“The LORD your God has chosen you out of all the peoples on the face of the earth to be his people, his treasured possession.” (Deuteronomy 6:7)

It is the last day of our church’s vacation Bible school. The theme for the week has been “treasure cove”. The church building is full of beach scenes, palm trees, and treasure maps.

Today the children will recite Bible verses for their family and friends before they are dismissed.

I arrive at the sancturary and sit where Ben and Josiah will see me smile encouragingly at them. My heart warms as I gaze at these two boys. I love listening and watching as Ben and Josiah and the friends around them sing about God’s love and salvation. The risers are packed full of boys and girls, each one different, a mix of heights and skin color and clothing styles. Some bounce and dance; others are reserved and self-conscious. Each boy and girl is a unique, complex creation, the work of God’s hands.

This music has been playing all week in our van’s cd player. Now the children start the song that I have been proclaiming as my favorite. It is inspired by Deuteronomy 6:7:“You are my treasured possession. You are the work of my hands. You are my treasured possession. You are because I am.” In this song, the voice is God’s. He is singing to the children, through their mouths. The boys and girls cup one hand protectively over the other to indicate the treasured possession. They stack fists together and rub them as if grinding to show the work of his hands, and they raise their arms worshipfully for “I am.”

Suddenly my eyes are filled with tears. God is singing to my sons that they are his treasured possession. They don’t understand the wonder of what their mouths and hands are proclaiming. The Lord has set his love on Benjamin; he has set his love on Josiah. These boys are dear to me, so precious that my heart swells as I watch them sing, but much dearer to him. He heard their cries when they were vulnerable babies in Vietnamese orphanages. His persevering love has begun its work in their lives. They are his treasured possession. How I long for these two boys to know what they sing.

God does sing over us: “The LORD your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing.” (Zephaniah 3:17) What unfathomable wonder, that God delights in and sings over my boys – and me. He is always singing, even when we don’t hear the song. How precious to hear a fleeting echo of it today, through the voices of the children.

“Don’t ever doubt my love for you,” the song continues. As I listen with tear-filled eyes, I pray that Benjamin and Josiah will always hear God singing over them. I pray that all the other children surrounding them will hear, and the millions of others who wait for families. I pray that they will know deep in their hearts that they are treasured and that nothing can separate them from God’s unquenchable love. And I pray that I will hear this song whispered to me as I persevere in the daily work of parenting my children.

Vacation Bible school can be exhausting. There are so many small children to shepherd. The church is active, noisy and sometimes on the verge of chaotic. In the midst of this busyness, I am so thankful to have uncovered this treasure, the quiet voice of God singing to his treasured possession.

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