Jesus loves me, this I know

I’ve been thinking a lot about Jesus and what aspect of His character has specifically attracted so many to follow Him and maintain trust in Him, no matter what suffering entered their earthly lives. What drove Jesus all the way to the cross, enduring all manner of suffering in His earthly incarnation, rescuing believers from sin’s punishment? How does He draw us closer to Him as we suffer? How are we transformed to a set apart life that loves God and others? How does He sustain us through suffering, as He has for countless other believers throughout this redemptive age?

Maybe it all boils down to one word: love.

Let’s come to our beloved Jesus Christ this week, as we suffer. 

Jesus loves me, this I know

Jesus says:

For the Father himself loves you, because you have loved me and have believed that I came from God (Jn. 16:27 ESV).

I made known to them your name, and I will continue to make it known, that the love with which you have loved me may be in them, and I in them (Jn. 17:26 ESV).

Jesus loves me, this I know,
for the Bible tells me so.
Little ones to him belong;
they are weak, but he is strong.

(“Jesus Loves Me, This I Know,” Warner, A. B., 1859)

Yes, Jesus loves me!
Yes, Jesus loves me!
Yes, Jesus loves me!
The Bible tells me so.

Abiding in Your love in coming to You as I suffer, Lord Jesus

Let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who desires take the water of life without price (Rev. 22:17 ESV).

Jesus loves me, this I know,
he loved children long ago.
In his arms for all to see,
saying, “Let them come to me.”

As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love (Jn. 15:9 ESV).

Jesus loves me, bringing me to my true home

But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus (Eph. 2:4 ESV, emphasis added).

Jesus loves me, he will stay
close beside me all the way;
he’s prepared a home for me,
and someday his face I’ll see.

They have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death (Rev. 12:11 ESV).

Therefore, Jesus is enabling me to do what pleases Him, in this earthly suffering

Jesus loves me, loves me still,
though I’m very weak and ill;
from his shining throne on high
comes to watch me where I lie.

This is his commandment, that we believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as he has commanded us. Whoever keeps his commandments abides in God, and God in him. And by this we know that he abides in us, by the Spirit who he has given us (1 Jn. 3:23-24 ESV).

Jesus loves me, he who died,
heaven’s gates to open wide;
he will wash away my sin,
let his little child come in.

Lord Jesus, as we suffer, please show us how to love You and love others, as Your beloved bride who is waiting for her bridegroom and the wedding feast to come. Maybe it’s simply singing this song to a child. How have You gifted us to share Your love, as we suffer right now? Who are You bringing into our lives because of this very hard circumstance? For we love because You first loved us (1 Jn. 4:19). With deepest affection and humbled gratitude, we pray in Your name, amen. 

Singing “Jesus loves me” to abide in His love as I suffer

Beloved in Christ, as we both suffer right now, I’m asking God to:

continually strengthen us with power through his Spirit in our inner being, so that Christ may dwell in our hearts through faith. 

Why?

That we, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that we may be filled with all the fullness of God (Eph. 3:16-19 ESV).

I’m praying He will help us each intimately, personally, and experientially know His love, so we’re continually strengthened to “endure all things” including this suffering.

So, let’s sing of Jesus and His love for us, together this week! In our longing and pain, let’s turn our eyes to Jesus and simply come to Him as we rest in His love song to our weary hearts.

Do you see? Jesus loves me, this I know?

Really “know?!”

It makes all the difference in the midst of our suffering.

Praying that the weekly playlist gifts or any of the other resources below will be His strengthening gift of love to you today.