October 2026 General Conference › Lessons › Elder Ulisses Soares › Adults
More Than Missing a Meal
From “A Higher and Holier Fast,” by Elder Ulisses Soares · Saturday morning session, October 2026 General Conference
The big idea
When we fast as an act of worship, joined with earnest prayer and generous giving, we draw nearer to the Savior and He answers, “Here I am.”
Objective
Learners will be able to explain what makes a fast an act of worship and will write a simple plan for their next fast: a purpose, a prayer, and an offering.
Before you teach
- Read Elder Soares’s talk and Isaiah 58:3–11 before class.
- Write on the board: Fast Sunday is ______.
- Bring a small card or slip of paper and a pen for each person.
- Mark the three key quotes below so you can find them quickly.
- Be aware that some class members cannot go without food for health reasons. Keep the focus on worship, prayer, and generosity, which everyone can offer.
Lesson plan
Thirty minutes in 6 parts. Times are a guide; let the Spirit and the learners set the pace.
An honest start
- Begin with prayer. Point to the board and invite everyone to finish the sentence silently and honestly: Fast Sunday is ______.
- Invite them to turn to a neighbor and share their word, and why. Take two or three answers from the class. Welcome honest ones such as long, hard, or easy to forget.
- Explain that Elder Ulisses Soares of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles invited us to live the law of the fast in a higher and holier way. Today we will look for what that means and choose one thing to do about it.
- What is the difference between going without food and fasting?
What Isaiah saw
- Explain that Elder Soares taught that in Isaiah 58 the Lord lifted His people’s vision beyond the outward observance of this law.
- Divide the class into two groups. Group one reads Isaiah 58:3–7 and looks for what the Lord says a fast is for. Group two reads Isaiah 58:8–11 and lists every promise the Lord makes.
- After four minutes, invite each group to report. Write their findings in two columns on the board: The fast the Lord chooses, and What He promises.
- Read the first key quote aloud (the tender promise). Let it rest for a moment before asking the question.
- Which of these promises do you most need right now, and why?
Fasting and prayer: the Savior’s pattern
- Invite someone to read Matthew 4:1–2. Explain that Elder Soares taught that, of all the things the Savior could have done to prepare for His mission, He chose to seek complete alignment with His Father’s will through earnest fasting and prayer.
- Read the second key quote (fasting and prayer may not remove every burden). Then read the words of Elder Chigbundu from this conference, listed under aligned quotes.
- Ask the first question and give a full minute of silence before anyone answers. Invite two or three people to share. Thank each one; do not add to their experience.
- Read Helaman 3:35 together and add to the board what happened to those who fasted and prayed often.
- When has fasting and prayer not changed your circumstance but changed you?
- Elder Soares said fasting is more than a petition for specific blessings. What changes when we fast to understand the Lord’s will rather than only to ask for something?
Looking beyond ourselves
- Explain that Elder Soares taught that our desire to help the oppressed go free finds tangible expression in generous fast offerings.
- Read the words of the Prophet Joseph Smith that Elder Soares quoted, listed under aligned quotes.
- Read Alma 7:11–12 together. Ask learners to look for why the Savior took upon Himself our pains and afflictions. Explain that Elder Soares taught that as we follow His example by seeking to succor God’s children, our hearts are opened to the needs of others.
- Read the third key quote (small and simple offerings) and ask the question.
- How does giving a fast offering change the way you feel during a fast, or the way you see the people around you?
Plan my next fast
- Give each person a card. Ask them to write three words down the side: Purpose, Prayer, Offering.
- Give two minutes of silent writing. Beside each word they write one line: what they will fast for or about, when they will kneel to begin and end their fast, and how they will give generously of their means or time.
- As a check for understanding, invite each person to tell a neighbor in one sentence what makes a fast higher and holier. Listen for worship, prayer, and care for others.
Invitation and promise
- Read Elder Soares’s invitation and the promise that follows it, both listed below. Read slowly.
- Share in a sentence or two your own witness that the Lord draws near when we call on Him. Invite learners to keep their card in their scriptures until the next fast Sunday.
- Follow up: next week, or after the next fast Sunday, begin class by asking who would share what was different about their fast.
Key passages from the talk
“What a tender promise: light after darkness, healing after weariness, and the comforting assurance that when we call upon the Lord, He is near.”
“His example teaches us that fasting and prayer may not remove every burden from our path, but they draw heaven near and endow us with divine power to overcome or endure whatever circumstances we may face, giving us the spiritual fortitude to remain faithful to the Father’s will.”
“Though our fast offerings may seem small and simple, they become consecrated expressions of compassion, concern, and service.”
“As you do so, I promise, in the name of our Savior, Jesus Christ, that miracles will come into your life. You will draw nearer to the Savior, receive strength to overcome your weaknesses, and become more sensitive to the needs of others.”
The speaker’s direct invitation
“I invite you to prayerfully ponder Isaiah’s teachings and more intentionally embrace the divine purpose of the law of the fast in a higher and holier way as part of our worship.”
Scriptures
- Isaiah 58:3–11 Two groups: one reads verses 3–7 to find what the Lord says a fast is for; the other reads verses 8–11 and lists every promise. Record both lists on the board.
- Matthew 4:1–2 Read aloud before discussing how the Savior prepared for His ministry through fasting and prayer.
- Helaman 3:35 Read together; list what happened to those who fasted and prayed often.
- Alma 7:11–12 Read together; look for why the Savior took upon Himself our pains and afflictions, then connect it to caring for those in need through fast offerings.
Other voices that agree
“The burden we carry may not always be removed, but our backs will be built to carry the load placed upon them”
“A man filled with the love of God, is not content with blessing his family alone, but ranges through the whole world, anxious to bless the whole human race.”
Three things to remember
- A fast is worship, not only going without food.
- Fasting joined with prayer draws heaven near, even when the burden stays.
- A generous fast offering turns my fast toward God’s children.
Ways to act this week
- Before the next fast Sunday, read Isaiah 58:6–11 prayerfully and choose one promise to seek.
- Begin and end your next fast on your knees, telling the Lord the purpose of your fast and asking to understand His will.
- Decide ahead of time what a generous fast offering looks like for you, and give it with a prayer for those it will bless.
- During your fast, ask the Lord who needs you, and act on the name that comes.
Suggestions written for this lesson, not the speaker’s words.
Music
- Sweet Hour of Prayer
- Because I Have Been Given Much
Adapting the lesson
- At home: read Isaiah 58:6–9 together, then make one family card with a shared purpose, a time to pray together, and an offering.
- Large class: have pairs, not groups, read the Isaiah verses, and take reports from only three or four pairs.
- Short on time: keep the Isaiah reading, the second key quote, and the planning card. Leave out Helaman 3:35.
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.