Lord’s Day, Vol. 2 No. 42

(1) Jesus Loves Me

Jesus said, “Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child shall in no wise enter therein.” (Luke 18:17)

The children’s hymn, ‘Jesus Loves Me’ was based on this Bible verse. The hymn story is as follows:

“Two sisters, Anna and Susan Warner, lived near West Point, New York. They taught a Sunday-school Bible class in their home for West Point cadets. Between them, they wrote more than seventy books. In 1860, they collaborated in writing the novel ‘Say and Seal’, which became a best-selling book of that day.

In it, Jonny Fax, a young boy, suffered from a lingering disease. Near the end of the novel, Jonny asked his Sunday-school teacher to hold him and sing to him, as he often had done. His teacher, holding the boy, started to make up and sing some simple words…‘Jesus loves me, this I know…’ The plot of that novel, and that touching scene, gave birth to the now-famous hymn. The four stanzas appeared in the novel as a song of comfort for the dying boy.

This hymn has been sung more than any other, by many children. It is considered to be the best-known hymn in the world, being translated by missionaries as a means of presenting the gospel in a clear and simple way.

In 1861, William Bradbury composed the tune to which we now sing these words:

Jesus loves me! This I know,

For the Bible tells me so.

Little one to Him belong;

They are weak but He is strong.

Yes, Jesus loves me!

The Bible tells me so.

Jesus loves me! He who died

Heaven’s gate to open wide;

He will wash away my sin,

Let His little child come in.

Jesus loves me! He will stay

Close beside me all the way.

Thou hast bled and died for me;

I will henceforth live for Thee.

May we know the deep truth of these simple and beautiful words.”

[Extracted and edited from Songs in the Night by Henry Gariepy.]

(2) Blessed Hope Devotions

We have begun the study of the Gospel of Luke in our daily devotion. Please avail yourselves to it from www. blessedhope.sg/devotions.

Yours lovingly in Christ,

Pr. Lek Aik Wee