Come, Follow Me for Littles · September 21

Two happy children in modest ancient-Israel robes sitting cosy and dry under a wide stone archway while a sunlit rain shower falls outside with a rainbow, a kind mother with a warm arm around them.

Monday

A Shelter in the Storm

Today's idea Jesus is a safe place to go when things feel hard.

Have you ever been outside when the rain came down hard — and then you found a doorway to duck into? The rain goes pit-pat-pat over your head, and you stay dry and cosy underneath.

Isaiah said that Jesus is like that doorway. He called Him “a refuge from the storm.” A refuge is a safe place you can run to.

He said Jesus is also like cool shade on a very hot day, when the sun is too bright and you just want to flop down under a big leafy tree.

Then Isaiah promised something so tender that people have remembered it ever since. He said that one day, Heavenly Father will wipe away the tears from every single face.

Every face. Every tear. Wiped away gently, the way somebody who loves you wipes your cheek with their thumb.

And Isaiah said that on that day, there will be a wonderful feast, and everybody will look around and say, “This is our God. We waited for Him — and He came.”

A little child in modest ancient-Israel robes lying peacefully on soft green grass beside a still pond, eyes gently closed with a contented smile, surrounded by reeds and wildflowers under a bright sky.

Tuesday

Perfect Peace

Isaiah 26

Today's idea When we keep our thoughts on Heavenly Father, we feel calm inside.

Do you know that feeling when everything inside you goes quiet and still? Like floating on your back in the water, looking up at the sky?

That feeling has a name. It is called peace.

Isaiah wrote down where it comes from. He said Heavenly Father keeps us in “perfect peace” when our minds stay on Him.

That sounds like a big idea, but it is really a simple one. It just means: think about Him. Remember He is there.

When your tummy feels wiggly, you can think, “Heavenly Father is right here with me.” When it is bedtime and you are not sleepy yet, you can think about Jesus.

Isaiah also called Heavenly Father “everlasting strength.” Everlasting means it never runs out — not tomorrow, not next year, not ever. Your legs get tired. Your crayons run out. His strength never does.

A kind gardener in an everyday striped tunic and cloth head wrap tending a lush green vineyard heavy with purple grapes on a sunny morning, with two small children helping carry a woven basket.

Wednesday

Night and Day

Isaiah 27

Today's idea Heavenly Father takes care of you all the time — even while you are asleep.

Have you ever planted a seed in a little cup of dirt and then waited? Nothing seems to happen. You look and look, and it is just dirt.

But underneath, the whole time, something IS happening.

Isaiah said Heavenly Father has a garden too — a beautiful vineyard, full of green growing things.

And here is what Heavenly Father said about His garden: “I the Lord do keep it. I will keep it night and day.”

Night AND day. Not only when the sun is up. Not only when somebody is watching. All night long, while every single person in the house is fast asleep.

You are one of the growing things in His garden. While you eat your breakfast, He is taking care of you. While you are dreaming, He is taking care of you. You never have to remind Him.

Two small children in modest ancient-Israel robes carefully stacking smooth stone blocks to build a little wall on a big flat cornerstone, with a kind father kneeling and guiding them in a sunny courtyard.

Thursday

A Little at a Time

Isaiah 28

Today's idea You learn good things a little bit at a time, and that is exactly right.

Nobody learns to tie their shoes all in one morning. First you learn one loop. Then the other loop. Then the tricky part in the middle where it goes under.

Isaiah said that is how Heavenly Father teaches us, too. He used a bouncy phrase that is fun to say: “line upon line, precept upon precept, here a little, and there a little.”

It means: a little bit, and then a little bit more. One piece at a time, like stacking blocks.

So you do not have to know everything today. You are not behind. You are learning in exactly the way Heavenly Father planned for you.

Isaiah said something else in the very same chapter. He said Jesus is like a “sure foundation” — the big strong stone at the bottom of a house that holds up everything above it.

So you build a little, and a little, and a little. And underneath the whole thing, holding it steady, is Jesus.

A small child in modest ancient-Israel robes holding an open scroll with soft golden light glowing from its pages, in a sunny green field with a family gathered close, all with delighted surprised faces.

Friday

A Marvellous Work

Isaiah 29

Today's idea Heavenly Father promised to do something marvellous — and He did it.

What is the most amazing thing you have ever seen? Something that made your eyes go wide and your mouth say, “Whoa!”

Isaiah promised that Heavenly Father was going to do something exactly like that. He said He would do “a marvellous work and a wonder.”

Marvellous means wonderful and surprising. And a wonder is something so good that you have to stop and stare at it.

Isaiah even saw a book. He saw words that had been kept safe for a very, very long time, waiting quietly for the right day to be opened.

And that is just what happened. Heavenly Father brought His Church back to the earth. He gave us the Book of Mormon. He gave us prophets again — real ones, who speak to us today.

Isaiah saw it all coming, long before anybody else knew. And you get to live right in the middle of the marvellous part.

A little child in modest ancient-Israel robes standing where a grassy path splits in two, glancing back over one shoulder with a thoughtful happy smile, a warm golden glow behind, wildflowers all around.

Saturday

This Is the Way

Isaiah 30

Today's idea Heavenly Father helps us know which way to go.

Have you ever been walking along and come to a place where the path split in two? One goes this way. One goes that way. Which one do you pick?

Isaiah wrote about that very moment. He said that when you are not sure which way to go, you will hear a voice behind you saying, “This is the way. Walk in it.”

It is not a loud, shouting voice. It is a quiet one. It is the Holy Ghost — a warm, kind helper that Heavenly Father sends to be with you.

Sometimes the quiet voice feels like a good idea popping into your head. Sometimes it is just a warm feeling that says, “go sit by her,” or “tell him you are sorry.”

Isaiah said Heavenly Father waits, so that He can be kind to us. That means He is never in a hurry with you. He is happy to wait until you are ready to listen.

So when you do not know what to do, you can go quiet — and listen for “this is the way.”

A sandy desert bursting into bloom, covered in pink roses and colourful wildflowers with a clear sparkling stream running through it, and three children in modest ancient-Israel robes running and laughing among the flowers.

Sunday

The Desert Will Bloom

Isaiah 35

Today's idea Heavenly Father can make dry, tired places bloom with flowers.

Close your eyes and picture a desert. Sand. Rocks. Dry cracked ground. No flowers anywhere at all.

Now picture that same place covered — absolutely covered, as far as you can see — in roses.

That is what Isaiah saw. He said, “the desert shall blossom as the rose.” He saw water bursting right out of dry ground, and a stream running through the sand, and green grass growing where nothing had ever grown.

Then Isaiah said Heavenly Father can do that with people, too. When somebody feels dry inside, or tired, or worn out, He can make good things bloom right there in that very spot.

Isaiah said to tired hands: be strong. He said to worried hearts: be brave — your God is coming.

And then came the best part of all. He said that everybody coming home to Heavenly Father will come “with songs and everlasting joy.” Just imagine all that singing.