Yes! 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."


I'm sure many of you have at one point or another heard this song in your life. I know it's a children's song and it doesn't seem to have much depth to it. Some people might easily misconstrue it as a way to "brainwash" children. It popped into my head earlier this week and I realized that there is much more to this song.

As children we sang the song because it was catchy and because we all knew it. We didn't question the simple truths that it stated. When I got older I thought it all seemed rather silly. I felt that faith had to be more than just what the bible told me. In my recent realization I have come to see that this song provides an extremely significant foundation which was easily forgotten. Or perhaps underutilized for some reason. Call it maturing or modern thought but it I think it happens to many of us as we grow.

The first line states a truth that can not be denied. "Jesus loves me this I know". When I was a child that fact was certain. I didn't question God's love until I got older and had many other influences in my life. I got older and I asked "why" to many things I once considered truths. Which made things harder to understand and to explain. The second line in the song helps to answer this question.

The second line states another truth. "For the Bible tells me so". Well, we believe that the Bible is God's written word. Ranging from the Old Testament to the New Testament. Each word, each verse and each chapter is Divinely Inspired. Within those words we constantly see God telling us he loves us. The entire New Testament is filled with proclamations of Jesus' love for us. There is the ever popular John 3:16 "For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life". Therefore, how can we not say "For the Bible tells me so" when there is an abundance of evidence written in the Bible?

Now what about those last two lines? Do they really apply to those of us who have reached a "mature age" Well I believe they do. In God's eyes all of us are his little ones. We are his cherished children. Look at the scriptures in the Bible and you will see a book filled with God showing how he cares for us. He is constantly leading us to a better life. Isaiah 40:31 states "They that hope in the LORD will renew their strength, they will soar on eagles’ wings; They will run and not grow weary, walk and not grow faint". He is always there for us. He is the loving father that lifts us up.

Which leads me to my final thought. The final line uses "they" but I feel like it would be better if it used "we". This way we would realize the song is not talking about other people but about ourselves. My own life experiences have shown me that I am not nearly as "strong" as I once believed. I have learned that I am weak and in need of God's strength. I need him to help me to live the life I desire to live. It is his strength that I must rely on and not my own.

So there you have it. A new way to look at a song that once seemed like a simple children's song. Perhaps it gives you a little more to think about. Hopefully it brings you to rely more on God, maybe you'll look a little deeper into scripture, and in doing so realize that "Yes! Jesus Loves Me!"

Be The Light