Come, Follow Me · August 17–23, 2026
PSALMS 1–2; 8; 19–33; 40; 46
You're teaching tomorrow. Work down this page: learn the material first, then build a plan you can hold in your hand.
Part 1 — Know it
Fifteen minutes here and you'll know more than most of the room. Read this part before you plan anything.
150 poems collected over roughly a thousand years, used in Israel's temple worship the way a hymnbook is used today. The Hebrew title is Tehillim — "praises." Many are attributed to David, who started out as a shepherd boy and ended up as king; most are anonymous.
Two things worth saying out loud in class: Jesus quoted Psalms more than any other Old Testament book, and He quoted it from the cross. And the Psalms are startlingly honest — fear, loneliness, anger and doubt are all in there, right next to the praise. That's the reason they've lasted.
No rhyme, no meter. Instead the second line answers the first. Once you see it, you can't unsee it — and it makes the verses much easier to teach.
Psalm 19:1
Echo. The second line says the same thing in different words. Poets did this to make an idea land twice. When you teach it, ask: what does the second line add that the first one didn't?
Psalm 1:6
Contrast. The second line is the opposite of the first. Watch for the word but — it's the hinge. Psalm 1 is built entirely on this: two paths, two outcomes.
Psalm 27:1
Build. The second line takes the first one further — light becomes strength, fear becomes a second, sharper question. The repetition is the point; it's how the psalmist talks himself out of being afraid.
Tap one to see what it is and where it shows up in this week's reading.
Part 2 — The centerpiece
Six verses, 118 words, and probably the most famous poem ever written. If you teach one thing tomorrow, teach this. Tap each verse for what it meant to someone who actually kept sheep.
Tap a verse — 6 to open
Part 3 — Try it
Several psalms describe the Savior's death in detail, centuries before crucifixion existed as a practice. Match each psalm to the moment it describes. This doubles as a class activity — write the pairs on cards and let them do it.
Psalm 22 opens with the exact words the Savior spoke from the cross — He was quoting a song His listeners had memorized, one that ends in deliverance.
Part 4 — Choose your angle
You can't teach 24 chapters in 30 minutes, and you shouldn't try. Pick one of these, go deep, and let the rest go.
Part 5 — Teach it
You're teaching people you sit next to every week. That's an advantage — you already know what they're carrying.
Teach people, not a lesson. Your job isn't to cover the material. It's to help one person feel something true about the Savior. If the discussion goes somewhere good, follow it.
Ask questions you don't know the answer to. "What does the shepherd do that a hired hand wouldn't?" beats "What is a shepherd?" Real questions get real answers.
Count to ten after you ask. Silence feels like death when you're the teacher. It isn't. It's people thinking. Don't rescue it.
Have them read out loud. Handing someone a verse gets them involved without putting them on the spot. Assign verses before you ask the question.
One short story of your own. Thirty seconds about a time you needed Psalm 46:10 will do more than five minutes of explanation. Specific beats impressive.
End with an invitation. Ask them to do one small thing this week — read Psalm 23 slowly, write their own four lines, listen to hymn 108. Then bear a short testimony and stop talking.
Check any you like — they'll drop into your plan at the bottom.
Part 6 — Build it
Pick your pieces on the left. The plan on the right builds itself and keeps track of your minutes. Everything saves in this browser, so you can close the page and come back.
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