Read the Book of Mormon and Pray
#1036 Hymns—For Home and ChurchLyrics
The Story Behind “Read the Book of Mormon and Pray”
'It really is that simple!' — a returned missionary's one-sentence testimony, his mother's song, and a refrain borrowed from a conference pulpit.
A Son's One-Sentence Formula
At the end of his mission, Teresa Toone Barlow's son summed up everything he had learned about testimony in a single sentence: 'If someone wants to know the Church is true, all they have to do is read the Book of Mormon and pray about it, and they will receive an answer every time!'
In 2017, listening to Elder Joaquin E. Costa tell general conference how he gained his own testimony exactly that way, Barlow remembered her son's words and thought: 'It really is that simple!' Then she realized something odd — she couldn't think of a single Primary song that taught that plain formula. So she wrote one.
Every Day, Every Day, Every Day
The song's signature refrain came from the same conference: Elder Kevin W. Pearson's charge to read the Book of Mormon 'every day, every day, every day.' Barlow set the words to an upbeat, driving rhythm on purpose — she hoped children would want to sing it over and over, and be nudged toward the book itself just as often.
She submitted it through the Church's music program in 2018, where it waited with thousands of others.
Moroni's Promise, Kid-Sized
'Read the Book of Mormon and Pray' was released June 12, 2025, as hymn #1036 in the fourth batch of Hymns—For Home and Church.
It is Moroni's promise with a beat: read, remember, ponder, ask — and the answer comes 'by the power of the Holy Ghost.' The song just adds the schedule: every day.
Did You Know?
- The song's message came from the author's returned-missionary son: read the Book of Mormon, pray about it, 'and you will receive an answer every time.'
- The refrain 'every day, every day, every day' is borrowed from Elder Kevin W. Pearson's April 2017 conference talk.
- Barlow deliberately made the song catchy so children would sing it over and over — and open the book just as often.
- It was sparked by Elder Joaquin E. Costa's conference account of gaining his testimony as an investigator in Argentina.
- The song sat in the Church's submitted-music files from 2018 until its hymnbook release in 2025.
Scripture Connections
- Moroni 10:3–5 — Moroni's promise — ask with real intent, 'and by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things.'
- 2 Nephi 33:10 — 'If ye shall believe in Christ ye will believe in these words, for they are the words of Christ.'
- Helaman 3:29–30 — The word of God as an iron rod that 'shall carry them like a rock' — what daily reading builds.
Talk About It
Questions to spark a conversation with your family or Primary class:
- Have you tried Moroni's promise yourself? What happened — or what's stopping you?
- Why do you think the song says 'every day' three times instead of once?
- The author's son learned the formula on his mission. Who taught you how to gain a testimony?
- What time of day could your family read the Book of Mormon together — every day?
Teaching Resources
Categories
Attribution
Music by: Teresa Toone Barlow, 2017
Text by: Teresa Toone Barlow, 2017; alt.
Audio files from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints