This week’s “Come, Follow Me” study guide covers Psalms 1-2, 8, 19-33, 40 and 46, which includes the admonition to “wait on the Lord” (Psalm 27:14).
Following are a few quotes from past and present leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints about these chapters of scripture.
Psalm 1
“The book of Psalms reassures us that for one who trusts in the Lord, ‘he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper’ (Psalm 1:3). …
“We can trust the Lord because we know the ending to our stories. … The ending of our stories can be glorious — eternal life in the presence of our Heavenly Father. Because we know the ending, we need not be overly anxious or stressed, even though the journey is suspenseful at times.”
— Elder Dale G. Renlund of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, in the August 2026 Liahona article, “The Book of Psalms: The Savior’s Mercy, Forgiveness, and Help Are Manifest”
Psalm 2
“Certainly no faithful follower of God would promote any cause even remotely related to religion if rooted in controversy, because contention is not of the Lord. …
“Such agitators unfortunately fulfill long-foretold prophecy: they ‘take counsel together, against the Lord, and against his anointed’ (Psalm 2:2).”
— The late President Russell M. Nelson, then a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, April 1989 general conference, “The Canker of Contention”
Psalm 8
“Years ago, while spending peaceful time in the beautiful countryside, I stepped outside after sunset to rest on a lounge chair. The night was so dark that I could hardly see anything. Instinctively, I looked up and noticed a tiny flickering point of light, then another. As my eyes adjusted to the darkness, the sky filled with stars.
“I thought, ‘This is like our relationship with God.’ Some think He is distant, and life feels heavy as a result. But if they pause to reflect on His presence in their lives, they will find that He is near — quietly present, far closer than they imagine.
“As I pondered this idea, a question from one of David’s psalms came to mind:
“‘When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars … ;
“‘What is man, that thou art mindful of him?’ (Psalm 8:3-4)
“The answer that follows is deeply comforting: ‘Thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honour’ (Psalm 8:5).
“This is the miracle of God’s relationship with us: The universe is vast beyond comprehension, yet every soul carries infinite worth in the eyes of our Creator. Though we may seem small in a physical sense, each of us is personally known, remembered and loved by our Eternal Father and by His Son, Jesus Christ.”
— Elder Gérald Caussé of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, April 2026 general conference, “Love All; Love Each”
Psalm 19
“Can any man who has walked beneath the stars at night, can anyone who has seen the touch of spring upon the land doubt the hand of divinity in creation? So observing the beauties of the earth, one is wont to speak as did the Psalmist: ‘The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork. Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night sheweth knowledge’ (Psalm 19:1-2). All of beauty in the earth bears the fingerprint of the Master Creator.”
— The late President Gordon B. Hinckley, then a member of the Council of the Twelve, April 1978 general conference, “‘Be Not Faithless’”
Psalm 20
“The Lord remembers and assures nations and peoples. In these days of motion and commotion, ‘some trust in chariots, and some in horses: but we will remember the name of the Lord our God’ (Psalm 20:7).”
— Elder Gerrit W. Gong, then a General Authority Seventy, April 2016 general conference, “Alway Remember Him”
Psalm 22
“After the resurrection of the Savior, as He walked along the way to Emmaus with two of His disciples, we are told that ‘their eyes were holden’ (Luke 24:16) that they did not recognize Him. When He heard what they had to say, He realized that they didn’t understand what He had tried to teach them, and so … commencing with Moses and the prophets, He showed them how in all things the prophets had testified of Him. Now as you study the scriptures, you will know that the prophets foretold His life and ministry down to the minutest details, even to the casting of lots for His clothing at the time of His crucifixion (see Psalm 22:18).”
— The late Elder LeGrand Richards, then a member of the Council of the Twelve, October 1975 general conference, “Prophets and Prophecy”
Psalm 23
“Jesus Christ is the Author and Finisher of our faith, writing countless new chapters with us. He is the Beginning and the End — the end of our shame and suffering and the beginning of a new life in Him, letting us receive His grace, leave the past behind and begin again with a new dawn, as many times as we need. Truly His ‘goodness and mercy shall follow [us] all the days of [our lives]’ (Psalm 23:6).”
— Elder Patrick Kearon of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, October 2025 general conference, “Jesus Christ and Your New Beginning”
Psalm 24
“Once you understand what holy places are, then you know where to be. It may take sacrifice of our worldly tastes or popularity. It may require humility and forgiveness or complete repentance. It does require ‘clean hands, and a pure heart’ (Psalm 24:4). Do whatever you have to do to be able to stand in holy places and be not moved, to stand for truth and righteousness, regardless of shallow enticements and evils and designs of conspiring people and media.”
— Sister Sharon G. Larsen, then the second counselor in the Young Women general presidency, April 2002 general conference, “Standing in Holy Places”
Psalm 25
“The Psalmist sets the goals even higher: ‘Unto thee, O Lord, do I lift up my soul’ (Psalm 25:1) ... He invites you to fly with the eagles, not to scratch with the chickens. Lifting your eyes toward the God of heaven is a process cultivating your own very personal spirituality. It is a desire to live in harmony with the Father; the Son, our Savior; and the Holy Ghost.”
— President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, then a General Authority Seventy, in his November 2003 Brigham Young University devotional, “The Wind Beneath Your Wings”
Psalm 26
“Tests in the school of mortality are a vital element of our eternal progression. Interestingly, however, the word ‘test’ is not found even one time in the scriptural text of the standard works in English. Rather, words such as ‘prove,’ ‘examine’ and ‘try’ are used to describe various patterns of demonstrating appropriately our spiritual knowledge about, understanding of and devotion to our Heavenly Father’s eternal plan of happiness and our capacity to seek for the blessings of the Savior’s Atonement. …
“Consider this pleading by the Psalmist David:
“‘Examine me, O Lord, and prove me; try my reins and my heart.
“‘For thy lovingkindness is before mine eyes: and I have walked in thy truth’ (Psalm 26:2-3).”
— Elder David A. Bednar of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, October 2020 general conference, “We Will Prove Them Herewith”
Psalm 27
“Brothers and sisters, I want to testify to you that taking upon us our cross and following the Savior requires us to follow His example and strive to become like Him, patiently facing the circumstances of life, denying and despising the appetites of the natural man and waiting on the Lord. The Psalmist wrote:
“‘Wait on the Lord: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the Lord’ (Psalm 27:14).”
— Elder Ulisses Soares of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, October 2019 general conference, “Take Up Our Cross”
Psalm 28
“Like my Brethren before me, I receive with this calling the assurance that God will direct his prophet. I humbly accept the call to serve and declare with the Psalmist, ‘The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in him, and I am helped’ (Psalm 28:7).”
— The late President Howard W. Hunter, then the Church president, October 1994 general conference, “‘Exceeding Great and Precious Promises’”
Psalm 29
“Throughout scriptural history, the Lord has promised peace to His followers. The Psalmist wrote, ‘The Lord will give strength unto his people; the Lord will bless his people with peace’ (Psalm 29:11). …
“Peace — real peace, whole-souled to the very core of your being — comes only in and through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.”
— The late President M. Russell Ballard, then a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, April 2002 general conference, “The Peaceable Things of the Kingdom”
Psalm 30
“As stated by the psalmist, ‘Weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning’ (Psalm 30:5). As we repent of our sins, we must focus on the great joy that follows. The nights may seem long, but the morning does come, and oh, how exquisite is the peace and resplendent joy we feel as the Savior’s Atonement frees us from sin and suffering.”
— Elder Craig C. Christensen, then a General Authority Seventy, April 2023 general conference, “‘There Can Be Nothing So Exquisite and Sweet as Was My Joy’”
Psalm 31
“Trust in God. Hold on in His love. Know that one day the dawn will break brightly and all shadows of mortality will flee. Though we may feel we are ‘like a broken vessel,’ as the Psalmist says (Psalm 31:12), we must remember, that vessel is in the hands of the divine potter. Broken minds can be healed just the way broken bones and broken hearts are healed. While God is at work making those repairs, the rest of us can help by being merciful, nonjudgmental and kind.”
— The late President Jeffrey R. Holland, then a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, October 2013 general conference, “Like a Broken Vessel”
Psalm 32
“To be without guile is to be free of deceit, cunning, hypocrisy and dishonesty in thought or action. To beguile is to deceive or lead astray, as Lucifer beguiled Eve in the Garden of Eden. A person without guile is a person of innocence, honest intent and pure motives, whose life reflects the simple practice of conforming his daily actions to principles of integrity.
“The psalmist wrote, ‘Blessed is the man unto whom the Lord imputeth not iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no guile’ (Psalm 32:2).”
— The late Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin, then a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, April 1988 general conference, “Without Guile”
Psalm 33
“This love from Father in Heaven and its effects upon one of His children or the whole world is miraculous and contagious. He is constantly and everlastingly watching over us to lovingly and gently nudge us along.
“He reaches down, through His Son; through prayer, His spirit, His prophets; and through His commandments to express His love and concern and provide His guidance and discipline to everyone who will listen. As the Psalmist said, ‘The earth is full of the goodness of the Lord’ (Psalm 33:5).”
— The late Elder James A. Paramore, then a General Authority Seventy, April 1981 general conference, “Love One Another”
Psalm 40
“Heavenly Father does hear and answer our prayers. But often patience is required when we are ‘wait[ing] upon the Lord’ (Isaiah 40:31). As we wait, we may begin to believe that we have been forsaken or that our prayers were not heard or that possibly we are not worthy to have them answered. This is not true. I love King David’s comforting words: ‘I waited patiently for the Lord; and he inclined unto me, and heard my cry’ (Psalm 40:1).”
— Sister Ann M. Dibb, then the second counselor in the Young Women general presidency, April 2010 general conference, “Be of a Good Courage”
Psalm 46
“Peace is possible. We can learn to love our fellow human beings throughout the world. Whether they be Jewish, Islamic or fellow Christians, whether Hindu, Buddhist or other, we can live together with mutual admiration and respect, without forsaking our religious convictions. Things we have in common are greater than are our differences. Peace is a prime priority that pleads for our pursuit. Old Testament prophets held out hope and so should we. The Psalmist said, ‘God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble’ (Psalm 46:1). ‘He maketh wars to cease unto the end of the earth’ (Psalm 46:9).”
— The late President Russell M. Nelson, then a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, October 2002 general conference, “‘Blessed Are the Peacemakers’”
