Young people all over the country have just completed the 2019 Summer Study, with the theme of “Worship”. They have tasted God’s Word through studying and memorizing. Below are just a few of the participants sharing some ways they have seen that the Lord is good this summer.
“The Summer Study impacted me this year by showing me the importance of true worship in our lives. Believers can be examples of true worshippers by worshipping with devotion like the woman who anointed Jesus’ feet, and by worshipping when suffering like Jesus did in the Garden of Gethsemane. We serve an amazing Savior and should serve Him with all of our being.”
“Through [2 Samuel 12:20-23], I learned that I should take full responsibility for my actions just as David did. If we love the Lord and keep a pure heart worshiping Him, we can also go to see Him. Dwelling on the past and on our failure will only take our concentration off worshiping the Lord.”
“I really love how the contestants in the National Bible Bee truly and really want each other to do well! They share study tips, ideas, and answer questions. We all know that when we are studying God’s Word, we are all winners.”
“After kicking off the Summer Study, I came to a very heart-convicting unit – all about Worshipping with Repentance. We studied David as the true worshipper in this unit. It was so interesting to see how David responded when he sinned. [See Psalm 51] Psalm 77 followed with the topic of ‘Worship when Suffering’. However, it wasn’t until [several weeks later] that I obviously saw God working through this study. It came at an unexpected moment, when I was studying the very last unit of National Bible Bee, which was review.
Suddenly, I began to struggle – not physically, but spiritually. The enemy saw me thriving in my walk, and roughly attacked. Arrows began hitting me – with sharp pain.
The first arrow that hit me was pride. I began to forget about repenting. I struggled, while the arrows came with more force, but God was very faithful. God led me to doing a review on Unit 3 (Psalm 51 about…you guessed it, repentance!) that week. I was reminded of the wonderful truths I had learned just a few weeks ago. Isn’t God awesome?!”
“I love how the Discovery Journal showed us how we can worship God in every situation, and in many different ways. We can worship God in battle like King Jehoshaphat, and when suffering like Asaph. We can worship God with devotion like the woman in Luke 7, with repentance like King David, with praise, and in the Word. We can worship God with music, singing, dance, and by just remembering what He has done for us. We are created to worship God. This summer, I learned that worship should be a part of our daily lives as believers in Jesus. We are to worship God in all situations, and at all times.”
“I use the [memory] verses whenever I’m afraid or worried. A couple of times, the verses helped me to trust in God to keep my family safe during a difficult time.”
“I had never noticed the different ways [worship] was displayed throughout the Bible. I’ve learned that worship doesn’t just have to be done with our voices & hands, but with our actions in the fullest! A simple act of forgiveness, humility, or prayer is actually an act of worship displayed in the believer’s life.”
“This summer, God has been teaching me obedience from the heart. Every participant knows that competing in the National Bible Bee is no easy endeavor! As my brain’s ability to focus rapidly declines, and as friends and siblings have aged out, I repeatedly have found myself wondering what I was thinking when I signed up for National Bible Bee this year. But just in the nick of time, one of the main lessons in the Summer Study was the concept of surrendering to God’s will, even when we don’t understand what’s going on.
Through studying and memorizing Psalm 77, as well as the ‘Gethsemane’ passage in Matthew 26, I have been encouraged to cry out for God’s help in hard circumstances, while at the same time submitting to His will. And by doing that, I have realized that National Bible Bee isn’t something that I should do because I have to, or even necessarily because I want to, but because God wants me to and I (should) want to please Him with my whole heart. The Lord has been fine-tuning the desires of my heart to be more in line with His — something that I would never have learned had I not chosen to participate in National Bible Bee this year!”
These are just a few testimonies we have received over the summer of God working through the lives of young people. To learn more about the Summer Study and sign up to be notified for next year, visit biblebee.org/summer-study.
