Skip to content

Psalms

S-ah-mz. Funny spelling for an important word.

Original format

These thoughts were originally shared on 23-Aug-2026 as Latter-Day Saint lesson to 12-13 year-old young men.

Intro

Activity

Get creative and think outside the box. Brainstorm different ways you can write. Or what are the different ways things are written?

  • Paper & Pencil/Pen
  • Tablets
  • Engravings
  • Typing
  • Cave/Rock walls (berries, charcoal)
  • Morse code
  • etc

We write everyday and multiple times each day. We as people write things down that are important. Things to remember. To help us think (math). To be creative. To communicate/share. Writing is important.

Question

Think of a Primary song or hymn you could sing right now without looking at anything. How did it get stuck in your head?

Most people in Old Testament times couldn't read. They didn't have personal copies of scripture. Instead, every Sabbath, they gathered together and listened to someone read the scriptures out loud. And a lot of what they heard wasn't just read; it was sung. The Psalms were Israel's hymnbook. Kids your age in ancient Israel probably knew Psalm 23:1-4 the same way you know "I Am a Child of God." They didn't know it because they studied it with a book, but because they heard it and sang it so many times it just "stuck."

Question (to leaders first?)

When you're scared, tempted, or having a hard day, does a song or phrase ever just pop into your mind? Where do you think that comes from?

The Lord's instruction on writing

Read the following:

  • Deuteronomy 6:6-9
  • Proverbs 3:3
  • Jeremiah 31:33

Question

These verses talk about writing God's word on doorposts, on your hands, around your neck, and on your heart. Which image feels strongest to you, and why?

Follow-up: Can you think of something important that got "written on your heart" without you trying to memorize it, maybe a song, a talk, or something a parent or leader said over and over?

God wants us to have written scripture on paper. Think about the hundreds of years of work and effort to preserve and translate the gold plates which became the Book of Mormon. One of the main goals of the Book of Mormon is to help us remember how great the Lord has been and to testify of Christ.

But...

In addition to writing scripture on paper, these verses teach us that scripture got written on their hearts, even without ink.

The Lord wants His word in our hands and in our hearts.

Application for today

Two kinds of scripture

We are so blessed today to have written scriptures. We even have the scriptures in our pockets! But here's the thing: having access to scripture isn't the same as having it written on your heart.

And here's something important: "scripture" written on your heart doesn't only mean verses from the standard works. It includes:

  • Standard works
  • Hymns and Primary songs
  • Come, Follow Me themes
  • Words from living prophets and apostles

If a phrase from a conference talk or a hymn is what comes to your mind when you're scared, tempted, or need strength, that's doing the same job the Psalms did for ancient Israel.

Question

You can open the scriptures app anytime. But when you're in the middle of a hard moment, what actually shows up in your mind first?

Follow-up: What's one thing on the "written on your heart" branch that you want to be there more often?

Trust in the Lord

  • Psalm 23:1 — "The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want."
  • Psalm 46:1 — "God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble."
  • Psalm 46:10 — "Be still, and know that I am God."

Question

If you had to pick one line from these psalms to remember when life feels chaotic, which would you pick and why?

Jesus Christ

  • Psalm 22:1 — "My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?" Jesus quoted this on the cross.
  • Psalm 2:6 — "Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion."

Question

Why do you think Jesus turned to Psalm 22:1 in His hardest moment? What does that teach us about memorizing scripture?

Creation and God's goodness

  • Psalm 8:3-4 — "When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained; what is man, that thou art mindful of him?"
  • Psalm 19:1 — "The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork."

Question

When have you looked at something in nature and felt close to God? Which psalm line matches that feeling?

Protection and help

  • Psalm 91:11 — "For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways."
  • Psalm 121:1-2 — "I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help. My help cometh from the Lord, which made heaven and earth."

Question

When have you needed help and didn't know where it would come from? Which of these verses would you want written on your heart in that moment?

Known by God and repentance

  • Psalm 139:1 — "O Lord, thou hast searched me, and known me."
  • Psalm 51:10 — "Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me."

Question

Which feels more personal to you right now: knowing God sees you, or asking Him for a clean heart? Why?

Challenge: Pick your "psalm"

On the board are scripture your parents submitted (hymn lines, or quotes that matter to them). This week, pick one from the board. Don't just read it. Say it out loud a few times. Put it somewhere you'll see it (take a picture and put it as the lock screen or background of your phone). Memorized by next week. Not for a grade, but so it's there when you need it, the same way a psalm was there for a shepherd boy 3,000 years ago.

Question

Which one from the board speaks to you right now, not the one that sounds coolest, but the one you might actually need this week?

Appendix

Scripture submitted by parents

Link to PDF printout with all submitted scriptures.