VBS Scripture:

Theme:

Few places on earth evidence so clearly the creative powers of God as does the Amazon Rain Forest. Here live more than 500 mammals, 175 different species of lizards, 300 other reptile species, and a third of the world's birds. Look closer and you may spot one or more of the estimated 30 million different types of insects that live in the Amazon region. Look at the towering canopy of trees (which is nine times the size of Texas) and you will gain an appreciation of God the One Amazing Creator.

Explorers and scientists still find surviving in the rain forest challenging. The dense foliage, hot temperature, poisonous insects, wild animals, and unclean flood waters are among the many reasons why the Amazon Rain Forest continues to be one of the least inhabited regions in the world. Here you need more than your wits to survive. You need provisions. Even the heartiest VBS explorer will soon realize, too, a need for the One Miraculous Provider, God the Father, and His Son, Jesus Christ.

Some scientists believe that within the rain forest may lie the cure for cancer or other dreaded diseases. The continued discovery of new species of plants, insects, and animals in the Amazon region may answer medical questions that have baffled physicians for centuries. In VBS, explorers will soon see that the God who created this rain forest is also the God who planned the purpose of each plant, each insect, and each animal. God is, after all, the One Powerful Healer.

If your plane crashed in the Amazon Rain Forest and you survived the impact, your worries would have just begun. How could you possibly find your way through this wilderness? How would you find water and food? How would you survive the stinging insects, the harsh climate, and the unseen dangers hidden within the trees? You would pray to be rescued. However, the discovery of each person's ultimate need for a relationship with God and His Son, the One Living Savior, make surviving the Amazon Rain Forest pale in comparison!

The native peoples of the Amazon Rain Forest are like us in many ways. They are also different in many ways. Each group of people approaches life and its circumstances differently. But people around the world do have the same basic needs for love, food, water, and shelter. Each individual has his or her own goals and dreams. But each individual also has the same need for Christ and salvation. One of the most amazing facts to be discovered in the VBS rain forest (or anywhere else) is that we are all different, yet we are all created by the One Lord of All.

Are you ready for a life-changing VBS experience? Are you ready to float down the Amazon River? Are you prepared to hack your way through dense jungle foliage? Did you bring your canteen of water? And did you bring your insect spray? If so, read on and let God begin to prepare your heart and mind for the VBS adventure ahead.

Rob Sanders is editor-in-chief of children's VBS materials at LifeWay and is a member of Edgefield Baptist Church in Nashville, Tennessee.

Article by Rob Sanders. Taken from the February 2002 issue of The Sunday School Leader.)


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