The Blessings We Almost Missed
From “Prove Me Now Herewith,” by Elder Moisés Villanueva · Sunday afternoon session, October 2026 General Conference
The big idea
When we live the law of tithing, the Lord keeps His promise and opens the windows of heaven, often through significant but subtle blessings that come in His own way and timing.
Objective
Learners will name specific, easily overlooked blessings the Lord has given them and feel greater trust to live the law of tithing in faith.
Before you teach
- Read Elder Villanueva's talk, marking paragraphs T30.09–T30.24 (the two sisters and his list) and T30.25–T30.33 (the widow of Zarephath).
- Bring paper and pens for everyone.
- Write on the board: Malachi 3:10, Doctrine and Covenants 130:20–21, Doctrine and Covenants 58:31, 1 Kings 17:8–16.
- Ask six people ahead of time, or as they arrive, to each read one line of Elder Villanueva's list of blessings.
- Never ask anyone whether they pay tithing or how their finances are. Keep every question open to all.
Lesson plan
Thirty minutes in 6 parts. Times are a guide; let the Spirit and the learners set the pace.
The promotion that never came
- Invite an opening prayer, then tell the story from the talk in your own words: after a sacrament meeting a faithful sister told Elder Villanueva that her testimony of tithing had begun to weaken. She had always paid a full tithe, yet she had never received the promotion she hoped for or the raise she deserved.
- Ask the first question below. Give one minute of quiet thought, then two minutes to share with a neighbor. No one needs to report to the class.
- Read aloud the first key quote, about the Lord's own way and timing, and write the words way and timing on the board.
- When have you kept a commandment and waited for a blessing that did not come the way you pictured?
- What does that kind of waiting do to a person's faith?
What the Lord actually promised
- Divide into groups of three or four. Ask each group to read Malachi 3:10, Doctrine and Covenants 130:20–21 and Doctrine and Covenants 58:31.
- Ask the groups to make two short lists: what the Lord promises in these verses, and what He leaves unsaid about the form and the date of the blessing.
- Invite one or two groups to share what they noticed. Point out that Elder Villanueva bore his own witness of these verses.
- Read the principle Elder Giuffra shared at this conference, one he said his wife often teaches (second aligned quote), and ask the second question.
- What does the Lord promise here, and what does He not specify?
- How does loving God change the way we wait for a blessing?
A little cake first
- Explain that Elder Villanueva's mother was providing for eight children during hard financial years when the missionaries taught the law of tithing, and she chose to trust the Lord's promise. Her faith reminds him of the widow of Zarephath.
- Read 1 Kings 17:8–16 together, a few verses per reader. Ask everyone to listen for the word first in verse 13.
- Read the second key quote, that blessings come after the trial of our faith.
- Discuss the questions as a class. Let silence work; wait for answers.
- What did the word first ask of the widow, with so little left?
- When has the Lord asked you to act before you could see how things would work out? What came afterward?
Significant but subtle
- Read Elder Bednar's words, quoted in the talk (first aligned quote). Ask: which word in that sentence stands out to you?
- Explain that these words prompted Elder Villanueva to make a list, and that the Holy Ghost helped him recognize many blessings. Have your six readers read his list, one line each (T30.14–T30.19): steady employment, good health, home and possessions preserved, ability to manage time and resources to obtain an education, the gift of gratitude, recognizing the Holy Ghost in important decisions.
- Tell briefly of the second sister, whose 20-liter (5-gallon) propane tank lasted far longer than she expected. Read Deuteronomy 29:5 and then ask the speaker's own question (third key quote).
- Check for understanding: ask one or two people to say in a single sentence what the windows of heaven might look like on an ordinary Tuesday.
- Which blessings on Elder Villanueva's list are temporal and which are spiritual? Which would be easiest to overlook?
- Why might the Lord often bless us quietly?
My own list
- Hand out paper. Explain that Elder Villanueva invited the first sister to write her own list of significant yet subtle blessings. Invite the class to try the same thing now.
- Give three full minutes of silence. Suggest they pray silently first for the Holy Ghost to help them recognize blessings, as He helped Elder Villanueva. Write alongside them.
- Invite everyone to share one line of their list with a neighbor. Then take one or two volunteers for the whole class.
- What did you write that you had not noticed before today?
Choose and trust
- Read the fourth key quote, Elder Villanueva's closing testimony and promise.
- Invite each person to choose one thing to do this week from the ideas under Act, and to write it at the bottom of their list.
- Bear a brief testimony that Heavenly Father knows our needs and that the Lord keeps His promises.
- Follow up next week: begin class by asking who added to their list and what they noticed. Keep it to two minutes.
Key passages from the talk
“Sometimes we expect the Lord’s blessings to come the way we would wish, rather than in His own way and timing.”
“Elijah understood that blessings will come after the trial of our faith.”
“Have you ever asked yourselves whether the Lord has caused your personal possessions to last longer because you have faithfully lived the law of tithing?”
“When we live the law of tithing, the Lord indeed opens the windows of heaven and pours out His promised blessings”
Scriptures
- Malachi 3:10 Read in small groups with the two Doctrine and Covenants passages; list what the Lord promises and what He leaves unsaid about form and timing.
- D&C 130:20–21 Read in the same groups; ask how this law connects obedience and blessings.
- 1 Kings 17:8–16 Read aloud together, a few verses each; listen for the word first in verse 13 and discuss what it asked of the widow.
- Deuteronomy 29:5 Read after the propane tank story; ask what quiet blessing Israel might have overlooked for forty years.
Other voices that agree
“As we live the law of tithing, we often receive significant but subtle blessings that are not always what we expect and easily can be overlooked”
“We keep the commandments because we love God, not merely because we hope to receive the blessings that come from obedience.”
Three things to remember
- The Lord keeps every promise, in His own way and timing.
- The windows of heaven often open quietly; I can ask the Holy Ghost to help me see.
- Like the widow, I can put the Lord first and trust that blessings follow faith.
Ways to act this week
- Keep your list where you will see it and add one line each night this week.
- In prayer, thank Heavenly Father by name for three subtle blessings before asking for anything.
- The next time income arrives, pay tithing first, before other spending, as an act of trust.
- Tell a family member or friend about one blessing you had overlooked.
Suggestions written for this lesson, not the speaker’s words.
Music
- Count Your Blessings
- Because I Have Been Given Much
Adapting the lesson
- At home: do the list at the table, each person writing three lines, then read them to each other. Skip the group reading and read only Malachi 3:10 and 1 Kings 17:13–16.
- Large class: keep every discussion in pairs or threes and take only two comments per question from the whole room.
- Short on time: keep the opening story, Elder Bednar's words, the list reading and the silent writing. Those four parts carry the lesson.
This lesson is an independent study aid written for this site. It is not an official lesson of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Quotations are word for word from the official talk; paragraph numbers count the paragraphs of the talk as published at churchofjesuschrist.org, not counting headings or picture captions. The activities, questions and ideas for acting are suggestions; follow the Spirit and adapt them to those you teach.