Trivia: Psalms 119 is the longest book in the Bible.  It has 176 verses.  It is divided into 22 sections (one for each letter of the Hebrew alphabet) of 8 verses each.  Out of 176 verses, 173 of them mention God’s Word in some fashion (His laws, statues, precepts, commands, etc).

The reason I mention this is because our church had Vacation Bible School this week.  The theme of the week was God’s Word.  What a great thing to be a part of, seeing the Word of God come alive in front of these children, to see the excitement in their eyes.  Sure, as kids they enjoy the snacks, the games, the music, and hanging with their friends, just like any kid would.  But I have seen some things that made it clear that God was moving.

As the VBS photographer, I had a great job, because I got to go around to all the different stations and see what was happening.  I was taking pictures at the Bible Adventure station, and noticed as the leader was sharing a Bible story to a group of kids, the kids were sitting around with their eyes glued to her.  No boredom, no fooling around with friends, but undivided attention, genuine interest in the story.

On Wednesday, any child that didn’t own a Bible was given one to keep.  After the program, one young girl, 8 years old, came up to me all excited, proudly holding up her new Bible, saying, “Look!  I have my own Bible!”

A lot of work goes into VBS, a lot of volunteers come give their time, but these moments make it worth the effort.

Anyone can take a few minutes and tell a child about God, and they might listen, they might understand, they might remember what you said for a little while.  But to spend 15 hours with these kids, over five days, and not just tell them about God, but show them God in your life, show them you love them because God loves them and you want to spend time with them, get to know them.  Show them that despite all the troubles in this world, there are people that truly care about them and want them to know about the love of Jesus.  That is a message that will stay with them for a lifetime.  Several kids accepted Jesus as their Savior this week.  Nothing is more exciting than that.

It has been great seeing kids learn that God’s word is true, comforting, surprising, life-changing, and for everyone. One of the songs we sang in VBS is about the Bible, a song called Ancient Words:

Words of life, words of hope

Give us strength, help us grow

In this world, where e’er we roam

Ancient words will guide us home

Ancient words ever true

Changing me and changing you

We have come with open hearts

Oh let the ancient words impart

The words in the Bible may have been written a long time ago, but they still hold true today.  They still give us comfort when we need comforting.  They can change our lives if we come with open hearts.  No matter how many times we read it, we will always find something new to surprise us.  God’s Word is for everyone!

“Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.” — Psalms 119:105