It’s beautiful to reflect on history with our sons. It’s beautiful to see God’s faithfulness, “HIS”- “STORY” through the humble, servant hearts through the pages of scripture as well as the saints that march on throughout these days. We studied about LOVE this week in a new way. Tonight the boys and I will share as apart of our family Valentine’s celebration. Dinner, dessert, and this special message below. Following up with the very little and beginner level of piano I know, with the boys just recently beginning lessons, I have pulled together a simplistic piano sheet music to “Oh How I Love Jesus” that they have been practicing, and will share tonight for our family in song. We wanted to share this story below with you. Valentine’s Day can be a confusing time in this world. As Christians, we know a deep, perfect, and unconditional love that has saved us and given us everlasting life. A LOVE that helps us daily to treasure the simple things in life. The Love of His WORD to keep us together. To give us purpose. To give us a hope and a promise we hold onto for LOVE unending in eternity forever. Please enjoy!
JESUS LOVES ME
The song Jesus Loves Me was first written as a poem by Anna Warner around 1860 . This was just before the Civil War started in 1861. Anna lived in New York close to the U.S. Military Academy. She taught the cadets, which are military students, each week in Sunday school. In 1862, a man named William Bradbury officially made the poem into the Jesus Loves Me song. When these boys and men, became soldiers and fought in the Civil War, it is said, they spoke and sang the words to Jesus Loves Me. It brought spiritual comfort to the soldiers. It must have been a source of comfort to the wives, children, families, of the soldiers too. Anna and her sister were honored by the military for sharing this important song. They were buried in the West Point Cemetery in New York. They were the only civilians to be buried in this cemetery alongside soldiers.
Jesus Loves Me has been a song of comfort to many throughout all these years. Mothers and fathers sing it to their children. Children love to sing it. It is an important truth.
Jesus loves me this I know for the bible tells me so. We are weak, but He is strong.
Jesus loves me. I love Jesus.
“Oh how I love Jesus” is another hymn. This was written in 1855 by Frederick Whitfield. The words are a powerful reminder of every human’s need for love. The comfort of A Perfect love. Love that forgives and saves.
It goes like this:
There is a Name I love to hear,
I love to sing its worth;
It sounds like music in my ear,
The sweetest Name on earth.
Oh, how I love Jesus,
Oh, how I love Jesus,
Oh, how I love Jesus,
Because He first loved me!
It tells me of a Savior’s love,
Who died to set me free;
It tells me of His precious blood,
The sinner’s perfect plea.
It tells me of a Father’s smile
Beaming upon His child;
It cheers me through this little while,
Through desert, waste, and wild.
It tells me what my Father hath
In store for every day,
And though I tread a darksome path,
Yields sunshine all the way.
It tells of One whose loving heart
Can feel my deepest woe;
Who in each sorrow bears a part
That none can bear below.
It bids my trembling heart rejoice;
It dries each rising tear;
It tells me, in a “still small voice,”
To trust and never fear.
Jesus, the Name I love so well,
The Name I love to hear:
No saint on earth its worth can tell,
No heart conceive how dear.
This Name shall shed its fragrance still
Along this thorny road,
Shall sweetly smooth the rugged hill
That leads me up to God.
And there with all the blood-bought throng,
From sin and sorrow free,
I’ll sing the new eternal song
Of Jesus’ love for me.
On Valentine’s Day, both these songs are true for Christians. Jesus loves me. And now, Oh how I love Jesus. As the scriptures say: “we love Him, because He first loved us.” 1 Jn. 4:19 And, as we obey Him, we are living in His perfect LOVE. Jn. 15:10.
Jesus loves us! We love Him! And now, because of HIS love, we share this love with one another. Jesus says:
“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” John 13:34-35
Jesus Loves Me is the song we personally sang to our children as we rocked them as babies. As we played with them throughout each day. It is the song, we sang to our firstborn son, Isaac as he was lifeless at birth. While he laid on a ventilator, we sang! Jesus Loves Me! He was weak. Jesus strong! It is the song that I sang to our Maximus is his colic distress in the night. Rocking, rocking, singing, singing. At age 4, as Isaac laid beside me in the night, still not communicating much as stroke caused delays, but this night, God revealed that He is in control. He reveals there is understanding beyond what we see. There is a depth of the love of God that goes beyond all barriers to overcome. With a high fever and double ear infection, the LORD JESUS was strong. As I put my ear to quivering lips, I heard the most beautiful truth. Quiet speaking, “Jesus Loves me, this I know, for the bible tells me so” was pouring forth in weakness. In a time of need, a little child, speaking the most amazing truth. Knowing the comfort attached of all the years his mother and father sang it to him. In his hour of need, in his young mind, the Spirit was exercising the relational connection he had understood, between this truthful song, distress, and finding comfort.
We pray you know this love of the Savior. The comfort of His love. The power of the cross the power of the resurrection. Love overcoming our sin and weakness. The gift of LOVE God has for you today.
