

• The message you wrote to your future self.

• The digital or paper poster you created.

• Something specific you did to achieve the purpose of this lesson.

• Any questions this lesson raised for you. How will you try to find answers to your questions?