Jesus Loves Me
No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:39 (NLT)
Many of us have sung the well-known children’s hymn, “Jesus Loves Me.”
Jesus loves me; this I know, for the Bible tells me so.
Little ones to Him belong. They are weak, but He is strong.
These words were written by Anna Bartlett Warner. Anna and her sister, Susan, were popular authors during the second half of the 19th century. They published 106 novels and children’s books. The words to “Jesus Loves Me” appeared in Susan’s bestselling novel, “Say and Seal.” In the novel, a Sunday School teacher uses the words to comfort a dying child. When music was added, the hymn gained popularity not only in America but also worldwide.
Knowing that Jesus loves us is indeed a comfort and should speak to our hearts and minds about a Saviour who, in His very essence, is love. But most often we don’t take time to meditate on and understand the profundity of the words, “Jesus loves me.” When Paul writes to the Ephesians, his prayer for them is that they may have the power to understand Jesus’ love since they have been rooted and established in His love.
And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ. Ephesians 3:27b - 18 NLT)
Everlasting Love
The complexities of God’s boundless love go way beyond what our human mind can fathom. Since our minds cannot fully grasp it, we need Holy Spirit to reveal this to us. We need Holy Spirit to transform our hearts and minds so that Jesus’ love isn’t just something we stand in awe of, but becomes palpable and real in our lives.
Jesus’ love becomes real in our lives when we surrender to His divine love. When we let go of our perceptions of what Jesus’ love should look like. When we remove the paradigm we have about His love for us. Our paradigm may be the love we experience from others that doesn’t bring the fulfilment we are looking for. Our paradigm may be the love we yearned for as a child but didn’t receive, leaving us disappointed and disillusioned. These paradigms make it difficult for us to accept the fact that Jesus loves us. It makes it difficult for us to yield to His unfailing, eternal love that will never disappoint.
His love is there for us when we find ourselves in the pit of hopelessness and despair. His love is there for us when we feel we are drowning in our sorrow and pain. When we feel we’ve been underwater for the longest time. Jesus is inviting us to come up for air. He is inviting us to come and sit at His feet so we can experience His everlasting love and feel His eternal arms around us.
Jesus is inviting you to come so that you can hear Him say to you, “I love you, my child. I have always loved you.”
I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with unfailing kindness.” Jeremiah 31:3 (NIV)
Reflection:
Will you believe Jesus when He says that He loves you?
Prayer:
Thank You, Lord, for Your eternal, divine love. Thank You that nothing can separate me from Your love. Help me to let go of the false paradigm I have believed about Your love. I accept Your invitation to come to You so that I can experience Your love. In Jesus’ name, amen.
